Jazz great to play at Pepperdine

Pepperdine University Center for the Arts presents "An Afternoon with Dave Brubeck" at 3 p.m. on Sun., Sept. 16 at Pepperdine University’s Smothers Theatre, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway in mid-Malibu.

Legendary jazz pianist Brubeck—perhaps best remembered for his classic "Take Five"—is joined by bassist Michael Moore, clarinetist Bill Smith and drummer Randy Jones.

In 1999, the National Endowment for the Arts presented its Jazz Masters Award to Brubeck, now 80, for his ongoing contribution to jazz. His musical contributions over the past half-century as both pianist and composer have been honored by a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

When the Dave Brubeck Quartet with alto saxophonist Paul Desmond was formed in 1951, the distinctive harmonic approach employed by Brubeck and Desmond, along with their bold improvised contrapuntal choruses, caused a stir in the jazz world and launched what would become known as "West Coast" or "cool" jazz.

Brubeck was an early experimenter in combining jazz with symphony orchestras and pioneered the presentation of two indigenous American art forms—jazz and modern dance.

Tickets are priced at $45 and are available now by calling (310) 506-4522 or TicketMaster at (213) 365-3500.