After placing the Super Fly album back on the shelf, I randomly pull another album from the shelf. Instantly, the album cover draws me in with its abstract art, which features similar shapes and colors found on the Mingus Ah Um album cover. Printed at the top of the album cover is Time Out in blue font and The Dave Brubeck Quartet in black font. I slide the record out the album cover and place the record on the turntable platter.

As the turntable stylus drops on the record, I stand looking out the window watching a hummingbird zipping around a magnolia tree in my back yard. While admiring the hummingbird’s front to back, back to front flight pattern, the sound of unique chords keyed by Dave Brubeck on the piano pours through the speakers. Within a few seconds, Eugene Wright bass strums stride along note for note with the piano. At the end of each bar, a strike by Joe Morello on the cymbal is heard. Next, Paul Desmond joins on saxophone adding a layer of coolness to the composition. Is my mind playing tricks on me…are my eyes deceiving me – I watch in amazement the hummingbird appearing to hover in sync with the song’s melody. In my mind I debate, “Does the hummingbird hear the music…or maybe the hummingbird feels the vibration of the song’s soundwaves.”

Caught up in these thoughts, I take a quick glance at the back of the album cover to see Blue Rondo A La Turk is the name of the song the hummingbird seems to enjoy. After my brief glance at the album cover, to my disappointment, I look back out the window to see the hummingbird has flown away. With the hummingbird absence, I take a seat on my sofa and begin to focus on the music with its assorted change ups. Quickly after a change up, Desmond begins a solo saxophone improvisation that provides a soothing sensation through my body. I bop my head side to side to the bass and drum rhythm, which eventually helps transition the saxophone solo ending to Brubeck’s piano solo beginning.

Blue Rondo A La Turk is followed by Strange Meadow Lark, which starts with Brubeck on piano delivering a peaceful and reflective vibe. As Brubeck winds down his piano solo, the gentle clash of Morello’s hi-hats establishes a supportive tempo for Desmond’s entrance of the saxophone. The song’s melody gives off an inviting mood for couples to get up out their seats and slow dance…embrace and relish the time of the current moment. I close my eyes and let my mind wander and reflect about what I love about my lady – until…

My ears recognize a familiar melody from my childhood – a melody that is uniquely distinct and a great pleasure to hear. I open my eyes and look at the album cover and read Take Five – I always wondered about the name of this song. To myself, I think, “It feels good to finally put a name to the song I have heard for years.” From the song title, I direct my sight down to the liner notes and read, “Take Five is a Desmond composition in 5/4, one of the most defiant time signatures in all music, for performer and listener alike. Conscious of how easily the listener can lose his way in a quintuple rhythm, Dave plays a constant vamp figure throughout, maintaining it even under Joe Morello’s drum solo. Morello gradually releases himself from the rigidity of the 5/4 pulse, creating intricate and often startling counter-patterns over the piano figure. And contrary to any normal expectations – perhaps even the composers! – Take Five really swings.” I cannot say it any better – Take Five really swings! Overall, the musicianship displayed on Take Five is superb and highlights a unique interaction of a couple of chords flowing from the piano and saxophone impressively over the cadence of the bass and drums. Similar, to a professional surfer riding a big wave with great confidence and elation.

Speaking of confidence…Brubeck, Desmond, Wright, and Morello’s confidence is on full display in Three To Get Ready, which swings nicely and highlights the musicians ability to display some playfulness. As the song swings along, I find myself delightfully tapping my right foot and snapping my fingers to the beat. The band’s strong chemistry works well throughout the song – from stellar improvisation to effortlessly bouncing chords and rhythms from instrument to instrument. Throughout the song, Brubeck and Desmond exhibit splendid showmanship on the piano and saxophone, respectively.

After taking in Kathy’s Waltz and Everybody’s Jumpin’, Time Out grand finale is captured in Pick Up Sticks. With deep bass licks, Wright establishes the Pick Up Sticks pulse with a jazzy time signature – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 – 1, 2, 3 – repeat. Morello complements Wright’s established pulse with opulent taps on the symbol. Unlike the previous songs, Brubeck unveils aggressive strokes on the piano keys made possible by the extended bars. Like perfectly timing the moment to jump between ropes in Double Dutch, Desmond seamlessly jumps in the groove with suave notes played on the saxophone. Brubeck tactfully fades to the background but adds a steady staccato flavor to help round out the melody. After Desmond’s solo, Brubeck rises back to the forefront assertively stringing complex chords together on the piano. As Pick Up Sticks nears its end, Wright lowers the pulse and the band as a unit begins Time Out’s musical descent – finally fading to silence. TIME OUT!

After further review…

The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out was released by Columbia Records in December 1959. The Dave Brubeck Quartet consisted of musicians Dave Brubeck on piano, Paul Desmond on alto saxophone, Joe Morello on drums, and Eugene Wright on bass and alto saxophone.

Time Out is one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time and considered a classic by many jazz enthusiasts and critics. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified Time Out gold, platinum, and 2x multi-platinum in April 1963, April 1997, and February 2011, respectively. As part of the 3rd Annual Grammy Awards, Blue Rondo A La Turk was nominated for Best Jazz Composition of More Than Five Minutes Duration. The following year at the 4th Annual Grammy Awards, Take Five was nominated for Record of The Year. In 1996 and 2009, Take Five and Time Out, respectively, were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

On April 6, 2006, the Library of Congress announced the addition of Time Out to the National Recording Registry. Upon Time Out addition to the National Recording Registry, Professor Stephen A. Crist wrote, “Dave Brubeck’s eldest son, Darius, characterized the intent of the album as experimental and “entirely dedicated to the working out of a particular musical idea”—namely, the use of meters and rhythms that were not common in jazz. The marketing executives at Columbia opposed the project, predicting commercial failure because its music was thought to be unsuitable for dancing. Moreover, “Time Out” included abstract art on its cover (a painting by the eminent graphic designer S. Neil Fujita) rather than the usual depiction of the Quartet or its leader, and it contained only original compositions as opposed to tried-and-true standards. Because of this initial resistance to his creative vision, Brubeck was especially proud of the album’s sales figures. By 1963 it had achieved gold record status (500,000 units), and it reached double platinum (two million) – nearly unheard-of for jazz – in 2011.”

As noted in Professor Crist’s essay, Time Out’s album cover featured an art piece by S. Neil Fujita, who also created art for the Mingus Ah Um album cover.