Brubeck

Never my cup of tea, really. But nobody ever sounded anything like him, and there's little doubt he left a mark on American music and culture. Everybody will be playing "Take Five" today, even though it was written by Paul Desmond and owes its fame as much to his fine, slippery alto sound as it does to Brubeck's piano.

Instead of some Brubeck, how about a song that captures some of his milieu, with a balance of sincere nostalgia and a little sneer (it is Donald Fagen, after all)...

I hear you're mad about Brubeck
I like your eyes, I like him too
He's an artist, a pioneer
We've got to have some music on the new frontier