Darius Brubeck

Darius Brubeck (born David Darius Brubeck; June 14, 1947) is an American jazz pianist, author, and educator. He is the son of jazz legend Dave Brubeck with whom he worked professionally in the 1970s, while also performing in his own bands, The Darius Brubeck Ensemble and Gathering Forces.

In 1983, Brubeck joined the staff of the University of Natal (now University of KwaZulu-Natal) in Durban, South Africa, as a Lecturer in Music with a mission to introduce Jazz Studies. Darius and his wife, Catherine, co-authored a memoir of their time in South Africa between 1983 and 2006 titled Playing the Changes: Jazz at an African University and on the Road, published by University of KwaZulu-Natal Press (2023). The international edition is published by the University of Illinois Press (2024). The couple currently resides in Rye, East Sussex in the south of England.

Currently, Darius leads The Darius Brubeck Quartet — Dave O’Higgins, sax, Matt Ridley, bass, Wesley Gibbens, drums — based in London and Brubecks Play Brubeck, featuring his brothers Chris (bass and trombone) and Dan Brubeck (drums).

A documentary film by Michiel ten Kleij (Red Cloak Films) entitled Playing the Changes: Tracking Darius Brubeck was completed in 2023.