Primary Wave Music has partnered with Derry Music Company for the music, publishing copyrights, and recording catalog of legendary jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck.
The deal also gives Primary Wave a share in the licensing of Dave Brubeck’s name, image and likeness rights, according to its press release on Tuesday (November 18).
The publisher will handle marketing, branding and licensing opportunities for Brubeck’s catalog, including sync deals for film and TV projects.
Brubeck’s catalog includes compositions such as In Your Own Sweet Way and It’s a Raggy Waltz, along with recordings featuring the Dave Brubeck Quartet. The group’s 1959 album Time Out became the first jazz record to sell one million copies, driven by Take Five, which was composed by saxophonist Paul Desmond that became the best-selling jazz single of all time.
Take Five was initially released as a promotional single in September 1959 but gained traction two years later, eventually propelling Time Out to No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200. The album has sold more than two million copies and entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009. The New York Times called it a “masterpiece.”
“The Brubeck family enjoys a rare position in the musical world as we have inherited an exceptional legacy. Our father, Dave Brubeck, was a world figure known for his talent, originality, international diplomacy, and decency.”
Brubeck Family
Brubeck’s music has appeared in films including Baby Driver, Wedding Crashers and Silver Linings Playbook, as well as TV series such as Breaking Bad, The Sopranos and The Simpsons. He was featured in Ken Burns‘ documentary series Jazz and was the subject of films by Hedrick Smith and Clint Eastwood.
Brubeck studied composition with French composer Darius Milhaud after serving in the Army during World War II, where he led what was reportedly the military’s “first racially integrated band.” He formed the Dave Brubeck Octet in 1947 and later established the quartet with Desmond after recovering from a diving accident in 1951.
The Brubeck family said in a statement they chose Primary Wave to “further extend the appreciation of our parents’ musical and humanitarian heritage.”
The family said: “The Brubeck family enjoys a rare position in the musical world as we have inherited an exceptional legacy. Our father, Dave Brubeck, was a world figure known for his talent, originality, international diplomacy, and decency. We have trained, performed and recorded with our remarkable father for over a half century and are committed to promoting his creativity in both jazz and classical music.”
Primary Wave’s John Luneau said: “I’ve worked on dozens of acquisitions for Primary Wave in the 15 years I’ve been with the team, but this one is personal. Dave Brubeck and his classic Quartet were my first musical idols – 3 years before the Beatles! – and remain so still.”
“It’s the honor of my career to help bring about this brilliant marriage of Dave’s musical genius with Primary Wave’s skill at preserving and expanding the legacies of iconic artists.”
John Luneau, Primary Wave Music
“It’s the honor of my career to help bring about this brilliant marriage of Dave’s musical genius with Primary Wave’s skill at preserving and expanding the legacies of iconic artists.”
Primary Wave’s David Weitzman added: “Dave Brubeck wasn’t just ahead of his time, he was outside of it. He played in time signatures none dared to touch, he built bands that broke racial barriers before the world caught up and named his masterpieces Time Out and Time Further Out – fitting titles for a man who seemed to live one beat ahead of the rest of us.”
Brubeck appeared on the cover of Time Magazine in 1954, only the second jazz artist to receive that distinction. He signed with Columbia Records (now Sony) that year and released multiple albums including Time Further Out and Countdown: Time in Outer Space.
“Dave Brubeck wasn’t just ahead of his time, he was outside of it. He played in time signatures none dared to touch, he built bands that broke racial barriers before the world caught up.”
David Weitzman, Primary Wave Music
He was declared a Jazz Master in 2000 by the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2003, he was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame. In 2007, he received a Living Legacy Jazz Award from Kennedy Center and the Arison Award from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts.
Dave Brubeck’s catalog further expands Primary Wave’s repertoire of compositions from legacy artists. Earlier in November, the company entered into a partnership with the estate of Phil Lynott, co-founder and songwriter of iconic Irish rock band Thin Lizzy.
Last month, the company struck a partnership with Grammy winner Patti LaBelle.
In July, the company struck a music rights deal with the Estate of legendary English blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, Peter Green.
In June, Primary Wave partnered with Grammy-nominated band the Cars.
In March, the company acquired a stake in the Biggie Smalls catalog, which was reported to have valued the artist’s estate at $200 million.
Primary Wave’s portfolio also includes rights to works by Bob Marley, Whitney Houston, Stevie Nicks, and Luther Vandross. The company has also signed a marketing and publishing administration deal with Grammy-winning songwriter and performer Jimmy Webb, along with deals with the estate of country and folk singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker, Grammy-winning violinist Itzhak Perlman, and Feels So Good composer Chuck Mangione.
The company has also recently acquired the catalog of Nuno Bettencourt of 90s rock band Extreme; inked a publishing partnership with alt-rock band The Spin Doctors; and signed a music rights deal with Neil Finn of Crowded House.
Primary Wave also struck a deal for the recorded, publishing, brand and name and likeness rights of The Village People of YMCA fame; a catalog deal with the estate of songwriter and musician P.F. Sloan; and a stake in the catalog of singer/songwriter Neil Sedaka.
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