From a music theory point of view, "Take 5," composed in 1959 by Paul Desmond and performed by the Dave Brubeck Quartet is pure genius. Take a short break (also called take five) and give it a listen. For one thing, it's not in common time, it's in five (quintuple time or 5 beats per measure, hence the name). For another, it has a playing time of about five minutes. Out of everything I've listened to, and everything I play -which is a lot - this song really stands out as something special. It's in the Grammy Hall of Fame for a reason. If you're looking for a piece that's catchy and inventive from any genre, something that broke ground historically and still holds up today, "Take 5" is right up there. I say this as someone who likes rock and jazz, big band/swing, the blues, country, classical, music from movies, from video games and on and on. That's a lot of genres this competes with.
When I was taking composition classes in college, I was taught that all meter is either duple or triple and everything has a feel of two or three. So when a meter like five is encountered, it has either a three-two or a two-three feel. "Take 5" has a wonderful three-two lilt that keeps it moving forward.
So of course I arranged a version of "Take 5" for myself to play as a cello soloist. It was a challenge at first, but now it's just really fun to play this piece. I play lots of jazz standards, and this is as much a jazz standard as "Fly Me To The Moon."
Speaking of the moon, I am continuing to add to what I call my celestial set, where I give you the moon and the stars. "Walking on the Moon" by the Police is a song I've been obsessed with lately, and it's in that set along with "Blue Moon" and many others. Contact me if you're interested. I regularly work up custom sets for clients, and this is just one example.
