| "Take Five" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Dave Brubeck Quartet | ||||
| from the album Time Out | ||||
| B-side | "Blue Rondo à la Turk" | |||
| Released | September 21, 1959; May 22, 1961 (reissue) | |||
| Recorded | July 1, 1959 | |||
| Studio | CBS 30th Street, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Columbia 4-41479 | |||
| Composer(s) | Paul Desmond | |||
| Producer(s) | Teo Macero | |||
| Dave Brubeck Quartet singles chronology | ||||
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"Take Five" is a jazz standard composed by Paul Desmond. It was first recorded in 1959 and is the third track on Time Out by the Dave Brubeck Quartet.[1][2] Frequently covered by a variety of artists, the track is the biggest-selling jazz song of all time and a Grammy Hall of Fame inductee.
Dave Brubeck was inspired to create an album based on odd time signatures during his state-sponsored 1958 Eurasia trip. The track was written after the Quartet's drummer, Joe Morello, requested a song in quintuple (5
4) meter. Desmond composed the melodies on Morello's rhythms while Brubeck arranged the song. The track's name is derived from its meter, and the injunction, "Take five", meaning "take a break for five minutes". The track is written in E♭ minor and is in ternary (ABA) form.
Released as a promotional single in September 1959, "Take Five" became a sleeper hit in 1961, and then went on to become the biggest-selling jazz single of all time. The track still receives significant radio airplay.
- ^ Russonello, Giovanni (2020-12-07). "'Take Five' Is Impeccable. 'Time Outtakes' Shows How Dave Brubeck Made It. – An album of previously unheard recordings from the "Time Out" sessions in 1959 reveals the making of a masterpiece". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-04-25. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
- ^ Schudel, Matt (2012-05-12). "Dave Brubeck, 'Take Five', and his longtime collaborator credited with the jazz legend's biggest hit". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2015-07-23.