Take 5!

Here's my rendition of the Dave Brubeck classic. You can really dance to this one without doing some messed up form of the Charleston. It's starts of kinda slow, but it really picks up after a bit. I should also add it's NOT in swing...
I obviously didn't write in the sax solos -I don't have a midi kerboard , but I did throw in an awesome vibe solo. Really, the 'awesome' is understood; All vibe solos are awesome.

.....did I mention it was in 4/4?:

~Kal

_For some reason, the drumset came out as timpani in the midi file, so no midi. Sorry.

What's wrong with 5/4?

Nothing's worng with 5/4....I Really like the original, and Mission Impossible's in 5/4 too. This was just more of an modern upbeat techno version, which would be a lot easier to dance to in 4/4 than 5/4. Plus, it's different.

~Kal

Come on ya'll, this isn't that bad is it?

~Kal

Heya,

I happen to love this piece so I'll give you my comments. I thought that what you did with it made for a very successful and enjoyable remix. I thought it captured the feel of the original while clearly bringing your voice into it.

The percussion is much more creatively developed in this piece than others of yours, as are the instrumental parts - this piece just feels more complete and well-constructed overall. You still seem to REALLY love that James Bond chord progression though

I won't comment on your notation, which gets quirky here and there, because you're clearly a percussionist and so I understand the way you wrote things.

I really enjoyed listening to this either way and I figured that it deserves having an Mp3 up for people to listen to, so I took the liberty of making one for you. It's not particularly special, I didn't really do anything to optimize it, but I'll post it here anyway for those who'd like to hear the piece as an Mp3 instead of having to open the MUS.

Thanks for sharing, KK, this was really nice!

Mp3 Here

Isn't the very purpose of Take 5 the fact that it's IN 5/4?

Once, last year, there was a barbershop quartet in my chorus who were assigned to sing "Always" as a part of our Irving Berlin showcase. They got the music, reviewed the parts, and thought that it was SO boring, that they decided to do it FASTER and in 4/4 instead of 3/4. I'm not sure how many of you can imagine what that sounds like, but it raised a big stink in our chorus.

Somethings simply aren't meant to be danced to. Some music is just plain fun to listen to. I think Take 5 is one of those pieces that you really aren't paying attention to all your steps to make sure it lines up with the beat and what not. It's also a piece I've only ever heard done as a combo piece, so the added instrumentation of Vibes and strings were kind of odd to me.

However, all that aside, I agree with Marius in saying that this is a very well written piece. The structure really lends itself for improvisation, and the orchestration could even be flushed out more to incorporate a Big Band (if that's what you wanted to do). Jazz has always been a weakness of mine, so I'm always looking for something that will impress me around here. This piece is probably the best Jazz Band chart I've seen in here so far.

Well done!

Well, it actually does work well for what it is. I was (at first) a bit skeptical with the smooth-jazz intro, and the jazz-rock-fusion thing really isn't my bag. BUT, all things considered there's nothing odd about it.

I know you're not a pianist, so I won't rag on the lame voicings , and you'd need a decent sax player to keep it from getting honky on the high stuff (the bridge especially)...

The groove is cool, would be fun to blow over the vamp...overall, a nicely worked out arrangement, very original.

...nice job.

...

love that vibes solo

Thanks for the reviews guys. Yeah, the piano part at the beginning could be a bit better- I basically wrote it in block chords, but if I had my keyboard hooked up to my computer I probably could've done better.
My brother plays alto sax so I let him write the bridge, but he plays it more like triplet quarter notes.
And hey, James Bond ROCKS!

~Kal

_Oh, and thanks for the mp3, Marius!

Originally Posted by montpellier

What's wrong with 5/4?

That's what I was just thinking. Admittingly, it does lose its charm in 4/4. It's very well done, but I think I would change some of the instruments around and stuff, though I love the vibes.