Strange Meadow Lark was composed by Dave Brubeck and first recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet for the 1959 album Time Out on Columbia Records, where it appears as the second track. The piece is a gentle, lyrical ballad in straightforward 4/4 time, setting it apart from the experimental odd meters that define the rest of the album. Its opening melodic motive, played as a reflective piano solo, was inspired by the call of the western meadowlark, a bird native to the American West. The melody is nostalgic and accessible, transitioning smoothly from solo piano into ensemble playing as the quartet joins in. Brubeck's wife Iola later wrote lyrics for the tune, personifying the bird and evoking a summer romance, and Carmen McRae recorded a vocal version with the quartet in 1960 using those words. On the original Time Out recording featured in AllSolos, Paul Desmond contributes an elegant alto saxophone solo, and Brubeck's piano work balances classical sensibility with jazz improvisation. The final released take was spliced together from the best piano introduction and ensemble sections for seamless flow. While not as widely performed as Take Five from the same album, Strange Meadow Lark is appreciated as a hidden gem, showcasing Brubeck's gift for melodic beauty and his ability to blend European compositional influences with jazz expression.
