Dave Brubeck through his timeless works such as "Blue Rondo a la Turk" and the famous "Take Five", has introduced millions of listeners, young and old, to unexplored regions of jazz. His work was the initial inspiration for my lifelong appreciation of jazz. Born on 06 December 1920, in Concord, California, Brubeck has written and recorded volumes of work, including several large scale works including two ballets, a musical, an oratorio, four cantatas, a mass, works for jazz combo and orchestra and many solo piano pieces. In addition to the many appearances at the Newport, Monterey, Concord and the Kool Jazz Festivals, he has performed at the White House in 1964, 1891 and 1988, honoring the Gorbachevs.

To date, Brubeck has recorded 82 discs of work. So many discs, they would be impossible to list. The latest in this line is The 40th Anniversary Tour of the U.K. This recorded live disc, featuring Dave Brubeck on piano, Bobby Militello on alto saxophone, Alec Dankworth on bass, and Randy Jones on Drums. Just as the title of this disc indicates, the quartet has reworked some songs from his tour in 1958. This was not meant to be a nostalgia trip, rather a way to challenge himself, the musicians and the audience. Therefore, one will find new material, including a blues tune called, "You Can Run, but You Can’t Hide". The highlights on this disk are nine. All nine tracks! The wonderful emotional rollercoaster of "The Time of Our Madness", is my favorite on the disc. This is also a new cut. At any given track, only satisfaction will be registered.

Brubeck’s and Paul Desmond’s classic waltz, "Take Five", is not featured on this disc. Yet anyone who knows Brubeck, likely came to know him through this tune. Regardless of age! Not so long ago the tune was featured ion a Lexus commercial, and along with Jonathan Pryce, did very well to promote an image that Lexus has tried in vain to create. This is a man who has traveled a very tempestuous road at times. And perhaps this bumpy road is what has given him the soul inside to create this music. Give you a sense of his years and insight, on his 75th birthday he was quoted as following: "I was born in a California town founded by the Spanish… and have absorbed and observed Mexican folk music all of my life… the ethnic music reflects those qualities I most admire in a people… dignity in moments of tragedy, infectious high spirits in moments of joy and an unshakable faith made evident in a strong sense of one’s own worth and a deep respect for the shared values of one’s own group – family, church, village. These qualities, I think, are universal to people with a strong communal sense – an increasingly rare attribute in urban culture".