(Paul Desmond, the quartet’s sax player, explained Brubeck’s experiments in hedonism this way: “Every five years or so, Dave makes a major breakthrough, like discovering room service.”) Brubeck once proudly declared, of his quartet, “We’re the worst-dressed group in America!” In his playing, he displays patience and fortitude. Brubeck liked to save money, didn’t smoke, and limited himself to one martini before dinner. He grew up on a ranch, and spent most of his youth wanting to be a cowboy (that accounts, Rice thinks, for the way he moves at the piano, “rid the piano stool hell for leather, as if it were a cow pony”). In June of 1961, Robert Rice profiled Dave Brubeck for The New Yorker, in an article called “ The Cleanup Man.” Brubeck, Rice wrote, was a decidedly uncool cool jazz musician. On the single’s b-side was “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” a song written in 9/8 time, like the music Brubeck had heard in Istanbul. “Take Five,” which is written in 5/4 time, was the breakout hit single. Later, back in the States, the group recorded “Time Out”-an album of songs with unusual time signatures. It was a traditional Turkish folk song, widely known-in Turkey.Īs the tour continued, Brubeck kept listening for interesting rhythms, and he kept asking his quartet to experiment with them. He hummed the tune, and several of the musicians started playing it, adding flourishes and counterpoint, even improvising on it. He told some of them about the rhythm that he’d heard on the streets and asked if anyone knew what it was. When Brubeck arrived, the musicians were taking a break from a rehearsal. Like many broadcasters at the time, the station had its own symphony orchestra. Later that day, Brubeck had an interview scheduled at a local radio station. It was in 9/8 time-nine eighth notes per measure-a very unusual meter for Western music….
Walking around Istanbul one morning, Brubeck heard a group of street musicians playing an exotic rhythm, fast and syncopated.
0 kommentar(er)
