5 minutes with ... Dave Brubeck.

Pianist and prolific composer Dave Brubeck has been dubbed a "living legend" by the Library of Congress. Born in 1920, Brubeck began piano at age 4 and went on to study composition with Darius Milhaud. His extensive discography and publications include jazz standards, such as "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo a la Turk."

Do you ever get tired of playing Take Five? Your fans always expect it.

That's like asking me if I get tired of seeing my wife after over 60 years of marriage. If I disliked Take Five I would have quit playing it long ago. After all, we play it differently each time. That's jazz.

What composition would you most like to be remembered for?

Again, that's like asking which of your identical twins you think is the most beautiful.

In a performing career that has spanned some 60 years, are there certain performances or venues that stand out? You've played for how many presidents, princes and potentates?

Of all the different presidents and potentates for whom I have performed, I think the most memorable was performing portions of my mass and a commissioned piece written especially for Pope John Paul II, in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, during the Pope's American visit in 1987. I have played at the White House for almost every president since John F. Kennedy. Sometimes, the official guest at the White House dinner would be a leader from a foreign country, such as King Hussein of Jordan or the president of Uruguay. I played in Moscow at the Reagan and Gorbachev Summit. Also, I performed with the London Symphony in the presence of Prince Charles and Princess Di and more recently, again with the London Symphony, when Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were present.

You've composed oratorios, symphonies, sonatas, fugues and string quartets, all written out for classical musicians. Yet, most people still think of you primarily as a jazz pianist. Sometimes your classical piano pieces remind us of Ives (as in They All Sang Yankee Doodle), Milhaud and Stravinsky (Glances) and Chopin (Points on Jazz). Do you understand how the (jazz) public gets confused?

Darius Milhaud used to say that there are only two kinds of music--good and bad. Most jazz musicians know that jazz and classical were born joined by the "hip." From the beginning, jazz has been influenced by classical music, and from the early part of the 20th century, jazz has influenced classical composers--Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, Milhaud, Prokofiev, Ives, Hindemith, Bernstein, Copland, etc.

Maybe we should coin a new word--"jazzical?"

I like that!

You've been married to the same woman for 63 years. What role does Iola play in your life?

When she was doing the bookkeeping, scheduling transportation, writing liner notes for recordings, making hotel reservations, writing publicity, lyrics for my songs and texts for my sacred music, oratorios etc., we often referred to her as "central intelligence" ... and besides that, she raised six children!

Together you are writing your memoirs?

Yes. Slowly, but we're getting there. There are a lot of years to cover. And new projects come along that delay our progress.

What do you do to relax and unwind? Sudoku? Video games?

Video Games? Never. Write and play music. Can't think of a better way to spend my time. In my high school years, I played football, basketball and tennis. I've always enjoyed swimming. Now, for relaxation, I sometimes watch sports events on TV.

Any guilt about leaving cattle ranching and veterinary medicine? (Admit it, you blame yourself for not finding a cure for mad cow disease, right?)

Only in the early days when life on the road was almost unbearable and the jazz world was so tough. Then, I would sometimes wish I was back on the cattle ranch. But I've gotten over that as my career in music became more friendly, and I had more control over with whom and where I worked.

With all your stunning successes, is there anything left for which to dream? (Wrestling ownership of Beatles songs from Michael Jackson? A visit from Ed McMahon and the lottery commissioner?)

Any of the above would be nice; then I could fulfill my dream of publishing all my music for others to perform. And, of course, I still dream about becoming a better musician.

Arthur Houle is founder and director of the International Festival for Creative Pianists (www.pianofestival.org). Houle has taught at several institutions throughout the country and will be associate professor/director of keyboard studies at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado, in the fall of 2006.

John Salmon is a piano professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has long championed the music of Dave Brubeck. Salmon graciously agreed to join Houle in this very special interview.