Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, 88, visits Seattle

Fifty being a number that resonates well and is easily marketable, marking the 50th anniversaries of notable events and accomplishments has become a familiar exercise in documenting cultural history, the jazz pianist Dave Brubeck being no exception.

His landmark album, "Time Out," and its most famous track, "Take Five," were released 50 years ago this year. That it has been rereleased in a slick package, re-examined and celebrated once again is not remarkable. That Brubeck, who is 88, is around to enjoy it as a working musician is.

(On Dec. 6, Brubeck's 89th birthday, he'll be feted along with rocker Bruce Springsteen, actor Robert De Niro, comic Mel Brooks and opera singer Grace Bumbry at the Kennedy Center Honors Gala.)

One of the giants of his craft, Brubeck and his quartet will play six shows in four nights at Jazz Alley starting tonight. The quartet features alto saxophonist and flutist Bobby Militello, who has played with Brubeck for almost 30 years, as has drummer Randy Jones. Bassist Michael Moore is the newest member of Brubeck's group.

Brubeck is among the few musicians of his era still performing. He is old enough to have started playing when jazz meant big-band, swing music. The son of a cattle rancher, he discovered music and jazz accidentally while studying to be a veterinarian. He served in the Army during World War II but avoided combat by forming and playing in an integrated Army band.

"Time Out" came along years later at a time of great innovation in jazz. (Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" was also a product of this period.) Musicians experimented with methods of improvisation and expanded their repertoire beyond popular standards. Big bands gave way to small combos. Jazz was no longer just dance music.

Brubeck was among those who experimented with time signatures. Until then, jazz was usually played in four-four time, occasionally in three-four time — in other words either four or three beats per measure. Four beats, with the emphasis on two and four, is the basic building block of swing.

Brubeck's "Take Five" had five beats per measure, a daring concept for its time. Record executives recognized the risk, but also wanted to move beyond familiar standards. Surprisingly, "Take Five" was a hit, not just among jazz fans but all music listeners. The song became the first jazz recording to top the pop charts.

"In those days we were playing every night and driving after the job to the next job," Brubeck said in a recent interview with National Public Radio, "and we'd start switching stations and we'd be on one station after another."

The album also yielded another hit, "Blue Rondo A La Turk," which started Brubeck's reputation for skillfully incorporating themes of classical music into jazz.

With age, reflexes slow down, joints stiffen, and for musicians, the physical act of playing inevitably changes. The effect is less apparent on Brubeck because, perhaps, as a player he has always been more of a listener, someone who unearths hidden sounds and themes rather than plays for speed. A Brubeck harmony is best listened to slowly anyway.

"For me the more you get to play, the better it is," Brubeck told NPR. "Just play as much as you can while you can. I can't wait 'til the next job so we can play."

Hugo Kugiya: hkugiya@yahoo.com