The Airmen of Note Quartet Honors the Dave Brubeck Centennial

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December 6, 2020 marks the 100th birthday of American jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck! One of the main proponents of cool jazz, Mr. Brubeck is also remembered as a pioneer of using odd time signatures ("Take Five," felt in groups of five beats, being perhaps his most famous example). The Airmen of Note quartet sought to honor his legacy by performing another of his classic compositions, "Blue Rondo à la Turk," which originally appeared on the 1959 album "Time Out" (along with "Take Five").

As the story goes, Mr. Brubeck observed Turkish folk musicians performing very joyously and freely within an unusual structure of nine beats. When asked, one of the musicians revealed the beats to be organized in the following pattern: three measures of 2+2+2+3 and one measure of 3+3+3, saying "This rhythm is to us as the blues is to you." This piece juxtapoxes sections of this traditional Turkish beat structure with traditional American blues, resulting in a memorable melody, a heaping dose of swing, and a tune that is incredibly fun to both hear and perform!

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Dave Brubeck

"Blue Rondo à la Turk"
Composed by Dave Brubeck
Used Courtesy of Derry Music Company

Performed by:
Technical Sgt. Mike Cemprola - alto saxophone
Technical Sgt. Chris Ziemba - piano
Technical Sgt. Ben Thomas - bass
Master Sgt. David McDonald - drums


Production credits:
Col. Don Schofield - Executive Producer
Master Sgt. David McDonald - Producer
Master Sgt. Luke Brandon - Music Director
Master Sgt. Emily Wellington - Videographer/Editor
Technical Sgt. Jim Woolf - Audio Engineer