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

This medley captures the exact moment jazz decided odd meters were normal, not exotic. Charles Sayre's arrangement respects the originals while building something cohesive enough to program on a serious concert without apology. The four-minute-forty-second runtime fits perfectly into a set without overwhelming rehearsal schedules, yet delivers enough rhythmic sophistication to genuinely challenge and engage your band.

Energetic and intellectually playful. The medley swings with purpose yet never loses sight of the joy in unexpected rhythmic twists. There's a sense of discovery here, as if the band is stepping into the same studio where Brubeck broke open the door to a whole new way of thinking about time.

Concert bands at the Grade 4 level ready to tackle non-traditional meters with confidence. Your ensemble should have solid fundamentals in rhythmic reading and independence, but this chart will reward that foundation by proving meters like 5/4 and 7/8 are musical territory, not technical hurdles.

• Establish the meter feel in sectional rehearsals before attempting full-band runs. The transition between 5/4, 7/8, and 3/4 depends on locked internal pulse, not rushing through the written notes.
• Mark the phrase boundaries clearly in your score so sections understand where to breathe collectively. The medley's power lies in its continuity, and sloppy attacks between sections dissolve that connection.
• Balance the jazz voicings in the reeds and brass. These aren't classical chord colors; lean into the slight dissonance and open sonorities that define Brubeck's harmonic language.

This works beautifully as a bridge between your classical first half and a more adventurous second set. Program it after something traditionally metered to demonstrate how your band thinks about rhythm as a creative tool. It also fits naturally into a concert celebrating American jazz pioneers or as the statement piece that shows your audience what Grade 4 bands can actually do.

• Maintaining steady pulse while reading in 5/4, 7/8, and mixed meter passages
• Articulating jazz phrasing in a concert band context
• Sectional balance and independence within non-traditional meters
• Recognizing and executing stylistic differences between straight-eighths and swing feels
• Responding to conductor cues across metric modulations