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Home , Jazz Casual, Joe Morello, Paul Desmond, Take Five

The Story Of 's '' "I had a painting on the cover, and that hadn't happened in ," Brubeck said. "It may have

happened in classical, I don't know. And also, it was all originals, and they were against that. If you did all original compositions, you usually couldn't do that. You just weren't allowed to do that. They wanted you to do standard Broadway shows and standard tunes from the love songs of the day or the hits of the day."

Of course, it did get released in 1960, but only because then-label president Goddard

Lieberson intervened. Lieberson really liked what Brubeck was doing.

"I remember him saying, 'We don't need another copy of "Stardust" or "Body and Soul." We've got so many. And it's about time somebody did something like this.'"

So instead of reworkings of jazz standards or tunes of the day, you got "Blue Rondo a la Turk," a song in nine-eight, as well as "Pick Up Sticks," "Strange Meadow Lark" and "Take Five."

A Last-Minute Addition In 1961, Dave Brubeck told Ralph Gleason on the TV program that jazz had lost some of its adventurous qualities. He said it wasn't challenging the public rhythmically the way it had in its early days. Much of the album was close to being worked out when Brubeck decided to add a tune in five- four time. "It's time that the jazz musicians take up their original role of leading the public into a more adventurous ," he said. "Dave used to feature me all the time for the ," drummer says. "We'd close a concert with that because we'd get 'em standing and screaming and all of that. So I Brubeck said it's a good idea to shake things up a bit, and that's exactly what he did with the would go into five-four. The tune that I was working with Dave was 'Sounds of the Loop,' but song "Take Five." on the drum-solo part, I'd just go into five-four and that's how that all started. So I kept asking "Take Five" was the third track on the album Time Out, recorded in 1959. That was the year Dave — I said, 'Why don't you write a song' — now he's the composer in the group, so finally Miles Davis and Gil Evans introduced the jazz audience to modal music with the landmark Desmond said, 'I'll write something.'" album Kind of Blue, released Giant Steps and and Benny Golson Morello was referring to alto saxophonist , who first played with Brubeck in the formed their first jazztet. A lot of new things were happening in jazz in those days, but late 1940s before joining Brubeck's trio in 1951. Desmond is credited with composing "Take rhythmically, the music was still being played mostly in four-four time. Brubeck had always Five," but Brubeck says the tune was a group project with Desmond providing two main ideas. been interested in polyrhythm and polytonality. The first theory is what drives African music; the second is tied closely to classical. "Paul came in with two themes unrelated, and I put it together as a tune and made a form out of it," Brubeck says. "He came in with two themes. He didn't know which was the first or the Brubeck had been playing in odd time signatures back in the late 1940s, but it wasn't until he second. He didn't know they'd fit together. Dopa, depa, depa, dopa, lom, bom, bom, bom. returned from a trip to Turkey in 1958 that he thought about doing an entire album in That's one theme. I'm the one that put them together and said, 'We can make a tune out of different time signatures, like six-four, three-four, nine-eight and, in "Take Five," five-four. this. We repeat the first theme, and then you'd go to what we call a bridge, and then go back Brubeck's label at the time, Columbia, didn't know about his plans. When he finally let them in to the first theme, and then improvise on the one E flat minor chord change.' And then have a on what he was doing, the marketing department became nervous about releasing the album, drum solo. Joe said, 'Dave, don't ever quit playing that vamp under my solo or I'll get lost.'" and not just because of the strange meters. An Unlikely Best-Seller It's a pantomime and not a play Still, I know our eyes often meet The quartet recorded the tune in two takes, and when it was done, Paul Desmond thought the I feel tingles down to my feet song was a throwaway — so much so that he once joked about using his entire share of When you smile, that's much too discreet Sends me on my way royalties from the song to buy a new electric shaver. The title "Take Five" was Brubeck's idea; Wouldn't it be better not to be so polite Desmond wasn't crazy about the title, but Brubeck persisted. You could offer a light

"So I said, 'Well, we got to have a title. Why don't you want to use it?' And he said, 'Nobody Start a little conversation now, it's alright Just take five, just take five knows what it means.' And I said, 'Paul, you're the only person probably in the country that Though I'm going out of my way doesn't know what it means.'" Just so I can pass by each day

"Take Five" became the A side of a 45 record, Brubeck says, only because the other popular Not a single word do we say It's a pantomime and not a play song "Blue Rondo a la Turk" was too long of a title for disc jockeys to say on the air. The album Though I'm going out of my way Time Out sold out almost immediately. Desmond once said the thing that made its title song Just so I can pass by each day work was the bridge. Not a single word do we say

It's a pantomime and not a play And it almost wasn't used. Both Brubeck and Morello say they can't pinpoint what it is about

"Take Five" that has made it the biggest-selling jazz single ever. Brubeck guesses it was the : Paul Desmond catchy repeated vamp. Morello says the whole thing just clicked. Take Five lyrics © Noel L Silverman

"It just worked," he says. "You know, if anyone could ever predict what's going to be a big seller like that, my God, they'd be driving around in Rolls-Royces; you know, living in castles."

"Take Five" spawned a number of jazz compositions in five-four time from lots of musicians, but you'd probably be hard-pressed to name any as memorable as "Take Five." It's a in its own right. It is now a requisite for Dave Brubeck anytime he plays live, as well as Joe Morello.

"Gene Krupa said to me one time — he said, 'That's your "Sing SingSing."' He said, 'That's the same thing.' He said, 'You're stuck with that one for the rest of your life,'" Morello says. "And I think he's right, but it's always a joy." http://www.npr.org/2000/11/19/1114201/take-five

Lyrics Won't you stop and take a little Time out with me, just take five Stop your busy day and take the Time out to see if I'm alive Though I'm going out of my way Just so I can pass by each day Not a single word do we say