Dave Brubeck
CD Review 2
The album “Time Out” (1959), by The Dave Brubeck Quartet is considered one of the greats in the history of jazz. In 1961 it peaked at the number two spot for pop albums and sold more than one million records in the United States. Brubeck’s quartet consisted of Paul
Desmond on alto saxophone, Eugene Wright on bass, Joe Morello on drums, and of course, Dave
Brubeck on the keys. If I refer to just an instrument, I’m also referring to the respective player.
I’ll use these references interchangeably. The quartet was packed with incredibly talented musicians, those of which will be recognized as some of the best in jazz history. The entire album was designed around the idea of ‘unusual’ time signatures which gave the album a very unique sound. The first song, “Blue Rondo a La Turk”, starts out with a lone piano playing a very irregular time signature. You can hear a 1-and-1-and-1-and-1-2-3 type beat. Soon after, a bass, drums, and saxophone are added in the irregular beat. As the song continues this pattern, it comes to an abrupt build up in intensity, almost as if an orchestral arrangement. The song then takes an amazing turn by having the drums play a steady ride rhythm. This is followed by a return to the irregular beat, and yet again back and forth between the two until it comes to a steady ride rhythm for many measures with Paul Desmond soloing for quite a while. Brubeck comes in later on piano with his own relaxed sounding solo. After the solos, the battle back and forth between the irregular beat, and steady ride rhythm continues. The song comes to a close with a very grandiose piano and drums ritardando. The second song on the album, “Strange Meadow Lark”, is possibly my favorite out of
2
the bunch. The song opens with the most beautiful introduction I’ve ever heard in any style of music. Brubeck is playing solo on the piano. His precise attention to dynamics and runs up the
keyboard
The album “Time Out” (1959), by The Dave Brubeck Quartet is considered one of the greats in the history of jazz. In 1961 it peaked at the number two spot for pop albums and sold more than one million records in the United States. Brubeck’s quartet consisted of Paul
Desmond on alto saxophone, Eugene Wright on bass, Joe Morello on drums, and of course, Dave
Brubeck on the keys. If I refer to just an instrument, I’m also referring to the respective player.
I’ll use these references interchangeably. The quartet was packed with incredibly talented musicians, those of which will be recognized as some of the best in jazz history. The entire album was designed around the idea of ‘unusual’ time signatures which gave the album a very unique sound. The first song, “Blue Rondo a La Turk”, starts out with a lone piano playing a very irregular time signature. You can hear a 1-and-1-and-1-and-1-2-3 type beat. Soon after, a bass, drums, and saxophone are added in the irregular beat. As the song continues this pattern, it comes to an abrupt build up in intensity, almost as if an orchestral arrangement. The song then takes an amazing turn by having the drums play a steady ride rhythm. This is followed by a return to the irregular beat, and yet again back and forth between the two until it comes to a steady ride rhythm for many measures with Paul Desmond soloing for quite a while. Brubeck comes in later on piano with his own relaxed sounding solo. After the solos, the battle back and forth between the irregular beat, and steady ride rhythm continues. The song comes to a close with a very grandiose piano and drums ritardando. The second song on the album, “Strange Meadow Lark”, is possibly my favorite out of
2
the bunch. The song opens with the most beautiful introduction I’ve ever heard in any style of music. Brubeck is playing solo on the piano. His precise attention to dynamics and runs up the
keyboard