aglasshouse The devil's jazz.

Why such a name? Well originally when Dave Brubeck was going to release this little album Columbia was against it. The album was quite experimental for the time, featuring some wacky time signatures that weren't exactly common such as 5/4 or 6/4. It was released nonetheless to some criticism of Brubeck's work and accusations that he had tampered with the jazz scene. Looking back though it is one of the best jazz albums ever recorded. Though it features a small tracklist, Time Out takes advantage of it's mere seven tracks to dole out some of NYC's coolest jazz of the fifties. The album was recorded in the time considered to be the "classic quartet lineup" which lasted from 1958-1968 and features Joe Morello's aforementioned abstract time signatures. Brubeck himself does a good job at the piano as usual, but Desmond and Wright are the main reason that the music is as relaxed as it is. Perhaps the wildest the album gets is on 'Take Five', where the music really starts breaking the mold with one of my favorite songs played in minor ever. Unsurprisingly, the song became somewhat of a landmark on late fifties jazz. In conclusion, Time Out is a legendary album that anyone calling themselves music aficionados should buy and cherish forever.

dreadpirateroberts Released the year before landmark ‘Time Out,’ this is one of more than a few Quartet LPs that have probably been overshadowed by such a monster album.

But ‘Jazz Impressions of Eurasia’ is worth finding. It’s a distinctive set of pieces – take for instance the meditative yet jittery ‘Calcutta Blues’ or the catchy ‘Nomad’ – that draws from the Quartet’s long tour of Europe and South Asia. The album shows another wonderful set of recordings where the group have woven the music of other cultures into their cool jazz.

It’s easy to hear Dave’s ear for classical music, especially in standout ‘Thank You’ or the almost stately opening to ‘Brandenburg Gate.’ Brubeck’s playing has always sounded strong, firm, even considered to me – but it’s still relaxing too, still engaging. Despite great performances from Desmond on alto and Morello on the drums, for me this album represents one of my favourite Brubeck performances.

If you only have a few Brubeck albums and find yourself looking for more, then this might be a good place to stop off (along with another of his great travel-themed albums – Jazz Impressions of Japan.)

moodyxadi After many hesitations I finally took courage and tried to listen to something out of my prog/hard rock comfort zone. Almost by chance it was Time Out the jazz work that I chose to listen (it was the cheaper where I bought it). Of course there was a huge increment by The Nice take on Rondo but I was delighted to notice that the original piece was as good as its rocking version - actually better, I acknowledge silently to myself.

And the album flows so... nicely! I won't and can't take a track by track analysis here, just express my unreserved thanks to Dave Brubeck for widening my musical universe. I can't think of any presentation to jazz better than this album.

dreadpirateroberts The Dave Brubeck Quartet is pretty damn wonderful on their third ‘Impressions’ record, released not long after their commercial peak. If this album isn’t as well-known as monsters like ‘Time Out’ or ‘At Carnegie Hall’ I’d argue that it shouldn’t be too far behind. While it’s not a masterpiece, it’s an essential Brubeck work and deserves some extra attention.

A mostly contemplative set, there’s an ethereal quality to a lot of the pieces, as the influence of Japanese scales is skilfully interwoven with more familiar Brubeck fare – this is done most convincingly (to my ears) in the beautiful ‘Koto Song’ with its subtle cymbal and tom work from Morello and stand-out performances from Dave and Paul.

In fact, Morello employs a wide range of Japanese percussion instruments throughout, really adding to the Eastern tone of proceedings, ensuring this is one of the quartet’s most satisfying and distinctive records. While it is dominated by quieter moments and relaxed tempos, such as ‘Rising Sun’ with Desmond’s honeyed alto leading, or the mournful ‘Fujiyama’ which is another stand out, there is some snap to proceedings. Opener ‘Tokyo Traffic’ is jaunty and reflects the busy city, as does ‘Toki’s Theme’ (which also served as a characters theme song from a cancelled television series) and appears to be the song that has the most fun.

There are no missteps here; Dave Brubeck has soaked up the feel of urban and pastoral Japan while on tour and returned to New York to blend it with Cool Jazz in what is easily one of the Quartet’s best.

smartpatrol Brubeck, Desmond, Wright, and Morello, the most famous lineup of Brubeck's quartet, all work together very well. They have made many apon many great albums, but this is my favorite. It's a concept album; each song is in an odd time signature. Each one is unique and just awesome. Morello and Wright provide a great rhythm, Brubeck provides the main melodies on the piano and leads the way for Desmond, who adds some wonderful saxophone solos, while also adding to Brubek's riffs. It's all awesome!

My favorite tracks from the album:

"Blue Rondo a la Turk" In "Turkish" 9/8 (One, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, three). Brubeck starts the album out with a great riff on the piano. Then the whole band joins in and expands on the riff. Then the band breaks into a 4/4 swing section where Desomnd does some beautiful soloing.

"Take Five" In 5/4 (one of my favorite time signatures). Probobly the quartet's most famous piece, and a staple of cool-jazz. The song is pretty much a showcase for Desmond's great solos, but also has a nice solo from Morello.

In conclusion, this is a great, five star album.