Dave Brubeck: It's About Time: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Charles Sayre's arrangement distills three Brubeck classics into a single, cohesive concert experience that works beautifully for band while preserving the harmonic sophistication and metric adventurousness of the originals. At Grade 4, this gives students direct access to the exact music that changed how jazz musicians and classical players think about rhythm. The medley format keeps energy high and gives your ensemble a genuine landmark moment that audiences recognize instantly.

Fresh, approachable, and undeniably cool. The three movements flow naturally from the contemplative cool of "Take Five" through the rhythmic playfulness of "Unsquare Dance" to the Moroccan-inflected groove of "Blue Rondo a la Turk." Students feel the history they're playing.

Concert bands at the Grade 4 level seeking substantial, recognizable repertoire that also teaches genuine musicianship around odd meters. This works for directors who want their students playing music that matters, pieces that changed the language of American music.

• Lock in the 5/4 feel in "Take Five" by establishing it as a genuine pulse rather than a subdivision of 4/4; your rhythm section and woodwinds set the foundation here, so isolate that feel in sectionals before combining with the melody.
• Lean into the swing articulation without overdoing it; Brubeck's writing sits between straight jazz and concert music, so a light separation works better than full shuffle tonguing.
• Balance the piano voicings (if using the recorded accompaniment or live keyboard) with the brass; these harmonies need clarity but shouldn't overpower the ensemble texture.

Program this as the centerpiece of a concert focused on American jazz influences or 20th-century innovation; it pairs well with other mid-century concert band works or with classical arrangements of standard tunes. It's also ideal for a winter or spring concert where you want something familiar enough to draw an audience but sophisticated enough to showcase your ensemble's abilities.

• Playing confidently in 5/4 and 7/4 time signatures
• Understanding jazz harmony and voicing in a concert band context
• Executing swing articulation with precision and control
• Maintaining rhythmic independence across a medley structure
• Reading and balancing multiple simultaneous rhythmic layers