Artist · chart history
Dave Brubeck Quartet
Band San Francisco United States Active 1951–1967
Dave Brubeck Quartet formed in 1951 in San Francisco, United States and was active until 1967. Dave Brubeck Quartet has 11 chart appearances on 11 radio countdowns from 6 stations on RockLists, spanning 2001–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Take Five”, which appears on 11 lists with a best position of #4. The station that charted Dave Brubeck Quartet most often is WXPN (Philadelphia, PA), with 4 appearances.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet came together in San Francisco in 1951, with Dave Brubeck at the piano and Paul Desmond alongside him from day one, and the two of them stuck it out for the band's whole run. They cut records for Fantasy and Columbia, among others, and played a brand of jazz that never forgot the listener.
Joe Morello took over the drums in 1958, and Eugene Wright was among the players too. Time Out is the album everybody knows, and "Take Five" is the reason: a loping, lopsided groove that feels like it should trip over itself and never does, carrying a melody you can whistle after one listen. It's the rare jazz record that crossed over onto rock radio's countdowns decades later, and it still sounds cooler than just about anything it shares the airwaves with.
The quartet called it a day in 1967.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
Songs by Dave Brubeck Quartet on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take Five | 11 | #4 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 287 | Take Five | WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time |
| 2025 | 90 | Take Five | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs |
| 2023 | 152 | Take Five | WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 |
| 2023 | 299 | Take Five | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time |
| 2020 | 54 | Take Five | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time |
| 2018 | 80 | Take Five | The Current's 893 Essential Songs |
| 2014 | 75 | Take Five | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) |
| 2012 | 454 | Take Five | WYEP Top 500 Songs Countdown |
| 2009 | 22 | Take Five | WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) |
| 2004 | 132 | Take Five | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) |
| 2001 | 4 | Take Five | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time |
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