"Unsquare Dance" is a composition by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck that was released as a single in 1961. Included on Brubeck's album ''

Time Further Out ''Time Further Out'' (subtitled '' Miró Reflections'') is a jazz studio album by the Dave Brubeck Quartet released by Columbia Records in November 1961. It features the "classic" lineup of the quartet: pianist and leader Dave Brubeck, alto sa ...

'', the piece reached No. 93 on the ''Cash Box'' chart on December 16, 1961.

Time signature

Written in time, the piece is an example of Brubeck's exploration of

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note va ...

s. According to Brubeck, it was written during a single trip from his home to the recording studio and was recorded the same day. The composition is based on a blues structure but also has a distinct country and western feel, as implied in the title (a square dance being a fixture of western US culture). "Unsquare Dance" is driven by a strong bass figure, with

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

provided primarily by the rim of the snare drum and hand claps. It combines duple and

triple meter Triple metre (or Am. triple meter, also known as triple time) is a musical metre characterized by a ''primary'' division of 3 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 3 (simple) or 9 ( compound) in the upper figure of the time signature, with , , ...

. The

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

enters with descending phrases crossing the rhythm. The speed of the piece gradually increases from start to finish. The main

theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...

then develops initially without left accompaniment and then with a characteristic figure based around the use of tenths. A drum solo using rim shots follows, then a restatement of the theme and a distinctive conclusion. Brubeck says in his liner notes:

Chart performance

"Unsquare Dance" was included on the album ''

'' and became a hit single, peaking at No. 74 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 14 on the U.K.'s '' Record Retailer'' chart.Dave Brubeck - Full Official Chart History
''

Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts in ...

''. Retrieved April 14, 2017.

References

{{Authority control 1961 singles 1961 songs CBS Records singles Compositions by Dave Brubeck Jazz compositions