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Time Out is a pretty unique jazz album that's often overlooked. Most jazz, like rock, is in 4/4 time (with the odd waltz-time tune to liven it up.) Not good enough for Dave Brubeck: Time Out has all kinds of weird compound time stuff going on. Take Five is in 5/4, which gives it its unusual vibe; Three to Get Ready gives you two bars of 3/4 and two of 4/4, alternating (which to me it feels a bit like a car on the verge of starting; I don't actually like that tune.) There's other stuff going on there too but it's been a while since I listened to it. Will dig it out again tonight in his honour.

Non jazz-heads wanting a similar experience could do worse than listen to Money, by Pink Floyd: 7/4 for the verses, then 4/4 for the solo.



Or The Mars Volta, or Cinematic Orchestra, or the Mission Impossible theme. Anyway, Time Out is great, but it is anything but overlooked.


The Mission Impossible theme was done by Argentinian jazz/bossa nova composer Lalo Schifrin.


Blue Rondo a la Turk is in 9/8 time. But unlike most 9/8 compositions which divide the nine beats into 3/3/3, it uses 2/2/2/3. And smoothly transitions into and out of a 4/4 drum solo in the middle!


If you want to get down with different meters and rhythm you need to check out: Dimi Mint Abba (album: Moorish Music from Mauritania), Afrocuba de Matanzas (find them playing a batarumba), Orchestre Poly-Rythmo (album: the vodoun effect). Lots of others, but those hit all sorts of territories taken together.





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