Time Out (album)

Time Out
Artwork for the 1997 CD, painting by S. Neil Fujita
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 14, 1959 (1959-12-14)
RecordedJune 25, July 1, and August 18, 1959
StudioColumbia 30th Street Studio, New York City
Genre
Length38:30
LabelColumbia
ProducerTeo Macero
Dave Brubeck chronology
The Riddle
(1959)
Time Out
(1959)
Bernstein Plays Brubeck Plays Bernstein
(1961)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
DownBeat
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)B+
Q
Tom HullA
Uncut

Time Out is a studio album by the American jazz group the Dave Brubeck Quartet, released in 1959 on Columbia Records. Recorded at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City, it is based upon the use of time signatures that were unusual for jazz such as 9
8
, 6
4
and 5
4
. The album is a subtle blend of cool and West Coast jazz.

The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard pop albums chart, and was the first jazz album to sell a million copies. The single "Take Five" off the album was also the first jazz single to sell one million copies. By 1963, the record had sold 500,000 units, and in 2011 it was certified double platinum by the RIAA, signifying over two million records sold. The album was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009.

The album was selected, in 2005, for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".