Brubeck liked to save money, didn’t smoke, and limited himself to one martini before dinner. He grew up on a ranch, and spent most of his youth wanting to be a cowboy (that accounts, Rice thinks, for the way he moves at the piano, “rid the piano stool hell for leather, as if it were a cow pony”). In June of 1961, Robert Rice profiled Dave Brubeck for The New Yorker, in an article called “ The Cleanup Man.” Brubeck, Rice wrote, was a decidedly uncool cool jazz musician. On the single’s b-side was “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” a song written in 9/8 time, like the music Brubeck had heard in Istanbul. “Take Five,” which is written in 5/4 time, was the breakout hit single. Later, back in the States, the group recorded “Time Out”-an album of songs with unusual time signatures. It was a traditional Turkish folk song, widely known-in Turkey.Īs the tour continued, Brubeck kept listening for interesting rhythms, and he kept asking his quartet to experiment with them. He hummed the tune, and several of the musicians started playing it, adding flourishes and counterpoint, even improvising on it. He told some of them about the rhythm that he’d heard on the streets and asked if anyone knew what it was. When Brubeck arrived, the musicians were taking a break from a rehearsal. Like many broadcasters at the time, the station had its own symphony orchestra. Later that day, Brubeck had an interview scheduled at a local radio station. It was in 9/8 time-nine eighth notes per measure-a very unusual meter for Western music…. This belongs in even the most rudimentary jazz collection.Walking around Istanbul one morning, Brubeck heard a group of street musicians playing an exotic rhythm, fast and syncopated. Countless other musicians built on its pioneering experiments, yet it's amazingly accessible for all its advanced thinking, a rare feat in any art form. It doesn't just sound sophisticated - it really is sophisticated music, which lends itself to cerebral appreciation, yet never stops swinging. Some have come to disdain Time Out as its become increasingly synonymous with upscale coffeehouse ambience, but as someone once said of Shakespeare, it's really very good in spite of the people who like it. The other selections are richly melodic as well, and even when the meters are even, the group sets up shifting polyrhythmic counterpoints that nod to African and Eastern musics. Brubeck's classic "Blue Rondo à la Turk" blends jazz with classical form and Turkish folk rhythms, while "Take Five," despite its overexposure, really is a masterpiece listen to how well Desmond's solo phrasing fits the 5/4 meter, and how much Joe Morello's drum solo bends time without getting lost.
DAVE BRUBECK TAKE FIVE 1959 FULL
That's a testament to Brubeck and Desmond's abilities as composers, because Time Out is full of challenges both subtle and overt - it's just that they're not jarring. Buoyed by a hit single in altoist Paul Desmond's ubiquitous "Take Five," Time Out became an unexpectedly huge success, and still ranks as one of the most popular jazz albums ever. But for once, public taste was more advanced than that of the critics.
It was a risky move - Brubeck's record company wasn't keen on releasing such an arty project, and many critics initially roasted him for tampering with jazz's rhythmic foundation. Dave Brubeck's defining masterpiece, Time Out is one of the most rhythmically innovative albums in jazz history, the first to consciously explore time signatures outside of the standard 4/4 beat or 3/4 waltz time.
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