Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time Further Out

Two years after the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s ground- and time-signature breaking Time Out (1959), this classic quartet (Brubeck, piano, Paul Desmond, alto sax, Eugene Wright, bass, and Joe Morello, drums) would continue its jazz experiments in a series that was often inspired by abstract paintings. Time Further Out: Miró Reflections was the group’s attempt at a “jazz interpretation” of Miró’s 1925, a visually kinetic work featuring a prominent string of numerals descending from the upper edge of the canvas. These numerals would come to represent the time signatures for each tune, from the 3/4-time “It’s A Raggy Waltz” to the moody, off-kilter strains of the 9/8-signature closer “Blue Shadows In The Street.” The album is an absolute delight that keeps surprising as it unfolds into tracks such as “Far More Drums,” “Maori Blues,” and the Mingus-like human percussion heard in “Unsquare Dance.” Impex’s reissue is excellent, though the master sounds a bit spotty. The opening track, for example, has a distinct layer of grain that’s far less prominent thereafter, when the sound becomes generally more open and airy. Desmond’s alto sounds sweet throughout; Wright’s upright is spry and tuneful, and Morello’s drums have a nice sense of weight and snap. Great stuff.