Jazz Standards with Unusual Time Signatures

Jazz Standards with Unusual Time Signatures

Odd, complex, irregular time signatures.

Combined unusual time signatures.

Jazz standards composed in 4/4 and played with an unusual time signature.

Polyrhythms, cross-rhythms.

Updated 2023

4/4 is the most used time signature in jazz because it´s not as closed as 2/4 and 3/4 and allows more rhythmic variations inside the bar.

4/4 is related to dancing. Unusual time signatures are difficult to dance.

3/4

Toots Thielemans. The Whistler and his Guitar (1964). “Bluesette”. 3/4

Max Roach. Jazz In 3/4 Time (1956). 3/4

Charles Mingus. Mingus Ah Um (1959). “Better Git It In Your Soul”. 3/4

Bill Evans. “A Simple Matter Of Conviction” (1967). 3/4

Gary Smulyan. Smul´s Paradise (2012). Sunny (Bobby Hebb). 3/4

3/4 + 2/4

Don Ellis. Don Ellis Orchestra Live in 32/3/4 Time (1966). “Upstart”. 3/4+3/4+3/4+2/4

5/4

Dave Brubeck. Time Out (1959). “Take Five” (Paul Desmond). 5/4

Al Jarreau. “Take Five”. German TV Broadcast (1976). 5/4

George Benson. “Take Five”. Montreaux (1986). 5/4

Sachal Studios and Wynton Marsalis. “Take Five”. Marciac Jazz Festival (2013). 5/4

Tito Puente. “Take Five”. 4/4 with latin clave 3-2.

Lalo Schifrin. “Mission: Impossible”. 5/4

Jimmy Smith. Livin´It Up (1968). “Mission Impossible”. 5/4

Stanley Turrentine, “Mr. Natural” (1964). “Wahoo” («Stanley´s Blues»). 5/4

Wayne Shorter. Etcetera (1965-1980). “Indian Song”. 5/4

Paul Desmond. Take Ten (1963). “Take Ten”. 5/4

Cal Tjader. Fried Bananas (2005). “Here” (Gary McFarland). 5/4

Sonny Fortune. “Serengeti Minstrel”. 5/4

Dave Holland. “Conference of the Birds”. 5/4

Elvin Jones. “That Five-Four Bag”. 5/4

Lee Ritenour. 6 String Theory (2010). “Fives”. 5/4

Jethro Tull. “Living In The Past” (1969). 5/4

Sting. Summoner´s Tales (1993). “Seven Days”. 5/4

Dave Brubeck. Time In (1966). “Forty Days”. 5/4

Wes Montgomery. “Scarborough Fair” (Paul Simon). 5/4

Tony Monaco. West to East (2005). “Indiana in 5”. 5/4

5/8

Ronny Jordan. A Brighter Day (2000). “5/8 In Flow”. 5/8

6/8

Miles Davis. “All Blues” (1959). 6/8

Horace Silver. “Señor Blues” (1959). 6/8

Leonard Bernstein. West Side Story (1961). “America”. 6/8 (6/8+6/4)

Pat Metheny. Still Life (Talking) (1987). “Minuano” (Six Eight) (Pat Metheny-Lyle Mays). 6/8

7/8

Andrew Hill. Judgment! (1964). “Siete Ocho”. 7/8

4/4 + 4/4 + 2/4

Francis Lai. “Un Homme et une femme” (1966) . 4/4 + 4/4 + 2/4.

4/4 + 7/8

Herbie Hancock. Mwandishi (1971). “Ostinato” (Suite For Angela). 4/4 + 7/8.

Joe Farrell. Song of the Wind (1976). “Follow Your Heart” (John McLaughlin). 11/8

12/8

12/8 is different from the “12/8 feel” or “triplet feel”, a 4/4 with a triplet within each beat.

Lee Morgan. The Sidewinder (1964). «Boy What a Night». 12/8

Elmer Bernstein. “Walk On The Wild Side” (1962). 12/8

David Sanborn Trio feat. Joey DeFrancesco – Jazzwoche Burghausen 2010. “I Got News For You”. Min 1:12:10. “12/8 feel”, triplet on ride cymbal. Backbeat on 2 and 4.

Chick Corea. The Spanish Heart Band. Antidote (2019). “The Yellow Nimbus”. Flamenco bulería 12/8

13/8

Yo-Yo Ma & Bobby McFerrin. Hush (1992). “Stars” (McFerrin). 13/8

Tigran Hamasyan. Mockroot (2015). “To Negate”. 13/8

Jazz Standards with Triple Meter Time Signatures

18/8

Mahavishnu Orchestra. Birds Of Fire (1973). “Birds Of Fire” (John McLaughlin). 18/8

6/4

Kenny Burrell. Midnight Blue (1963). “Wavy Gravy”. 6/4. Cross stick on 6.

Cal Tjader. La Onda Va Bien (1980). “Speak Low”. 6/4

Jimmy Smith. Peter and the Wolf (1966). “Elegy for a Duck” 6/4

Charles Mingus. Blues & Roots (1959). “Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting”. 6/4

Pat Martino. Formidable (2017). “Homage” (Gerry Niewood). 6/4

6/4 + 4/4

Oliver Nelson with Eric Dolphy. Straight Ahead (1961). “Six and Four”. 6/4 + 4/4

7/4

The Cannonball Adderley Quintet. Phenix (1975). “74 Miles Away”. 7/4

Woody Shaw. Stepping Stones (1978). “Seventh Avenue” (Victor Lewis). 7/4

Max Roach. Drums Unlimited (1965). “Nommo”. 7/4

Dave Brubeck. Time Further Out (1961). “Unsquare Dance”. 7/4

Don Ellis. “The French Connection” (1972). 7/4

Pink Floyd. “Money” (1973). 7/4

Peter Gabriel. “Solsbury Hill”. 7/4

The Beatles. “All You Need is Love”. 7/4

“Whiplash” (Hank Levy). 7/4

Robert Glasper. “Beatrice” (Sam Rivers). 7/4

Caribbean Jazz Project. New Horizons (2000). «A Night In Tunisia» (Gillespie-Paparelli). 7/4 + 4/4

5/4 + 5/4 + 7/4

Pat Metheny. Letter From Home (1989). “5-5-7”. 5/4 + 5/4 + 7/4

7/4 + 3/4 + 5/4 + 4/4

Pat Metheny. Letter From Home (1989). “Have You Heard”. 7/4 + 3/4 + 5/4 + 4/4

9/8 + 4/4

Dave Brubeck. Time Out (1959). “Blue Rondo A La Turk”. 9/8 (2+2+2+3) + 4/4

Al Jarreau. Breakin´Away (1981). “Blue Rondo A La Turk” (Dave Brubeck). 9/8

Avishai Cohen. “Caravan” (Duke Ellington-Tizol). 9/8 + 4/4

Mahavishnu Orchestra. “Vital Transformation” (1971). 9/8

Jeff Beck. “Scatterbrain” (1975). 9/8

22/8

Pat Metheny-Lyle Mays. “First Circle” (1984). 22/8

9/4

Eric Dolphy. Out To Lunch (1964). “Hat and Beard”. 9/4

11/4

Paul Desmond. “Eleven Four”. 11/4 (3+3+3+2).

Avishai Cohen. Gently Disturbed (2008). “Eleven Wives”. 11/4

13/4

Don Ellis. Don Ellis at Filmore (1970). “The Great Divide”. 13/4.

15/4

Chris Potter. Underground. “The Wheel”. 15/4 (4+4+4+3).

5/4 + 2/4

Don Ellis. Electric Bath (1967). “In a Turkish Bath” (Ron Myers). 5/4+2/4

5/4 + 3/4

Romane. Romane Roots & Groove–Live At The Sunset (2011). “Five and Three”, min. 11:20. 5/4+3/4

Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin IV (1971). “Four Sticks”. 5/4 + 3/4

5/4 + 7/4 + 3/4

Bill Bruford. Bill Bruford´s Earthworks, A Part, And Yet Apart (1999). “Footloose And Fancy Free”. 5/4+7/4+3/4

  • No Truce With The Furies.
  • A Part, And Yet Apart. 4/4+7/8
  • Some Shiver, While He Cavorts.
  • Footloose And Fancy Free. 5/4+7/4+3/4
  • Sarah’s Still Life.
  • The Emperor’s New Clothes. 7/4
  • Curiouser And Curiouser.
  • Eyes On The Horizon.
  • Dewey-Eyed, Then Dancing.

15/8 + 9/8 + 9/8

Don Ellis. Tears of Joy (1971). “Bulgarian Bulge”. 15/8 (2222 322) + 9/8 (2223) + 9/8 (2322)

Don Ellis. Don Ellis Orchestra. Live At Monterey (1966). “33 222 1 22”. 19/8

4/4 + 6/8 + 2/4 + 5/4

Ástor Piazzolla. Montreux Jazz Festival (1985). “Escualo”. 4/4+6/8+2/4+5/4

Richard Galliano Sextet. Live at the Nancy Opera. “Escualo” (Ástor Piazzolla).

Richard Galliano Septet. Piazzolla Forever. “Escualo” (Ástor Piazzolla). Min 1:06:10

6/4 + 3/4+ 7/8 + 5/8 + 5/4

The Bad Plus. “Seven Minute Mind”.

Bob Moses

Bob Moses. When Elephants Dream of Music (1982). “The River”. 9/4.

Bob Moses. When Elephants Dream of Music (1982). “For Miles”. 4/4+4/4+7/8 over 7/8+4/4+4/4.

Bob Moses. Visit With The Great Spirit (1984). “Suite Bahia”. 7/4 canon.

Dave Brubeck

Dave Brubeck. Interview.

“I talked in terms then of doing things polyrhythmically, the harmonic approach was polytonality, rhythmically I wanted to do things polyrhythmically because I thought jazz was much too tame, and the way I wanted to set up the group was that the drummer would be playing one rhythm, a bass player another rhythm and Paul and I could play in either of those rhythms or our new rhythm.”

Dave Brubeck. Time Out (1959)

  • 1. “Blue Rondo à la Turk” – 00m00s. 9/8+4/4
  • 2. “Strange Meadow Lark” – 6m45s. 4/4
  • 3. “”Take Five” (Paul Desmond) – 14m11s. 5/4
  • 4. “Three to Get Ready” – 19m38s. 3/4+4/4
  • 5. “Kathy’s Waltz” – 25m04s. 4/4+3/4
  • 6. “Everybody’s Jumpin’” – 29m59s. 4/4
  • 7. “Pick Up Sticks” – 34m27s. 6/4

Dave Brubeck. Time Further Out (1961)

  1. “It’s a Raggy Waltz”. Major blues with bridge. 3/4
  2. “Bluette”. 3/4
  3. “Charles Matthew Hallelujah”. 4/4
  4. “Far More Blue”. 5/4
  5. “Far More Drums”. 5/4
  6. “Maori Blues”. 6/4
  7. “Unsquare Dance”. 7/4
  8. “Bru’s Boogie Woogie”. 8/8
  9. “Blue Shadows in the Street”. 9/8

Dave Brubeck. Countdown-Time in Outer Space (1962)

“Countdown”. 5/4

“Eleven Four”. 11/4

“Why Phillis”. 3/4

“Someday My Prince Will Come”. 3/4

“Castilian Blues”. 5/4

“Castilian Drums”. 5/4

“Fast Life”. 4/4+3/4

“Waltz Limp”. 3/4

“Three’s a Crowd”. 7/4

“Danse Duet”. 4/4+3/4

“Back to Earth”. 4/4

“Fatha”. 4/4

Dave Brubeck. Time Changes (1964)

  1. “Iberia”. 4/4
  2. “Unisphere”. 10/4
  3. “Shim Wha”. 3/4
  4. “World’s Fair”. 3/4+3/4+4/4+3/4
  5. “Cable Car”. 3/4
  6. ‘Theme From Elementals’. 3/4

Dave Brubeck. Time In (1966)

  1. “Lost Waltz” (Dave Brubeck). 3/4+4/4
  2. “Softly, William, Softly” (D. Brubeck). 4/4
  3. “Time In” (D. Brubeck). 3/4
  4. “40 Days” (D. Brubeck). 5/4
  5. “Travellin’ Blues” (D. Brubeck, Lola Brubeck). 4/4
  6. “He Done Her Wrong” (D. Brubeck). 10/4
  7. “Lonesome” (D. Brubeck, Lola Brubeck). 4/4
  8. “Cassandra” (D. Brubeck). 3/4+4/4
  9. “Rude Old Man”. 4/4
  10. “Who Said That”. 4/4
  11. “Watusi Drums”. 6/8

Wynton Marsalis. Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra. The Life and Music of Dave Brubeck.

  • 2:14 “Unsquare Dance”. 7/8
  • 7:42 “Three to Get Ready”. 2×3/4+2×4/4
  • 12:47 “The Duke”. 4/4
  • 18:43 “Cassandra”. 3/4+4/4
  • 25:40 “Strange Meadowlark”. 4/4
  • 32:01 “Who Will Take Care of Me?” 4/4
  • 36:45 “It’s a Raggy Waltz”. Major blues with bridge. 3/4.
  • 43:16 “Tokyo Traffic”. 4/4
  • 51:07 “Take Five”. 5/4
  • 57:18 “Lost Waltz”. 3/4+4/4
  • 1:04:50 “Upstage Rhumba”. Afrocuban clave.
  • 1:12:31 “In Your Own Sweet Way”. 4/4
  • 1:18:06 “Fast Life”. 4/4+3/4
  • 1:25:33 “Bluette”. 3/4
  • 1:31:50 “Blue Rondo a la Turk”. 9/8

List of musical works in unusual time signatures

Basic Syncopated Rhythmic Patterns

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