Brubeck Remembers WWII

Y’know, if it weren’t for a World War II U.S. Army colonel with an ear for good music, we might not have had pianist Dave Brubeck’s music to enjoy for all these years. Before he ever dropped a note for Fantasy or Columbia, he was entertaining the allied troops in World War II as the leader of the Wolf Pack band, a group Private Brubeck (pictured) formed after one of his higher-ups in the service heard him on piano and decided that Brubeck was more valuable manning the ivories than the front lines.

To commemorate Brubeck’s time in the service, as well as the 60th anniversary of D-Day, Telarc will release a collection of solo piano recordings by Brubeck on May 25. Titled Private Brubeck Remembers, the album features songs from the World War II period, including “When I Grow Too Old to Dream” and “You’d Be so Nice to Come Home To.” The album also includes two Brubeck compositions, “We Crossed the Rhine” and “Weep No More,” that the pianist wrote during the war.