What an artist choses to release from a session depends (unless the record label intervenes) on his estimation of how well he achieved what he set out to record. What business do we have rummaging through someone else’s false starts and abandoned takes? Well, hearing the process can be interesting and sometimes early versions are good work in their own right. Take Time Outtakes—11 previously unissued tracks from the historic 1959 Dave Brubeck session that gave the world “Take Five” and “Blue Rondo a al Turk.” With unusual rhythms and chord progressions, the music was pathfinding then and remains outstanding for the cool aplomb of the performances as well as the compositions. Many of the unreleased tracks gathered on Time Outtakes include venturesome solos and, especially on “Take Five,” a nervous energy absent from the 1959 release.
