Track Listing

1. Blue Rondo a la Turk
2. Strange Meadowlark
3. Take Five
4. Three to Get Ready
5. Kathy's Waltz
6. Everybody's Jumpin'
7. Pick up Sticks

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7304 in Music
• Released on: 1999-11-16
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: SACD, Original recording remastered

Amazon.com essential recording
Boasting the first jazz instrumental to sell a million copies, the Paul Desmond-penned "Take Five," Time Out captures the celebrated jazz quartet at the height of both its popularity and its powers. Recorded in 1959, the album combines superb performances by pianist Brubeck, alto saxophonist Desmond, drummer Joe Morrello and bassist Gene Wright. Along with "Take Five," the album features another one of the group's signature compositions, "Blue Rondo a la Turk." Though influenced by the West Coast-cool school, Brubeck's greatest interest and contribution to jazz was the use of irregular meters in composition, which he did with great flair. Much of the band's appeal is due to Desmond, whose airy tone and fluid attack often carried the band's already strong performances to another level. Together, he and Brubeck proved one of the most potent pairings of the era. --Fred Goodman

Album Details
Limited Millennium Edition. Packed in a Heavy Weight Card Wallet that Faithfully Recreates the Original Vinyl Sleeve, Right Down to the Inner Bag. The Wallet Will Come in a Plastic Cover.

Customer Reviews

Entertaining, solid musicianship,
My piano instructor recommended this CD to me. I decided to pick it up, and presto a day later a review is jumping from my fingers. This album is considered a classic Jazz album by many and I can hear why. Odd time signatures, solid play, and quality compositions. That being said I can't rate this CD 5 stars. I just can't put this recording in the same catagory as Miles Davis "Kind Of Blue." Don't get me wrong!!! I'm glad I own it, and it will get many plays in my CD player and I-POD. However, I just can't put it on par with some of the other Jazz CD's I've come across in times past.

I actually enjoyed the entire CD. However, my favorite compositions on here are: Blue Rondo, and Strange Meadow Lark. I just find that my ear happens to enjoy the rhythmic and melodic content in those two compositions over the others. This CD sounds before it's time (1959 originally recorded), but music has come a long way since.

Bottom Line: I really enjoyed this CD, it's worth having, but there are other jazz artists I like more.

Not thrilled with SACD version
The music itself is very good, but not great I would have liked more sax, horns. (This is coming from a Steely Dan fanatic) However, for a recording that is nearly 50 years old, the sound is fantastic, most people couldn't tell the age. My main comment is that the SACD surround mix is TOO subtle. I thought my player wasn't working. I have yet to compare the CD version to the SACD version. Maybe the SACD version is better, but I was hoping for a better surround mix such as Avalon.

Take Four Stars!
There's no doubt this album is important, but that's not why you should listen to it. This album's exotic rhythms are one of a kind, and they are put to good use. Rather, the reason you should listen to this is the great music, that was made using cool rhythms. The Rhythm backs everything, and everything can follow suite. Therefore, cool melodies could only be strung together if they were in that rhythm with the particular time signature backing it up. It shows that yes, it's okay to know different music techniques.

While the music theory freaks would easily eat that up, this is where Time Out retains it's deserving praise as a good album: You don't have to have to know a lick about anything related to the technical parts of music to enjoy this. It has it's melodicous center, and it will stay with you because the time signatures made music that still makes you want to stay with this album, even if you don't know how it's done. You don't know either, because technical factors are not the main reason you should listen to music. So Time Out will stay a well known album and find new audiences in all camps of music listeners and music dissectors, alike.

There's not a single bad song, although I do find plenty of parts (in particular, toward the end) that make me loose interest. But that's not bad at all, as some of these songs on here more than likely do great, and
Take Five is on here! There's no substitute for this song, with it's drum solo, cool rhythm, the cool sax solo, Paul Desmond is great. There's the opener, with it's pounding piano intro, totally chill parts after, and the piano pounding yet again. Three To Get Ready is another masterpiece. It's jazzy piano and trading lines of the instruments, with it's swinging groove. Strange Mellow Lark is cool and even a bit romantic. Pick Up Sticks has some akward piano playing with a cool beat. Kathy's Waltz isn't as good, but it's got a good intro, and Everybody's Jumpin' is my least favorite, though it stands on it's own greatly. Really, not a single poor song. Just not some of the greatest music I've ever heard, but still great stuff.

Okay, so it didn't do much for me as it did for others (which is why it got the score), but still, get it. Jazz veterans and newbies can't go wrong with giving this a listen. And come on, Take Five owns!

7.5/10