HARTFORD, Conn. (December 3, 2012)--Pioneering jazz composer and pianist Dave Brubeck, 91, died Wednesday morning of heart failure, after being stricken while on his way to a cardiology appointment with his son, his manager, Russell Gloyd, said.

Gloyd said Brubeck would have turned 92 on Thursday.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet's pieces such as "Take Five" caught listeners' ears with exotic, challenging rhythms and became enduring standards.

In 1954 he was the first modern jazz musician to be pictured on the cover of Time magazine.

The quartet's 1959 album "Time Out" was the first ever million-selling jazz LP. "Take Five," a cut from that album by saxophonist Paul Desmond, became the group's signature theme.