| "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 | 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 and swing 4/4.
Contents |
Brubeck heard the unusual "1-2/1-2/1-2/1-2-3" 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."[1]
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 used this song (uncredited) when he was with progressive rock band The Nice, using it as the basis of "Rondo" from the album The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack. Later, Emerson folded the melody into the 14-minute "Finale (Medley)" on the 1993 Emerson, Lake & Palmer release Live at the Royal Albert Hall, as well as improvisations on "Fanfare for the Common Man". Those medleys also included themes from other well-known tunes including "America" from West Side Story, "Toccata and Fugue in D", and "Flight of the Bumblebee". Emerson has frequently used the "Rondo" as a closing number during live performances through his career.
French singer Claude Nougaro used this composition as a musical foundation for his song "À bout de souffle".
The song "Vesuvius" by Frank Ticheli borrows a motif from Blue Rondo.
The opening bars of Blue Rondo are quoted at length by pianist Albert Gianquinto in "Midnight Creeper," a 1967 live performance by blues harmonica player James Cotton, included on the album "The Montreal Sessions."
In 2008, well-known pianist in the jazz fusion\contemporary jazz scene David Benoit covered the song from two of his albums, 2006's "Standards"[2] and renditions-packed album "Heroes"[3][4]
Other notable covers include: