Benefit held in honor of Brubeck

WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) -- The death of a Connecticut jazz legend yesterday in Norwalk brought out musicians from all over to play in his honor tonight at the Palace Theater in Waterbury.

Today would have been Dave Brubeck's 92nd birthday. It just so happened a benefit had long since been planned at the theater for Brubeck's daughter's charity called" Jazz-4-Life".

The event turned into a memorial tribute for a man who gave so much through the years to music.

It turns out in his college years in California, Brubeck faked his way through music unable to read it the way others did. He graduated but was told never to teach piano.

The rest is history after forming his first band in the early 1940's.

Brubeck had six children, five sons and one daughter. All of the sons would go on to be musicians in their own right.

He was married to his wife, Lola for 70 years and she wrote many of the lyrics to his songs.

His daughter Catherine she told News 8 her Dad wrote songs for all of his children and grand children.

News 8's Ann Nyberg asked Catherine what the proudest musical moment was for her Dad and it turns out that came in 2009.

"I think the Kennedy Center Awards, that was huge. That was three years ago and I'm so glad he was healthy for that. He went down to Washington D.C. and hobnobbed with President Obama and the Clintons and all that and that was really fun for him," Catherine Brubeck Yaghsizian said.

"Describe the vibrancy around your Dad," News 8's Nyberg said.

"Um, well, I can tell you what he told me once is, I said Dad people just love you and he said well always carry the atmosphere that you want with you, then every where you go, it will be there, and I'm like that's a good idea," Yaghsizian said.