6 on the UK Record Retailer chart (November 16). 5 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart (October 23) and No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 (October 9), No. In May 1961, the track was reissued for radio play and jukebox use, partly in response to its heavy rotation on the radio station WNEW in New York City. Release and chart success Paul Desmond (1954)Īlthough released as a promotional single on September 21, 1959, 'Take Five' became a sleeper hit in 1961. Reprise, cued by intro vamp played softly before alto sax swiftly rejoins with main melodyĪlto sax plays repeated 4-note riffs from main melody, ending with final note sustained for 3 bars over vamp The album version has ten sections: Sectionĭrum enters, joined by piano after 4 bars and bass after 8 bars to set up 5Ĥ rhythm with syncopated two-chord (E ♭m–B ♭m 7) vampĪlto sax plays main melody (A), based on E ♭-minor hexatonic blues scale, in two similar 4-bar phrasesĪlto sax plays bridge melody (B), based on G ♭-major scale, in two similar 4-bar phrasesĪlto sax plays improvised modal solo, based on E ♭-minor hexatonic blues scale, over vamp ĭrum fades in playing improvised solo, halfway through which the vamp abruptly crescendoes before fading down to near-silence as solo ends Rhythmically, the five beats to the bar are split unevenly into 3 + 2 quarter notes that is, the main accents (and chord changes) are on the first and fourth beats. Desmond believed the borderline decision to retain his bridge melody was key to the tune gaining popularity. The song is known for its distinctive two- chord piano/bass vamp (E ♭m-B ♭m 7), cool jazz saxophone melodies, drum solo, and unorthodox meter, from which Dave Brubeck derived its name. According to Alfred Publishing's sheet music published at, the song has a moderately fast tempo of 176 beats per minute. 'Take Five' is written in the key of E ♭ minor, in ternary (ABA) form and in quintuple ( 5Ĥ) time. Problems playing this file? See media help.

The Quartet first played 'Take Five' for a live audience at the Newport Jazz Festival on July 5, 1959. Desmond considered the track a 'throwaway'.

They successfully recorded the single and the album track in two takes at the next session on July 1. This iteration of the tune used a different rhythmic groove than the final version it was 'driving and fast' with a 'lopsided Latin rhythm'. It proved so arduous that, after 40 minutes and more than 20 failed attempts, producer Teo Macero suspended the effort because one or another of the members kept losing the beat. The Quartet first tried recording 'Take Five' on June 25, 1959. Desmond composed two melodies, which Brubeck arranged in ternary form. Brubeck delegated Desmond to write a tune using Morello's rhythm. The Quartet's drummer, Joe Morello, frequently soloed in 5Ĥ time and asked Brubeck to compose a new piece to showcase his ability.

'Take Five' was composed after most of the album's music had been written. State Department-sponsored tour of Eurasia in 1958 inspired Brubeck to create an album, Time Out, that experimented with odd time signatures like ones he had encountered abroad. 'Take Five' went on to become the biggest-selling jazz single of all time and still receives significant radio airplay. Released as a promotional single in September 1959, the track would not achieve commercial success until it became a sleeper hit in 1961. The track is written in E ♭ minor and is in ternary (ABA) form. The track's name is derived from its meter. Desmond composed the melodies on Morello's rhythms while Brubeck arranged the song. The track was written after the Quartet's drummer, Joe Morello, requested a song in quintuple ( 5Ĥ) meter. Frequently covered by a variety of artists, the track is the biggest-selling jazz song of all time and a Grammy Hall of Fame inductee.ĭave Brubeck was inspired to create an album based on odd time signatures during his state-sponsored 1958 Eurasia trip. It was first recorded in 1959 and is the third track on Time Out by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. ' Take Five' is a jazz standard composed by Paul Desmond.

Paul desmond take five biography