“Take Five” | Listener Picks, April 22

Composed by Paul Desmond, “Take Five” was first recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet for their 1959 album Time Out. The original recording band included Brubeck on piano, Desmond on alto saxophone, Eugene Wright on bass and Joe Morello on drums.

The tune was first performed live in 1959 at the Village Gate club in New York City.

Tune in today as we celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month with some of this compositions most notable covers!

During a tour of Europe and Asia, Brubeck was struck by a group of Turkish street musicians playing a folk song in 9/8 time – also known as “Bulgarian meter” -  and was inspired to create an album that deviated from the standard 4/4 time.

“Take Five” was composed in 5/4 time, hence the name. While it wasn’t the first jazz song composed in this meter, it became one of the most popular of its time.

“Take Five” achieved popularity after it was re-released as a shorter single in May 1961, climbing to #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 list and #5 on their Easy Listening chart.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet recorded various versions of the song, including another 1961 version featuring lyrics written by Brubeck and his wife Iola, sung by Carmen McRae.

In a 1976 concert in Germany, Al Jarreau performed a scat version of the tune. “Take Five” appeared in an episode of The Sopranos and in the 2007 film Flawless.

Upon his death, Desmond left the royalties to performances of many of this compositions,including “Take Five,” to the American Red Cross.

There are more than 300 recorded versions of this song. Notable covers have been performed by George Benson, Quincy Jones, Tito Puente with George Shearing, Stevie Wonder, The Specials and Rodrigo y Gabriela.

Tune in today as we celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month with some of this compositions most notable covers!