Dave Brubeck
Piano Solo on
Blue Rondo à la Turk

About

Dave Brubeck's piano solo closes out the improvised statements on this recording, following Paul Desmond's alto sax. Spanning four choruses of the 12-bar Blues form at a relaxed 113 BPM with a swing feel in F, the solo runs approximately 1:43. The composition demonstrates Brubeck's unique position in jazz as an intellectual with a deep understanding of world music traditions, having been inspired to write the piece after hearing Turkish street musicians during a State Department tour. "Blue Rondo a la Turk" opens Dave Brubeck's groundbreaking 1959 album Time Out with a daring experiment in odd time signatures, alternating between 9/8 passages inspired by Turkish folk music and a swinging 4/4 blues section. Dave Brubeck was 38 to 39 years old at the time of this 1959 recording.

Dave Brubeck was 38 to 39 years old at the time.