Blue Rondo à la Turk: Xylophone
For Percussion Sextet with Optional Bass Guitar
By Dave Brubeck / arr. Jeff Moore
Level: Intermediate / Advanced
Item: 00-PC-0014414_X
$3.00
Pickup currently not available
Description
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Dave Brubeck landmark jazz recording "Time Out," Alfred presents a percussion ensemble arrangement of the popular Brubeck composition from that album, Blue Rondo à la Turk, written especially for the developing intermediate and advanced percussion ensemble. This arrangement captures the essence and form of his masterpiece, including mixed meters with a 12-bar blues and the classic Joe Morello drum track.
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Blue Rondo à la Turk: Xylophone comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred's Pop Percussion Ensemble Series
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
28
SKU:
00-PC-0014414_X
More about this title
About the Composer: Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck built his legacy as a pianist and bandleader who fundamentally changed how jazz and classical music could coexist. Beyond his improvisational brilliance, he composed extensively across genres: concertos, chamber works, choral pieces, ballets, and large-scale vocal works that have been performed by major orchestras and ensembles worldwide. His groundbreaking album "Time Out" became the first jazz recording to sell over a million copies, while "Take Five" entered the cultural consciousness as a modern standard.
Brubeck's influence extended far beyond the concert hall. He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his jazz contributions, the Presidential Medal of the Arts from President Clinton, and lifetime achievement honors from the London Symphony Orchestra. His commitment to breaking racial barriers in mid-20th-century America, combined with his formal training under Darius Milhaud at Mills College, created a unique voice that refused to separate jazz vernacular from classical rigor. In 2003, he was elected to the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.
Why we love this
This arrangement stays true to the harmonic and rhythmic DNA of Brubeck's masterpiece while translating the legendary interplay of the original quartet into percussion voices. The mixed meters (primarily 9/8 shifting into 4/4 blues changes) give students genuine experience with asymmetrical phrasing, and the Joe Morello drum part homage means your ensemble gets to grapple with the kind of sophisticated coordination that defined "Time Out." For a 50th-anniversary celebration piece, it delivers both historical weight and genuine musical challenge.
What to expect
Propulsive and sophisticated. The piece opens with an unforgettable vamp in 9/8 that feels both exotic and inevitable, then shifts into recognizable blues groove territory with a wink to the listener who knows the original. The ensemble sections dance around the central groove with just enough complexity to keep everyone engaged without losing the underlying swing.
Who it's for
Intermediate and advanced percussion ensembles ready to tackle genuine jazz vocabulary and mixed meter fluency. This is ideal for groups comfortable with 5 or more players and willing to invest rehearsal time in rhythmic precision and timbral balance.
How to get the most out of it
- Establish the 9/8 groove as a physical pulse before layering additional parts. Have the ensemble tap the opening riff together until the meter feels inevitable, not counted.
- Balance the timbral texture carefully during the blues section. The shift from the opening vamp to 4/4 changes needs clarity; make sure the lower voices cut through without the upper percussion getting buried.
- Lock the rhythmic ostinatos precisely with the brushed and malletted parts. This piece demands tightness; even small timing slippages in the repeating figures will disrupt the groove.
- Shape the dynamics across the full 28 pages. Brubeck's architecture includes natural peaks and valleys; avoid playing at one volume level for the entire arrangement.
How to use it
Program this as a standalone feature in a concert dedicated to jazz traditions or modern percussion writing. Its 50th-anniversary context makes it a natural choice for a concert celebrating influential albums or compositions that changed music. It also works as a centerpiece for a festival or competition program where ensembles showcase stylistic range.
Skills your students will build
- Reading and performing in mixed meters (9/8 and 4/4 coordination)
- Jazz groove vocabulary and swing feel interpretation
- Timbral balance within an ensemble texture
- Rhythmic precision in layered ostinatos
- Blues harmonic changes and improvisation frameworks