A 1959 instrumental jazz composition by Paul Desmond, performed by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, in 5/4 time, one of the best-selling jazz singles of all time.
Composition
Take Five was composed by Paul Desmond, the alto saxophonist of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, in the unusual time signature of 5/4. The piece is built on a vamping piano figure played by Brubeck and an extended Desmond improvised solo.
Recording
The recording was made at Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York in 1959 and released on the album “Time Out,” which explored various unusual time signatures. Joe Morello plays drums and Eugene Wright is on bass.
Reception
Released as a single in 1961, Take Five reached the top forty on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of the best-selling jazz singles of all time. The album was the first U.S. jazz LP to sell over a million copies.
Find more songs by letter
Take Five starts with T and ends with E. Browse other songs along the same letter.
Songs that contain a letter from "Take Five":