During his long and prolific career, Dave Brubeck (Time magazine s 1955 Man of the Year ) often veered away from his jazz roots to branch into long-form instrumental compositions, mixing the classic sounds of his renowned quartet with symphonic orchestras. What has always been unique with Brubeck, a former student of Darius Milhaud, is that he straddled easily both worlds, exploring with avidity the endless possibilities of both when blended together, as evidenced by some of the selections in this 2-CD collection for The Music Of America series.