Yesterday marked the birthday anniversaries of two greats in contemporary music: lyricist Ira Gershwin (1896-1983) and jazz pianist Dave Brubeck (1920-2012). With his composer brother George, the Gershwin brothers created some of the greatest popular and jazz tunes of the 20th century, many of which are considered integral to the Great American Songbook. Brubeck, who formed one of the classic jazz quartets of all time, extended jazz's popularity in the years following World War II. Here are two of their signature works, "I Got Rhythm" sung by the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald, and "Take Five" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet (featuring Paul Desmond on alto sax, Eugene Wright on double bass, and Joe Morello on drums).
