Time Out is a studio album by the American jazz group the Dave Brubeck Quartet, released in 1959 by Columbia Records. Recorded at Columbia’s 30th Street Studio in New York City, the album is noted for its use of unconventional time signatures for jazz, including 9/8, 6/4, and 5/4.
Background
On the condition that Brubeck’s group first record Gone with the Wind — a conventional album of traditional songs of the American South — Columbia president Goddard Lieberson agreed to underwrite and release Time Out. The classic Quartet that recorded Time Out began to take shape in 1956 when drummer Joe Morello joined, and two years later bassist Eugene Wright was recruited.
Personnel & Recording
The album features:
- Dave Brubeck — piano
- Paul Desmond — alto saxophone
- Eugene Wright — bass
- Joe Morello — drums
Sessions took place on June 25, 1959 (tracks 4, 5, 6), July 1, 1959 (tracks 2, 3), and August 18, 1959 (tracks 1, 7). The album was recorded by engineer Fred Plaut and produced by Teo Macero.
Track Listing & Composition Notes
The album contains seven tracks. All compositions are by Dave Brubeck, with one exception:
- “Take Five,” the album’s standout single, was composed by Paul Desmond — the only track on the album not written by Dave Brubeck.
- “Blue Rondo à la Turk” begins in 9/8 with a 2+2+2+3 subdivision, reflecting the rhythm of the Turkish zeybek. The title is a play on Mozart’s “Rondo alla Turca” from his Piano Sonata No. 11, and reflects the fact that the band encountered the rhythm while traveling in Turkey.
- “Strange Meadow Lark” is the only cut on the album in straightforward common time (4/4). It was inspired by the call of the western meadowlark, captured in its opening motive.
- “Kathy’s Waltz” was named for Brubeck’s daughter Catherine, who was five years old when he recorded Time Out. A typographical error by Columbia Records immortalized the misspelling of her name on the album.
Chart Performance & Sales
Time Out peaked at number two on the Billboard albums chart and became the first jazz album to sell one million copies. Its standout single, “Take Five,” was also the first jazz single to sell over one million copies. By 2011, the album was certified double platinum by the RIAA, recognizing sales of over two million copies.
Cover Art
The cover artwork was designed by S. Neil Fujita, the same graphic designer who created the abstract cover for Charles Mingus’s Mingus Ah Um, also released in 1959 on Columbia Records.
Subsequent Releases
The Dave Brubeck Quartet followed Time Out with three more similarly named albums that made use of uncommon time signatures: Time Further Out (1961), Countdown — Time in Outer Space (1962), and Time Changes (1964). In 1997, the album was remastered for compact disc by Legacy Recordings. In 2009, Legacy Recordings released a special three-disc 50th Anniversary Edition. In 2020, the album Time OutTakes was released, overseen by Brubeck’s children on their own label, Brubeck Editions, featuring alternate takes and two previously unreleased tracks from the same sessions.
Recognition
In 2005, Time Out was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009.