Creative Process II

Abstract

Among Dave Brubeck’s personal audio recordings are about two dozen takes of “Take Five,” which preceded the full-length version on Time Out and the shorter single release version. This chapter discusses first the familiar versions from July 1959, and then considers how the Quartet’s efforts at the end of June paved the way for those iconic recordings. A surprising discovery from the original session recordings of “Kathy’s Waltz” and “Strange Meadow Lark” is that both cuts were spliced from supplemental takes. The recording history of “Everybody’s Jumpin’ ” includes the unexpected fact that a portion of the tune originated in 1950, nine years before the Time Out sessions. The chapter also examines the original recordings of “Three to Get Ready” and “Blue Rondo à la Turk,” as well as two tracks that shed light on the origins of “Pick Up Sticks.”