Dave Brubeck Quartet: Blue Rondo la Turk

[BillST4s]

This imaginative, 1962 video presaged MTV by 30 years. The embedding has been disabled, so you will have to use the link. Are there any other jazz nerds out there besides me that know how this tune got its title?

 

[Trumper]

I dunno about the title, but that's one of my favs. That song was waaaaay ahead of it's time musically. All kinds of odd time signatures (like 7/9s), great tempo changes, and I think I recall rock bands covering it back in the 70s.

I think Snail from Santa Cruz did that...

Anyone remember Snail? What ever happened to Ken Kraft and those guys?

 

[Buckelew]

Yeah, Bill. Brubeck rocks. It's funny that he still plays while one of his sons is retired. All great musicians. I've been going to the Monterey Jazz Festival every year since 1984. Dave Brubeck has been there a few times - the last time was in 2006 when he did a commissioned piece that was outstanding.

A few years prior he re-did The Real Ambassadors with Louie Armstrong on a big screen at the back of the stage and a live female performer doing Carmen McRae's part. Fabulous.:thumbup

 

[BillST4s]

Live. I love the sophistication of the quartet and the audience. Musicians and audiences don't dress like that any more outside of operas and symphonies.

From Brubeck's seminal Time Out album, where all of the numbers were in uncoventional time signatures. Blue Rondo a la Turk is in 9/8 time.

I never answered my question as to how the number got its name. Legend has it that Brubeck was inspired to write it after hearing a street musician play something similar in 9/8 time while he was on tour in Turkey.

 

[BillST4s]

Yeah, Bill. Brubeck rocks. It's funny that he still plays while one of his sons is retired. All great musicians. I've been going to the Monterey Jazz Festival every year since 1984. Dave Brubeck has been there a few times - the last time was in 2006 when he did a commissioned piece that was outstanding.

A few years prior he re-did The Real Ambassadors with Louie Armstrong on a big screen at the back of the stage and a live female performer doing Carmen McRae's part. Fabulous.:thumbup

I just noticed that Mark was the last person to reply to my thread. :angel

I am sure we all still miss him. :mecry