In the case of Time Out, I find that the uniqueness of the odd time signatures--which is the whole reason why the album is called Time Out--keeps anti-jazz curmudgeons engaged long enough that they actually start realizing how inventive and great jazz can be.
Basically, the album came about after Brubeck and his band went on a State Department-sponsored tour of Europe and Asia in the late 50s. Along the way, Brubeck and co. kept hearing these intricate, non-Western folk rhythms that just blew them away. In particular, the band had made a stop in Turkey, where Brubeck heard some street musicians playing this funky folk rhythm in 9/8 time:
1-2, 1-2, 1-2, 1-2-3 / 1-2, 1-2, 1-2, 1-2-3 / 1-2, 1-2, 1-2, 1-2-3 / 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3.
And that cinched it: their next album was going to avoid typical 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures as much as possible.
That Turkish folk rhythm, as you might have guessed, was the basis for "Blue Rondo à la Turk." In fact, the name of the song spells out literally what's happening: the song is written in the rondo form, where the main theme (built on the Turkish rhythm in 9/8) cycles with alternating episodes (in swinging 4/4), which are based on a typical blues chord progression of 1-4-5.
Forgetting about the unique time signature for sec, it's just a great showpiece for Brubeck's chunky block chords and alto sax virtuoso Paul Desmond's light as a feather, fluid as quicksilver improvisations. I also can't neglect Eugene Wright's bass playing or drummer Joe Morello's unfaltering time-keeping abilities. In short, everything works on this track--easily a contender for the best-ever album-opening song.
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