The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out

One of the most revolutionary and enduring albums in the history of jazz, Time Out arrived in 1959 as an experiment that nobody at Columbia Records was entirely sure about and went on to become one of the best-selling jazz records ever made. The irony is rich: in trying to make jazz more complex, Dave Brubeck made it more accessible than ever.

The concept was simple and radical in equal measure. Rather than work in the standard meters that had defined jazz up to that point, Brubeck and his quartet explored unusual time signatures throughout, from the 9/8 of "Blue Rondo a la Turk," which drew on Turkish folk music Brubeck encountered on a tour of Eurasia, to the 5/4 groove of "Take Five," written by alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and destined to become the highest-selling jazz single of all time. The quartet that recorded it was as strong as any in jazz history, with Brubeck and Desmond joined by drummer Joe Morello and bassist Eugene Wright.

More than six decades on, Time Out remains as vital and as pleasurable as the day it was recorded. Pressed on premium 180gm vinyl by Jazz Wax Records, this high definition reissue does full justice to one of jazz's most essential and beloved albums.