Customer Reviews

Time Further Out

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD is actually a reissue of the cutting edge LP which Brubeck released in the '60's. To those who are not familiar with Brubeck, this CD is a good introduction, as the listener finds Brubeck delving into odd time signatures from the very first track. This exploration of time is characteristic of Brubeck's jazz style. By recording albums such as this, Brubeck made these times more commonplace in jazz. Also included on this disc are two songs that did not appear on the original LP, and one of which was not previously released. These two songs continue to show Brubeck's innovative style. In addition to Brubeck's playing, the other three members of the quartet show that they can also handle playing in such diverse times as 3/4, 5/4, 7/4, 9/8, and 6/4 as well as 4/4 time. Together, the quartet challenges the listener to ask him or herself why these times had not been used in jazz before. This is an essential CD for any serious Brubeck fan, and an excellent album for the jazz enthusiast in general or those just beginning to start their jazz collection.

As other reviewers have noted, this record is a sequel to the Dave Brubeck Quartet's top-selling "Time Out," which explored jazz in odd time signatures. "Time Further Out" continues that trend, but with a twist; all of these tunes utilize a twelve bar blues progression. The question: "How many different meters can a twelve bar blues be performed in?" The answer: "More than you could possibly imagine!"

The best known tune here is "It's a Raggy Waltz" which is in 3/4 with phrasings that give it a 2/4 feel ([1-2-1]-[2-1-2]-[1-2-3]-[1-2-3]). A few of the other tunes are blues progressions in 3/4 or 6/8 ("Bluette" and "Blue Shadow on Easy Street"). Brubeck also returns to the 5/4 made familiar by "Take Five," in "Far More Blues" and "Far More Drums" - both of which are the same tune, but the latter is a version with an extended and exciting Joe Morello drum solo. We also cover the 7/8 meter {1-2-1-2-1-2-3)in the quirky "Unsquare Dance." Those are just a few favorites.

For those who either aren't entirely versed in jazz or know little about time signatures, do not let that dissuade you from this CD. Brubeck and his quartet make these strange ideas extremely accessible and it has always amazed me at how Brubeck always seems to have one ear concentrating on how to break boundaries while the other is on commerciability. Though Brubeck might write in foreign time signatures (foreign even to many jazz buffs) or solo using strange polyrythms and stranger modes, he makes it sound like the most natural thing in the world. The experienced and unexperienced jazzer can listen and derive untellable satisfaction alike.

That's it. I've said enough. Buy the disc!

My late father was a Jazz pianist and had a tremendous selection of Errol Garner Stan Getz and Count Basie albums in particular. As a boy I wanted to listen to the Beatles or Stones but pocket money didn't allow such luxuries so I had to resort to Dad's "middle aged music" I used to sift through his collection for something I liked and low and behold Brubecks "far more drums" was that track it got played (very Loud) very often and enchanted me but slipped my memory as a favourite until today.Amazon sent me an e-mail about their 5th anniversary special offers and amongst them was a Brubeck album, not "time further out", but the mere mention of Brubeck reminded me and thanks to their massive stocks of old Jazz a quick search found my lost love!the drum solo on this track is unbelievable I can hardly wait to get my hands on it again unfortunately this album has no previews available on it so you will have to take my word for it and buy it too.If you love modern jazz you'll be in Heaven

Musically this is a fine CD, yet the reason to buy it is for Joe Morello's drum solo on "Far More Drums". Credit genetics and thousands of hours of practice: The guy could swing in odd time signatures like nobody else, including Buddy Rich. Scary stuff.

Song List
1. It's A Raggy Waltz
2. Bluette
3. Charles Matthew Hallelujah
4. Far More Blue
5. Far More Drums
6. Maori Blues
7. Unsquare Dance
8. Bru's Boogie Woogie
9. Blue Shadows In The Street
10. Slow And Easy (AKA Lawless Mike) - (bonus track)
11. It's A Raggy Waltz - (live, bonus track)


Album Credits
Fred Plaut, Engineer


Album Notes
Dave Brubeck Quartet: Dave Brubeck (piano); Paul Desmond (alto saxophone); Eugene Wright (bass); Joe Morello (drums).

Producer: Teo Macero.

Reissue producer: Russell Gloyd.

Recorded in New York, New York between May 3 and June 8, 1961. The bonus live track was recorded at Carnegie Hall, New York, New York in 1963. Includes liner notes by Dave Brubeck.

This is the sequel to the famous "Time Out" LP. None of its tunes are quite as distinctive as "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo" from that album, yet as a 47-minute listening experience, "Time Further Out" is totally enchanting. Slightly odd rhythms, great solos by Paul, Joe, Gene and Dave, happy feeling all through it.This is difficult to find now, but well worth the searching. If you like Brubeck, or Desmond, or just the "Take Five" gem, see if you can get this one in a used auction. This is the kind of jazz disc you can listen to with earphones and get lost in wonder with, then the next week put it on as background while you do work on the computer. I think if you decided to buy only 30 jazz releases from the 50's or 60's, out of the several hundred available by all kinds of guys playing all kinds of instruments in a dozen or more kinds of ensembles, this would deserve to make your list.

I grew up with this album, I know every note. It is the best album Dr. Dave ever recorded. I know of no one who has not heard "Unsquare Dance" before, but no one knows what it is or where it came from. "Far More Drums" is hot stuff brother, takes hold of your very bones it does.

I first heard this album in 1990 after I picked it up on cassette as a 16 year old visiting Greenwich Village, NY for the first time. Needless to say, I was utterly spellbound. I had discovered Brubeck the previous year when I'd raided my Dad's collection and found the unusual "Brandenburg Gate Revisited" album - which I'd enjoyed - but had hoped for something a little more pared down. A cassette collection called "Take Five" followed, appearing in my Xmas stocking, before I got my hands on this album.

It is, quite simply, superb. The inventiveness of stepping up a time signature with almost every new track is impressive enough, but the tunes themselves are masterpieces. Then, having thought that "Take 5" was the apogee of 5/4 writing, I discovered "Far More Blues" and "Far More Drums". I probably still lean more towards the former track, not least for the gorgeously blues-y use of the augmented 4th (B natural) throughout the opening F-minor motif, which somehow seemed totally to fit the album's Miro paradigm. The ferocious excitement and yet precision of Morello's drumming in the latter, however, is equally spell-binding.

I was then left with three Brubeck-related ambitions...

1. To see the great man perform live. This I did at this year's New Orleans Jazz Festival... managing to sneak back-stage and get within a couple of feet of him. That was truly awesome.

2. To get a copy of "Time Further Out" on vinyl. I still haven't done this... and this is a search which may never be fulfilled.

3. To know where to explore next with Brubeck's music. I've never really explored beyond his 1950s & 1960s work. For Brubeck devotees out there... what should I listen to now, in terms of his latter work?

But to finish with a thought on Time Further Out: if you've heard Take 5 - and the chances are, you have - then get your hands on this album. You will not be disappointed.

Throughout music history, it has been difficult for artists of all kinds to be able to integrate catchiness with complexity. Dave Brubeck's quartet was no exception; their posed challenge was even more difficult thanks to their musical genre. After all, nobody was able to swing better on the piano than Dave Brubeck back in the day, and this pattern of time, odd to many listeners, would have been a major turn off.

'Time Out' was an original release by the quartet, only a few years before this album. It encompassed some fascinating experimentation with time signatures and implementation of foreign musical elements with straight jazz swing. The album was a success, as it was able to be as enjoyable as any other worldly music album, but it also satisfied the common jazz fan's urge to discover and explore.

Was the quartet out for more money? Or were they simply not bored yet with this newfound method of song construction? It's tough to say, though one can be assured that this follow-up album does not dissapoint. The first side of this album contains mostly your average piano jazz rhythms, however they are played in some odd time signatures. Within the first ten or fifteen minutes of the album, not only was the common 4/4 played, but also 3/4 and 6/8. The fun doesn't even stop there, as once the second side is reached, the listener is treated to a fantastic collage of authentic beats and rhythms inspired from African drumming styles. On the tune "Unsquare Dance", the drummer incorporates rim-shots and metal clicks galore in order to further progress the rhythm into a faster and more intense African 'celebration' type of groove. As the title demonstrates, it is far from an orderly or established dance rhythm. However, fascinatingly enough, the Brubeck quartet was able to also fuse their famous swing melodies into this song towards the end, accomplishing what very few musicians have - they successfully combined innovation with accessiblity.

I rated this album with the 4/5 star rating because I felt that this album isn't the best place to start for Brubeck beginners or fans alike. Since it is merely a continuation of a trend began by an album from only a few years ago, it would be wise to pick up the more essential 'Time Out' by the quartet. I will admit that the album is really only saved by its recurring spurs of innovativeness, though it is not in short numbers. If you want a real classic, this is not the place to start. However, if you want to continue your voyage into an unknown void that not too many musicians have ever dared enter, it would be almost necessary to pick up this title in order to strive towards completing the collection.

Enjoy the music!
-Andrew

these days we have a suspect a sequal movie of being a marketer's way of marketing crap. sequals often suck. but if you like Time Out, you can be sure you would have liked Time Further Out if you had heard it first. it's more of the same great stuff, but not identical! bluette and far more blues are fantastic!