Signature + Time
“Greatness is — in high school — often grounds for teasing.”
-J.R. St.John
Five/Four
The first “hit album” in my experience was introduced to me in my ultra-cool brother’s marvelous modern-design living room. Imagine the arc lamp over the Danish sofa and the sheepskin rug on the perfect floor. The two-channel “stereophonic” system came complete in a hand-rubbed walnut cabinet with a turntable and a tuner. Big brother ceremoniously withdrew the vinyl “record” from the album sleeve (an abstract art treasure in itself…) and gently nestled it onto the spindle. A couple of hisses and, “Wow! What’s up with that off-beat rhythm?!” “Well that’s Five/Four time Sis, and this is Jazz! Welcome to Dave Brubeck!” The Album: “Time Out.” The Cut: “Take Five.” My mind was blown, and still is.
Cool
Evincing a “signature” is one thing, but “Cool” is something else; and Brubeck was both. It didn’t get more minimal than that… Horn rims, Black tie, Black suit, narrow lapels, white shirt — he and the group were the late fifties personified. A certain fierce intelligence (as well as a great musical sense of humor) characterized the man who headed the quartet that pushed popular music in a whole new direction by bringing Jazz front and center. Oh, and no amps Daddy-O — you got to pick it up live, so be quiet out there and don’t gimme no jive!
Mom’s Musical Influence
She schooled him hard — insisting on drills in which the right hand played in one rhythmic pattern and the left played against it in “syncopation.” Tough to learn and sustain — requires a certain continuous separation between mental tracks. It was a demanding regimen for a future jazz man; but it equipped him with a level of skill none could challenge. He carried the interest in “differing time signatures” with him and eventually the album based on that early drilling became a shooting star called “Time Out!” The critics hated it, but the public declared it a hit! Ironic actually, in that “Brubeck’s Signature” was about all about messing with “Time Signatures.”
Personal Signature
To our mind, finding your unique feature, and putting it front and center is what “Personal Signature” is all about. Like Brubeck’s, your signature is probably right there in front of you — something about which you may even be a little sensitive or self critical. Think about it: wouldn’t you tease a guy in horn rims sitting around after school at the piano? I mean, what kind of “dweeb” plays drills doing 5/4 time in the right hand and 4/4 with the left — simultaneously? In High School — Grounds for teasing! But Center Stage at Lincoln Center — for two hours — with Paul Desmond* as side man on Sax? Grounds for a Standing Ovation!
Now that’s a Signature — holding your unique candle up to view (even against early criticism) until the world develops a taste for it and your growing family of fans sets the critics straight.
If there’s something in your style that makes you a little nervous; a vocal twist, a unique shape, a wild hair — call a Time Out, and play around with putting it center stage in your presentations until you begin to tease out that special riff… There’s a signature developing there; but you’ve got to give it time.
Applications:
1. Personally
Signature items naturally set us apart. Sometimes we get nudged or teased because of them — forcing many people into unhappy “deals with normality” in order to fit in. But some brave souls stick with their “signature gift” long enough for it to become a “Signature.” Maybe you can become one of those. Persist!
2. At Home
We share our presumed inadequacies at home with our spouses, siblings and children. It’s tough, ’cause they tend to push our buttons and call out every variation from the norm. But they might also nudge us into appreciating what’s unique and rare about our look, our way of thinking or our pesky point of view. (“Seinfeld” fans may cheer here!) A commitment to Signature may be the first sign of a budding star or leader. Foster that in your family.
3. At Work
Being different in the land of the ordinary, or showing your colors in a world of regimentation is difficult, but can ultimately be the thing that sets you sufficiently apart to create your own category (of One) at work — with the attendant attention, benefits, pay scale and share of mind. Don’t sell out your specialness to fit in. It’s not really a Signature, until you give it time.
Take Five, Dave. You’re off the beat man; and the best! And we’re going to miss you.
* Paul Desmond improvised the signature saxophone riff on “Take Five.”
Dessert:
The Brubeck Quartet playing “Take Five”
Espresso:
The Immortal Al Jarreau performing “Take Five” in Scat
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