Dave Brubeck Quartet: "Blue Rondo a la Turk"

It's Pay Day. Time to go get crazy! Or, just hoard your money for the oncoming depression. I think in 20 yrs it's gonna look like this.

(pic is from Mad Max, btw)

And I think that more and more everyday with this Tea party recession talk. Seriously? I want to believe that people are this dumb, but they are just pandering to uneducated nonvoters who like guns and have the "South will rise again" mentality. This country is going to hell in a handbasket if you ask me. Im about to book my trip to a secluded island in the middle of nowhere before it gets like the picture...

On that depressive note, let's lighten up the mood for the impending doom!!

The SOTD is a light and livey Jazz tune..

"Blue Rondo a-la Turk"
Dave Brubeck Quartet
Time Out
Released: 1959

Keeping on the same theme as crazy time-signatures (I promise I'll expand my breadth of discussion next week), Dave Brubeck expands jazz to include crazy Time Signatures, hence the name "Time Out." If you remember from yesterdays SOTD, most modern music is written in 4/4 time (Some country songs use 3/4). Mr. Brubeck uses 9/8, 5/4, 6/4, 2/2 and more in this album. He probably didn't know it when recording, but this is one of the best selling Jazz albums ever, thanks to the strength of one of the best known American songs of all time, "Take Five" linked below.

In this song, he uses the 9/8 time signature for the theme and switches to 4/4 for the solos, then back and forth. (I've said it before and I'll say it again, Jazz musicians are the best out there - that is HARD!) He uses Mozart's "Rondo Alla Turca" as his inspriation, and that is based off of the Turkish Zeybek (folk dance). Paul Desmond's sax on the album is great too.

Interesting Tidbit: It was the epitome of the West Coast Jazz of the late '50s [West Coast Jazz meaning mostly white guys and acceptable to parents who were still a lil weary of the association with real Jazz (see: Racism)]. But beyond that, West Coast Jazz in the 50's was "cooler" than the Be-Bop and Post Bop played in NYC at the time. But that changed when Miles Davis went wacko with Scales and Modal Jazz (another Long discussion, for another day, hopefully far away).

Interesting Tidbit 2:Dave Brubeck is known for his "block" style of playing piano. Basically meaning in soloing, he'd play chords over a more lyrical style, than let's say, a Bill Evans.

Interesting Tidbit 3: For you "Wedding Crashers" fans out there, this song is featured when Vince Vaugan is getting the shit kicked out of him in the football scene.

So sit back, relax on your very beautiful Friday. Grab a beverage. Grab a smoke. And enjoy this very swanky tune that'll set you right for the weekend.








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