All you have to do is count evenly from one to five. If you continue to count to five evenly in that same tempo, you’ve just set the tempo for one of the most unique and beloved jazz standards from 1959: “Take Five”.
“Take Five” was written by saxophonist Paul Desmond after a trip to Turkey with his band leader Dave Brubeck. Turkish street musicians were playing music with unusual time signatures and it got the creative juices flowing for both Desmond and Brubeck.
The public trumps the record company
From the start, Dave Brubeck’s record company wasn’t really behind the idea of an album with an artsy theme like odd time signatures. They thought it would have limited appeal for a very small crowd. But Brubeck soldiered on and included Desmond’s “Take Five” on the album called Time Out.
When the album was released the critics panned it. Jazz had it’s foundations firmly planted in a 4/4 tempo. This experimental time concept that Brubeck was toying with just wasn’t right (they thought).
The public had a different opinion though. They liked the first single called “Take Five”. In fact, they liked it so much it became a chart hit. The song went all the way to #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #5 on Billboard Easy Listening chart. “Take Five” was a hit and it was getting played on mainstream radio and getting a coveted spot in jukeboxes around the world. Counting to five wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
Hypnosis in the rhythm.
The magic of “Take Five” comes from Brubeck’s entire ensemble. You get hypnotized by the repetitiveness of the song. The melody played and penned by Paul Desmond is one of the most famous saxophone melodies in history. “Take Five” has become a jazz standard because it broke the rules and experimented with a different time signature. What’s more important is that jazz lovers and the general public find joy in it and that’s a solid win for everybody. Now, go ahead and listen to “Take Five” again. You know you want to....
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