Artist: The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Album: Time Out
Year: 1959
Like Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, Time Out is another album I've been listening to for years prior to this 1001 album project. I think this one is regarded a little less favorably among jazz aficionados than the aforementioned Miles album (it's quite a bit more "pop"), but I think it's tremendous.
While Kind of Blue was an exploration of tone and mood, Time Out is an exploration of rhythm. There are all kinds of wacky time-signature changes through the album that help give the music distinction and propulsion. I've never heard an album quite like this one.
"Blue Rondo a la Turk" is the opening cut. It's in 9/8 time, the standard time signature of a certain Turkish folk dance. Its catchy, jazzy, and sophisticated. A great opener. Most people have probably heard this one without knowing it's Brubeck.
"Strange Meadow Lark" is my favorite song on this album. It's just gorgeous. Brubeck's opening piano figure with its music box melody lends way to alto saxophonist Paul Desmond's breathy, wispy soloing. I played the alto sax for years growing up, and Desmond was my idol. This song being a big reason why.
And then comes "Take Five." Everyone knows this song. My boy Desmond wrote it, and plays one of the most killer hooks in all of jazz music here. It's another triumph of odd time signatures, this time it's 5/4. It's got that Pink Panther theme kind of sound to it, less menacing but equally mysterious.
I don't think the rest of the album stands up to the first three cuts, but when the first three cuts are all upper-echelon jazz standards, it's hard to compete.
For people new to jazz music, Time Out is the album I'd recommend starting with.
Rating: Indispensable
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