We just can’t get enough of the “Baby Driver” soundtrack.
It makes us smile, fills us with energy and feeds the #SCMF mind.
“Unsquare Dance” — Blows away “Take Five”
“Unsquare Dance” is a musical piece written by the American jazz composer Dave Brubeck in 1961 and released as a single in the U.S. the same year (and in 1962 in the U.K.).
The single peaked at No. 93 on the U.S. Cash Box chart on December 16, 1961, and reached No. 14 on the U.K. singles chart in the summer of 1962.
We were able to track down the backstory here.
The song reportedly was written hastily on the way to the recording studio, and Dave Brubeck managed to take a piece of classic Americana (the square dance) and add a unique twist to it.
7/4 Good Buddy…
The “Unsquare Dance” has a unique time signature of 7/4. That means, instead of a repeated pattern of 4 or 8 beats, there is a 7 beat looping phrase.
One beat missing shouldn’t be that big a deal, but the effect in this music is extraordinary.
Giving it a Try…
Kind of like patting your head and rubbing your tummy from a coordination standpoint
Try tapping your foot on 1, 3 and clapping your hands on 2, 4, 6 and 7 — making sure not to pause after 7. Then go directly back to 1. This repetitive seven beat phrase is the groove throughout “Unsquare Dance,” and definitely makes it “unsquare.”
This video is really informative (& fun!!).
We liked what they did with the piece — Unsquare Dance de Dave Brubeck – roupagem 2010’s
There was a really cool Google Doodle in honor of Saul Bass that used Unsquared. Wrote about it here.
In Season One, Episode 4 of “Better Call Saul” (Hero), “Unsquared” was used.
And circling back, here is an old school tape of the Brubeck Quartet.
AWSI, Unsquared is the type of “out-of-the-box” thinking and creating that we love here are Jedemi. Plus, Mr. Brubeck is someone we really want to meet.
A word from our sponsor…
The Unsquared #SCMF adventure fits great with our 20-min DragonBustR program!
That’s a wrap!
Dave Brubeck Notable Quotables
If I told you all the people that have secretly told me I’ve influenced them, you’d never believe it, and you’ll never see it in print, either.
When you hear Bach or Mozart, you hear perfection. Remember that Bach, Mozart and Beethoven were great improvisers. I can hear that in their music.
What I want to happen is to be really creative, and to play something new in the improvisations, every time.”
More can be found here.
Bonus Content:
This is from Baby Driver soundtrack
And this is the highly addictive, 6-minute-opening scene:
Speak Your Mind