Blue Rondo à la Turk

"Blue Rondo à la Turk"
Jazz standard by The Dave Brubeck Quartet from the album Time Out
Recorded	1959
Genre	Jazz
Length	6:44
Label	Columbia Records
Composer(s)	Dave Brubeck

"Blue Rondo à la Turk" is a jazz standard composition by Dave Brubeck. It appeared on the album Time Out in 1959. It is written in 9
8 time, with one side theme in 4
4, and the choice of rhythm was inspired by the Turkish aksak time signatures. It was originally recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet with Dave Brubeck at piano, Paul Desmond at alto saxophone, Eugene Wright at bass, and Joe Morello at drums.

Brubeck heard this unusual rhythm performed by Turkish musicians on the street. Upon asking the musicians where they got the rhythm, one replied "This rhythm is to us what the blues is to you." Hence the title "Blue Rondo à la Turk."

The rhythm consists of three measures of 2+2+2+3 followed by one measure of 3+3+3 and the cycle then repeats. (See additive rhythm.)

The piece is sometimes incorrectly assumed to be based on the Mozart composition "Rondo alla Turca". In 2003, during an interview, Dave Brubeck commented that "I should've just called it 'Blue Rondo', because the title just seemed to confuse people."

Keith Emerson (1944–2016) used this piece (uncredited) as a foundation of his "Rondo" beginning when he was with progressive rock band the Nice, using it on the album The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack. Emerson's version was in 4/4 time and Brubeck, meeting with Emerson in 2003, described it to him as "your 4/4 version which I can't play." Emerson, a great admirer of Brubeck, took this to mean that Brubeck preferred his own version, as Brubeck would have had no difficulty in playing Emerson's interpretation.

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