Breaking the Mold
Jazz music in the 1950’s typically consisted of smooth, melodic lines, and compositions in 4/4, and in some cases, 3/4 rhythm, which made it easy for listeners to dance along to, therefore boosting the popularity of the particular band. Dave Brubeck went against this commonality, and created music that he enjoyed playing, rather than composing songs that fit into the standardized “jazz mold.” This decade introduced some immensely talented jazz musicians with the innovative Miles Davis, jazz orchestra bandleader Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker with his improvisational skills, and the “Maharaja of the keyboard,” Oscar Peterson. Although Brubeck’s musicianship may not have been as good as these jazz legends, he used their music to influence his own compositions; his creativeness and …show more content…
(Wendell) After a diving accident in Hawaii, Brubeck suffered damage to his spinal cord, which resulted in nerve pain in his hands that prevented him from playing the typical, intricate, single-note runs that are seen in most jazz music. (Schudel) He learned to compensate by composing songs with complex time signatures, bulky chords, improvisational segments, and push-pull solos with Desmond and Marcello. This is what made Brubeck’s music stand out.
In the mid 1950’s, the Quartet signed on with Columbia Records and began to write songs for their album, Time Out. Patrick Langham, a faculty member of the Brubeck Institute said that Brubeck “was a very worldly person. Within his travels, he would go and hear other musicians and hear what they were doing, and he would incorporate that into his music.” (qtd. in Lamb.) “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” the song in 9/8 time, is one example of how he merged other styles into his
Jazz music in the 1950’s typically consisted of smooth, melodic lines, and compositions in 4/4, and in some cases, 3/4 rhythm, which made it easy for listeners to dance along to, therefore boosting the popularity of the particular band. Dave Brubeck went against this commonality, and created music that he enjoyed playing, rather than composing songs that fit into the standardized “jazz mold.” This decade introduced some immensely talented jazz musicians with the innovative Miles Davis, jazz orchestra bandleader Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker with his improvisational skills, and the “Maharaja of the keyboard,” Oscar Peterson. Although Brubeck’s musicianship may not have been as good as these jazz legends, he used their music to influence his own compositions; his creativeness and …show more content…
(Wendell) After a diving accident in Hawaii, Brubeck suffered damage to his spinal cord, which resulted in nerve pain in his hands that prevented him from playing the typical, intricate, single-note runs that are seen in most jazz music. (Schudel) He learned to compensate by composing songs with complex time signatures, bulky chords, improvisational segments, and push-pull solos with Desmond and Marcello. This is what made Brubeck’s music stand out.
In the mid 1950’s, the Quartet signed on with Columbia Records and began to write songs for their album, Time Out. Patrick Langham, a faculty member of the Brubeck Institute said that Brubeck “was a very worldly person. Within his travels, he would go and hear other musicians and hear what they were doing, and he would incorporate that into his music.” (qtd. in Lamb.) “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” the song in 9/8 time, is one example of how he merged other styles into his