book-filled future that should have been now

Jazz in its truest fanatic form is supposed to be this wild and really intense thing, or so I’m told. Then there is someone like Dave Brubeck, a celebrated jazz musician with a demeanor that seems to be saying he’s a cool, unflappable and sophisticated dude always. Polite sounding and deceptively bland, the Dave Brubeck Quartet might well be the least fashionable thing to get all hyped up about these days, so overrated that it’s underrated. I’m talking about their 1959 album Time Out of course, probably the most treasured of cool jazz artifacts that I have been listening to lot lately (perhaps strangely), an album made famous by the adult contemporary radio staple “Take Five” and also an album most interesting for the cabinet of freakish non-jazz curiosities Brubeck works into in its lean 39 minutes. Unconventional time signatures, rocky blues shifting in and out of waltz themes, seasoned jazz musicians decking their improvisations around a Turkish folk rhythm: the quartet sounded just like a bunch of easygoing guys who are able to snuff out any cynicism on the part of the listening public with their serendipitous mix of methodical musical forms. Seriously intense musicians still, yes definitely, but of the fun and bubbly variety. "Three To Get Ready" is probably my most favorite, its central melody gracefully swinging away like fingers tapping across dusty bookshelves and always playfully promising unexpected treats, or distractions.