Swing in "Take Five"

Link to Dave Brubeck's "Take Five":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDDOFXSgAs

Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" is a well known jazz piece that is often appreciated for its odd 5/4 time signature. It is praised for its very comfortable feel in this time signature, even though odd time usually throws off the listener. The 5/4 time in "Take Five" accentuates its swing feel, which really makes it fit into the style of jazz.

Swing is a common, though not necessary, element of jazz music. Swung eighth notes are played such that the first eighth note of the beat receives more value than the second. The beat can be divided up into two-thirds to one-third, or three-quarters to one-quarter, with the prior being the more common of the two styles.

Swing is very common in earlier jazz music because of the dance styles that were created along with the development of the genre. Young adults enjoyed going dancing for entertainment, which really pushed this style to become more popular.

The element of swing can also be found in bluegrass music along with other genres. For an example of how bluegrass is rooted in jazz through the element of swing, read Swing in "Blue Moon of Kentucky".