Paul Desmond - "Emily" (1975)

Paul Desmond on sax, John Lewis on piano.

“Take Five” Has Lyrics?

Many would consider it sacrilege to put lyrics to the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s classic “Take Five,” a tune from the best-selling 1959 album Time Out that practically defined jazz for many people at the time. The single of “Take Five” was an amazing commercial success, the first million-selling jazz single on the Billboard charts. This was completely unexpected. Paul Desmond, who composed the song, said that “Take Five” was never meant to be a big hit - it was primarily supposed to be a vehicle for a Joe Morello drum solo.
     The instrumental version is so ubiquitous, and the 5/4 time of the song so distinct, that it’s difficult to even imagine it sung with lyrics. So, who would do such a thing? Dave Brubeck, of course. As “Take Five” was topping the charts in 1961, Brubeck and his wife, Iola, came up with the lyrics for a live performance by Carmen McRae at Basin Street East in New Orleans. And she apparently had to sing it without rehearsal. “When Carmen sang ‘Take Five,’ there weren’t many vocalists singing in 5/4 times and she had no time to prepare for that either,” recalled Brubeck. “It was just put in front of her and ‘sing this.’ That took a lot of nerve and talent. Maybe I should put ‘talent’ first.”
     This version is an absolute delight. The lyrical story presents a woman who has been trying to get the attention of a man without much success. She is rather fed up with his passivity, shyness, or inaction. McRae is the perfect singer for this, her voice edged with weary sarcasm as she beseeches her pathetic object of affection. Here, then, are the lyrics to “Take Five.”

     Won’t you stop and take a little time out with me, just take five.

     Stop your busy day and take the time out to see I’m alive.

     Though I’m going out of my way, just so I can pass by each day, 

     not a single word do we say, it’s a pantomime and not a play. 

     Still I know our eyes often meet, I feel tingles down to my feet,
     when you smile that’s much too discrete, sends me on my way.

     Wouldn’t it be better not to be so polite? You could offer a light.
     Start a little conversation now, it’s alright, just take five, just take five.

     The song originally appeared on the Columbia album Take Five: Live at the Basin Street East (which is still available as an import, I believe) and is included on Brubeck’s compilation album Vocal Encounters. You can also hear this vocal version on YouTube.

Classic Brubeck Quartet on Video

Dave Brubeck Live in '64 and '66 is part of the Jazz Icons series of DVDs and presents two performances in Europe by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. The is the classic quartet with Paul Desmond, Joe Morello, and Eugene Wright. The DVD lasts for 67 minutes, and the first half is a 1964 performance in Belgium. This is a beauty of a black-and-white film, just what you'd want a jazz performance to look like from the period. Very crisp - everything was shot on film back then, of course - with lots of close-ups of Dave's hands flicking over the ivories and Paul on sax. Paul was a very low-key performer, standing quietly with his eyes closed as he produced all those smooth-as-butter notes. Songs include "St. Louis Blues," "Koto Song," and "Take Five," with a terrific extended drum solo. (By the way, this video of "Take Five" can be downloaded separately on iTunes.) Paul's expressive playing is a standout, and Dave - often underrated as a piano player - shows his range from lyrical to percussive.
     The second date is from Berlin in 1966 and is filmed, again in black and white, in front of a live audience. There is some compromise in the sound quality here - a little muffled reverb in the background. Songs include "Take the A Train," "I'm in a Dancing Mood," "40 Days," and "Take Five" again. (Some of the songs from this set and the '64 date are available on YouTube.) This is a chance to see and hear the Brubeck Quartet in its heyday and in classic form.

My First Post

I'm a jazz enthusiast, and I mean that in the true sense of the word enthusiasm. That word comes from the Greek enthousiasmos meaning "to be inspired" or more specifically "inspired by god." Jazz can strike me like that and I often find myself listening over and over again to a particular song until I feel that I finally absorb it somehow. Does this happen to anyone else?
     The current enthusiasm is the song "Far More Blue" by The Dave Brubeck Quartet. This song is from the album Time Further Out, recorded in 1961. It's a sort of funky waltz that begins with a beautiful Paul Desmond lead on the melody. Brubeck is considered part of the "cool" school of jazz, and Desmond's solo is a perfect example. But Brubeck's solo which follows is an argument against it, unless he's trying to be the nerd of the cool school. The piano solo is rhythmic and in fits and starts, as were many of Brubeck's solos, as if the waltz were trying to break out into a Charleston or something. The rhythmic play against the drums and bass are what make the song so enjoyable for me. Brubeck returns to the melodic waltz at the end - almost as if to say "I can play like this too."