23. Dave Brubeck Quartet -Time Out (1959)

1. Blue Rondo A La Turk
2. Strange Meadow Lark
3. Take Five
4. Three To Get Ready
5. Kathy's Waltz
6. Everybody's Jumpin'
7. Pick Up Sticks


Ah, nothing like reading Finnegans Wake while listening to some nice intellectual jazz.....wait a minute, crossover success!?! I can't listen to this shit!! It's got the stench of the unwashed masses all over it!

Anyhow, this album does sound a fair bit different from the jazz I've reviewed so far. As the record title indicates, time signatures are the main focus of this thing. Jazz had labored under 4/4 for far too long, and Dave Brubeck sought to change that with a host of wacky time signatures (9/8? What the hell is that?). Apparently this pissed off a bunch of jazz purists, proving that they're even easier to anger than indie fans.

All those different time signatures give this record a more diverse sound than you would normally associate with 1950s jazz. 'Blue Rondo A La Turk' was influenced by Turkish folk music, and it sounds pretty swingin', even though it turns into a more conventional jazz piece partway through. The intro just might be my favorite spot on the record. Why can't we use 9/8 more often? According to Wikipedia, this part sounds very similar to some battle music in Final Fantasy 7. I am so very glad they've got the truly important things in mind over there.

'Take Five' is recognizable from the first piano notes onward. It's one of the few jazz pieces to actually hit the top 40 and not immediately remind one of the dentist's office. There's even a drum solo that doesn't bore me! Any song that can pull both of those off has got to be extremely well written, and it's no surprise that this is one of the most well known jazz songs ever.

The rest of the album isn't quite as strikingly innovate, but still pleasant. 'Strange Meadow Lark' is as pretty as it sounds, and there's a part in 'Kathy's Waltz' where the piano sounds exactly like the melody of 'All My Loving' by the Beatles. The piano is great all across the album, now that I think about it.

So, how do the 1950s end? Not exactly with a bang, but perhaps a slightly smaller explosion. Not brain-meltingly innovative and flawless, but pretty unique and very listenable. There are much worse ways to end a decade!