Dave Brubeck - Unsquare Dance

[Cal4ripkin]

Wonderful! Such talent (music, dance) is wholly lost on today's ghetto culture.

[boringbtard]

how do they do that with the backcloth? it looks like the dancers are behind the fence. is it just perspective or is there more than one?

[laratiara]

@boringbtard These are props, placed in front of the curtain.If u look closely, u see bit of shadow behind fence.Grtz.

[darthjoey13]

It's in 7/4 because of the accents. You don't clap on 8th note offbeats.

[velvetrose76]

@darthjoey13 tell that to Pat Metheny. "Full Circle" is all about 8th note upbeats

[jmmxyt]

So who are the dancers, and where was the video done?

[BilliusEllison]

@jmmxyt Done in Captain Kangaroo's basement by Mr. Green Jean's illlegitimate children!

[tennesseetrumpet]

very cool



[MultiTyrannosaurus]

take seven

[dbeckster]

Maaaad skill yo.

[KintyreOfMull]

I remember hearing this song as a kid on the Captain Kangaroo Show, and loving it. Little did I know, I was being exposed to the greatness of jazz. This clip is another expression of the greatness that is the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

[MrPhoneman50]

S-O-O-O glad I found this. I'm not musical, but I can appreciate the difficulty of playing this. Many thanks for uploading it- with the original danc eroutine?

[BoudiccaBlanc]

Excellent!

(It's 7/4)

"Shave & a Haircut"? I think the last little part was "Turkey in the Straw"

[sheltonharlow]

No Idiots...It's an "UNSQUARE" Dance. in 7/4. In the '50's. On Lawrence Welk. An original piece of genius.

Philistines...

[velvetrose76]

@sheltonharlow its better described as 7/8

[marvelboy74]

@velvetrose76 just chalk it up to composers who don't transcribe their music the same as other composers. I agree that it should be written as we generally play 7/8 but it's just a fast 7/4.

[kilmitz]

Funded by Ministry of Silly Walks. Great investment!

[mertymert67]

its 7/8 time, just count it

1-2 1-2 1-2-3

1-2 1-2 1-2-3

[missavamurray]

its 7/4 count it. It is in 4 and 3 beats

[atreyyu1]

Am I the only one to think that the Shave and a Haircut coda in the end kind of ruins it?

[TeenCretin]

@atreyyu1 No, I'm with you...I dunno WHY musicians do that....it's embarassingly stupid.

[34airflow]

Okay, Mission Impossible is in 5/4 and Unsquare Dance is in 7/4. Too bad that the point I was trying to make has been lost. Even I don't remember what I was trying to say... :-) Sigh.

[TheQTWolf]

Ministery of Silly Walks? I think they owe a bit to Brubeck & Co here....

Five Stars!

[quackfctry]

@TheQTWolf this was my first idea - that's Ministry of silly walks :-)

[MrCubfan415]

Captain Kangaroo, anyone?

[34airflow]

I think waltzes are kind of odd in their own way. So, really, you can dance to 7/8 or 5/4 (Mission Impossible) if you've got the groove goin'. :-) Your feet will figure it out, trust me.

[TheDrezden42]

@34airflow Mission Impossible? I think you mean Take Five =P

[34airflow]

@TheDrezden42 No, really, it's in 5/4. Count it. There's another song that I like that has irregular rhythm (sort of like musical arrhythmia, I guess.) It's "Tattooed Love Boys" by The Pretenders. It's in 7/16.

[TheDrezden42]

@34airflow Yes, I know, I can count time with the best of them! I was just making a humourous comment around the idea that, given that the Music in this video is Dave Brubeck, that a better, or slightly more relevant, choice for music in 5/4 would be take that. Also, I agree, Tattooed Love Boys is another great song in an unusual time key. =D

[Andrewrb010]

@34airflow You cant count it in 5/4 because the tunes in 7... Subdivided into 4 and 3 beats. count 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 with accents (claps) on 2,4,2,3. so if you want to count it 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (which you shouldn't) the accents are on 2 4 6 7. You could also listen to the bass which accents beat 1 3 and 5 (the 1 of the second subdivision).

[34airflow]

@Andrewrb010 My comment says that Mission Impossible is in 5/4.

[thejackle42]

@34airflow I've played the sheet music it's 7/4

[FabianRothschilde]

@Sibionic. Care to elaborate on your assertion that asymmetry does not exist in time signatures? I am not disagreeing, but clearly odd numbers do not divide evenly. You can hear that 5/4 has a push in it, based on the lack of up and down beat. This applies to any non-even signatures. Discuss...

[blakfloyd]

Too fuckin cool. Eleventeen thumbs up!

[sibionic]

@FenrirLupus You certainly are 

[sibionic]

@FenrirLupus there's no such thing as an 'asymmetrical' time signature

[sibionic]

@FenrirLupus er, yes. It's also from an album called Time Further Out which is explicitly (and rigorously) concerned with time signatures

[sibionic]

@FenrirLupus 7/8 actually

[gioland71]

My ballet teacher loves unusual tempos and makes us practice 5/4, 7/4 and 9/4 metres... It was odd at the beginning, but we are slowly getting used to them, and we (mostly) stopped counting: following the music is easier... It was a headache for the pianists, though - not much choice in standard ballet music. These are just unfamiliar tempos, especially nowadays when 98% of the commercial music is in 4/4...

[wisehare]

I like this.

I love the music of Dave Brubeck, and together with the pencil drawn dancers makes the video a joy.

[GameShowGuy]

Very interesting. I imagine it was a hard routine for the dancers to learn, but they did very well.

[chakorn1]

I'm learning the piano section now, ohhhh it's SUCH a pain in the arse

[TheSRalston]

Bet this was "way cool daddy-o "back in the 60´s, but as many around here say, just plain sucks. I withstood it until 1:05, LOL.

[VictrolaJazz]

Tuneless and boring! it's not like Guy Lombardo!

[spahjrp]

You can dance to it, but the drummer has to have a screw loose or something. GREAT song!

[BloodyBloodPeker]

Now to look for calico992's comment ://

[rickricardo94]

This was just painful to watch. I'm not sure that even an immense amount of weed could make this bearable...

[ggc74]

Everytime you go to a dave brubeck video there's all this talk about tempo or whatever

[therealKINDLE]

@ggc74 LOL! That is a Funny comment if ever I've heard one! Oh God that was Funny! Ha ha ha! Oh man you just split my Moog T-shirt with laughter! Few! Maybe I explaine time signatures to you one time! But for GODS Sake, lets start with a Waltz & not Septuple Meter!

[ggc74]

@therealKINDLE *ok*

[maddywoo13]

@ggc74 Thats because "time" or tempo was the basis for the TIME series he did. It was a whole theme. Brilliant stuff.

[PerhapslessMystery]

Not sure what everyone's going on about the dancers being square, I'm pretty sure these two are the two coolest human beings ever to exist.

[Shtove]

@PerhapslessMystery

If we follow the beats we see the complexity. And they make it look so simple. Excellent.

[davevanfunk]

Is this the Senator on bass?

[jkid1134]

Unsquare? There's two squares right there in the video!

[Cardien18]

This dancing got me sexual aroused, it's their legs that do it for me..........XD

[nakedyoga420]

Except for the herby white people dancing, this shit is hot son

[brandonpanther]

@JDnCoke1992 jack daniels and coke is great drink!!!!!!!!!.....peace

[solumeasd]

Polar bear- Beartown

[IRACEMABABU]

@JDnCoke1992 Just tipping "greek dance", I've got theses : youtube.com/watch?v=2wec08W8_s­M&feature=related and youtube.com/watch?v=SjZc78XIY6­o and there is hundreds of videos like these two...

You'll see pro and non-pro dancers in wedding fests, then popular dance.

[theoriginalrudgey]

I love that the 2 top comments are directly related!

[childeric57]

They look like demons dancing for joy after a nuclear explosion in farm country.

[conkpit]

@childeric57LOL I can visualize C.S. Lewis' junior demon, "Wormwood" dancing to this.

[McM15071977]

this video is like a car accident ...not beautiful....but you cant stop looking at it ^^

[Frobe1357]

Typical Genius From Dave and the guys

[ninja2198]

they got 7/4th skills



[dand1uk]

LOVE this! Don't deny they don't look cool dancing 7/4 ;)

[saxofof]

It's in 7/4 time

[BonhamBeatsBieber]

i would have thought this was 7/8? maybe not...

[jthompson7661]

Great Stick-Only drum solo in 7/4 by Joe Morello

[philinkyoto]

Great Tune. Beautiful musicianship.

Hot Video. But, the women in the video: she may well have done a 7-4 on my Dad.

[happychau456]

greatest dance ever!



[degeorgezm]

Proof)

[1274adrian]

Ok... forgive me if you don't agree, but someone needs to use this video and synch it with Radiohead 15 Step. I love it Love it Love it....

[1274adrian]

Ok... forgive me if you don't agree, but someone needs to use this video and synch it with Radiohead 15 Step. I love it Love it Love it....

[sakanabaka]

7 people are in time out.

[jehovahuponyou]

WOULD 'FUCKED UP' AND 'STUPID' FIT THIS DANCE, YES?

[danceluv03]

i wish they were actually tapping, and not dancing to what sounds like taps in the background :(

[farkn0se]

i thought it was written in 5/4! that's what ive been counting lol

[ace6255]

lol hell yeah! that's entertainment... 7/8 though, not 7/4 (also just saying 7 works too)

[tagvia]

can anyone tell me the names if the dancers or the show? thanks

[thogy]

Boston Crusaders drum solo 1969 

[FolkExplorer]

Alright...

[TheBluesology]

Super great !!!!

[wjwmorrow]

RIP Joe Morello.

[FastANDBulbous117]

Listened to this in Music Theory. Fucking chill if I do declare.

[justinbiebergirl774]

we watched this at school we had to clap to it

[Fatwigs]

we did this piece at school.dave brubeck is cool.take 5=amazing

[johnnycoolkids]

amazing how different entertainment is today. quite sad really

[kingratboy2]

Wow he's good it is quite hard to play tough it is in 7/4 which once you get used to it it's easy I should know I play timpani

[sammy3032]

Bunch of GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKS!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!

[thelettertsix]

whos singin in seven and has two thumbs? :)

[Kinbote00]

That chick is hot.

[glpxt]

The point is not whether 7/8 is hard or easy to play, actually, I think it's pretty easy to play once you've got the hang of it. The amazing point is that Brubeck could make music in such "odd" time signatures sound so naturally. And the same is true for the choreographer of this dance, of course.

[MCADJim]

@glpxt Brubeck was a real talent. ...Wait..IS. he's still alive.

[javiikiller]

What a wonderful!

[motard117]

Sounds like Brubeck took a standard 4/4 12 bar blues progression, lopped off a quarter note every other measure, and turned it into a wonderful, quickly flowing 7/4 thing... Amazing, but typical Brubeck.

[Pomme843]

I like the American imagery here. The modernistic portrayal of rural America in the background, and the blueys chord progression and form (a, a, d, a, e, a)combined with sixteenth note shuffle, the somewhat classical ending to the opus, the pulling of suspenders, the word play on square dance, which is "unsquare" because of the 7/8 time signature... I'm certain that others can find other references to American culture, or mixtures of classical and American art.

[ourDC888]

Fascinating!

[theinvisiblelight]

Now thats good time.

[IDLERACER]

Most of "All You Need Is Love" is in 7/4 but it's a shuffle, and much slower. Nonetheless, I don't think it would be particularly easy to dance to either.

[Musedoc]

Any ideas who the dancers are? Where and when?

[linerwise]

@Musedoc The dancers are Bill McGrath and Carlu Carter. Originally from Canada (Royal Winnipeg Ballet), but migrated to Australia in the early 60's.

[redhairkid]

Happy 90th birthday, Mr Brubeck, sir. Long may you continue.

[merseymain]

Happy 90th birthday to Dave. This track is great. The dancing, er, not so!. I've been on dancefloors when this has BLURRRRED out with a few hundred doin the claps with a much cooler UNsquare dance than this!

[kozmikdust]

It's the John Mayer/ Taylor Swift Thanksgiving Special!

[BlueManIan]

I wonder how many people clap along when they play this live!

[dimeable]

I can't watch the video while listening to the music. It is simply phisically impossible.

[hoffness]

This would make a great Venetian Snares song.

[busessuck1]

How gay is this video...

[Josiebenn]

@busessuck1 Very gay i.e. cheerful and lighthearted, but not camp or queer. It's bloody intelligent and bloody marvellous. Could you dance either part? If yes - post us a video of your efforts.

[ShelbyTN1]

I realize that the word "awesome" is overused but that's what this song is to me...simply awesome!

[56stardust]

Imagine having to choreograph a song in 7/4.. oh my.

[YYZSkinhead]

@56stardust I wish I knew who was the choreographer of this clip...s/he was a genius!

[YYZSkinhead]

Unsquare Dance is definitely in 7/4 (I've seen the music). 7/4 is the greatest time signature of them all. My future dream jazz band will play entire sets in 7/4, and if that doesn't scare away the audience this song will be a given, along with "jazz interpretations" of Rush's Limelight and Time Stand Still and Alice in Chains' Them Bones (all of which have a lead groove in 7/4).

[huskihamster]

lol this songs on the mcdonalds advert on tv and the radio!!! wen its goin on about the different types of coffee

[huskihamster]

lol this songs on the mcdonalds advert on tv and the radio!!! 

[cupofsoda]

WHY OH WHY THEM DANCERS FREAKY MAN it would be good as soon as it would be great haha

[SAHBfan]

For some reason this video makes me fantasise about high calibre hunting rifles...

:-(

[DesmonJones]

I wouldn't say this is 7/4. I say this is a 2+2+3 7/8 blues, still very grooveable.

[mangodebango]

lol @ the three people who couldn't keep up with the rhythm and hit 'dislike'.

[calico992]

this video proves that you cannot dance to 7/4 and look cool doing it!

[fredericfranc]

@calico992 Obviously begs the question what time signature you need to, yes, LOOK cool?

[yesimclair]

@calico992 needs to pull out the 992 cats shoved up his butt ;((

[IRACEMABABU]

@calico992 Totally wrong, man. Look at greece dancers with 9/4, 74, 5/4 meters - Very naturals and relaxed.

[FredC1968]

@IRACEMABABU The Greek dancers are used to those meters. We aren't used to 9/4, 7/4, 5/4, 9/8 etc. Growing up listening to American styled music, we are primarily used to 4/4. We are not that unfamiliar with hearing 12/8, 2/4, 3/4. In 30 years of playing guitar I've mostly played 4/4 (square) and 12/8 (Quadruple Pineapple).

[IRACEMABABU]

@FredC1968 I just was saying that you can look easy dancing 7/4, 9/4 .... meters. If you can't, that's exactly because you aren't used to them. If you cannot do something, that doensn't mean its impossible for others... That was my point. Keep humble...

[FredC1968]

@IRACEMABABU That was my point.

[ianterrellbrown]

@IRACEMABABU I think is joke, yes?

[Dimipoke1]

@IRACEMABABU Oh my god... I was going to say the exact thing!

SCARY!

[roxinouchet]

@calico992 don't know if the assumption cool is right but definitely out of usual boundaries :) 

[MrFlatlander123]

@calico992 Umm... The only thing this video proves is that not even 7/4 could make those dancers look cool.

[IamAsi94]

@calico992 i think its just the opposite actually

[stoph2]

@calico992 It's 7/8

[stoph2]

@stoph2 I didn't mean to put that! 

[TheXmas50]

@calico992 No, it proves you can't square dance and look cool.

[asche069]

@TheXmas50 I'm sure it proves you have to be look cool to square dance. Quite the contrapositive, kinda.

[TheXmas50]

@asche069 Ah, but a contrapositive means that the original statement must be correct.

[narri214]

@TheXmas50 what are you talking about this is awesome

[Varun73693]

@TheXmas50 I AGREE

[southwriter]

@calico992 LOL!!

[mozgren]

@calico992 I have a vid of my yr old son 'dancing' to Take 5

[PeterFLOYDIAN]

@calico992 That's definitely why it's called 'UN'square. ;)

[BeingMeCorner]

Ahh we're doing this at school. . . 7/4 isnt so easy.

Especially when a group member wants to add drum beats. . .

[brewskhee]

Tumbs up...awesome video...

even if it is a little out of sync.

[brewskhee]

@brewskhee

wait...or not...lol.

[SagradoProductions]

do you think this would work as a ballet solo on pointe?

[gotmeagrape]

@SagradoProductions i've seen people tap dance those rim hits

[mavedro]

Fabulous

[kozmikdust]

it's john mayer and taylor swift!

[triki003]

Great!!! God thanks for youtube!!!!!

[AnnaSujaj]

far the best!

♥ it

[raykaelin]

Was the female dancer Mary Martin?

[qinella]

I so rarely so a dance performance I enjoy this much. 

[robgoldy]

@qinella Then check out this performance youtube.com/watch?v=R0BHxhUnok­U

The intro is some great music/playtime with Slim & Slam but the dancing (starts at about 2.40 will knock your socks off!

[rayjr62]

Wow, nice clip. Must be from early 1960s American TV. Since "Time Further Out" (The LP where the tune "Unsquare Dance" came from) came out in April, 1961, this must be from around that time.

[niiicckkmaheeya]

Extremely unsettling

[KouReaC]

that chick has issues..

[bassrockin]

the chicken dance! Cluck cluck cluck....

[MrJohnManifold]

What a gem.

[coxmr1]

Man that there is some good sticking. !

[paukenmeister]

It must have been very challenging to choreograph that dance.

[putitupmike1]

I cannot, and I mean cannot, watch this dance and not think of Lawrence Welk. Damn but I hated that show. So I just close my eyes and appreciate...

[MyNoLifeQueen]

:D This made me smile.

[poulok42]

hjghnvcvb

[Soulthinker2007]

It's like that show channels Martha Graham and Floyd Cramer.

[chiefsquirrel]

Original? Re-posting other people's videos is one thing. But why not let fans of the music know where they can go to see the rest of the brubeck videos from the same performance? (shrugs) It's a funny world, isn't it?

[pizzaboy399]

1-2 1-2 1-2-3

[kandorei101]

Correcting myself actually just look up Everett 2004 and it's the first video

[kandorei101]

Everett percussion 2004. Look it up they play some Dave Brubeck melodies like unsquare dance, Blue Rondo Alla Turk and Take five.

[DjAgentMC]

un square because it's not 4/4 - take that you germans!

[megaabler]

what's this? is this a music video? anyway it's really funny

[bieber17]

Wow, only melody I know in 7/4 ;]

[multiwebinc]

I never noticed that until you mentioned it. kewl!

[mduckworth]

I'm not good with time sigs but I've heard money by Pink Floyd is either 7/8 or 7/4, correct me if I'm wrong

[rockslavesoft]

@mduckworth It is 7/4. Odd time signatures are very common in progressive rock.