Dave Brubeck Quartet- Unsquare Dance (Live 2001)

[Redleg]

This is my favorite live version of the Brubeck classic. Excellent sax and bass solos.

[underpants]

1. Free jazz from Harvard

The Ethics of Jazz (Lecture Series) – Free Online Lectures – Herbie Hancock, Harvard
https://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses

Yes you can take a course on jazz at Harvard. It’s free too.

[RKP5637]

2. Thanks! Great, as always! n/t

[PJMcK]

3. Brubeck has always been one of my favorite musicians

His adventures in time signatures were both revolutionary and somewhat gimmicky. Compositions like "Blue Rondo a la Turk," "It's A Raggedy Waltz" and, of course, Paul Desmond's classic, "Take Five" play with the time signatures in inventive ways. Yet they have always struck me as artificial constructs to mess with the listener's expectations. Importantly, in the hands of Brubeck & Co., the music is exquisite, fanciful and creative.

One thing that's always puzzled me in "Take Five" occurs during the solos. They take place over the basic groove in 5/4 with E-flat minor on beats 1,2 & 3 with B-flat minor on beats 4 & 5. They never solo over the bridge which has a wonderful rotation of II-V-I chord progressions. Curious.

[Redleg]

4. Same here

I like that Brubeck gave his musicians some space to improvise while he provided a steady backing, comping on his piano. He lived a long life and always seemed so full of joy when performing. While his classic recording period of late 1950s- 1960s was his best, some of his newer performance of his old stuff sometimes reveal new things to me.

My other favorites include Charles Mingus, Thelonius Monk, and Duke Ellington.