I'm Not Paying Much Attention to the Days of the Week, Anyway

I'll try to get the songs back on their regular Wednesday schedule, but since it's been a few weeks since we've had one (a song, not a Wednesday; that would be weird), here goes.

The other day, I asked a friend -- a ridiculously knowledgeable jazz fan and very talented musician -- if "Take Five" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, which I enjoy, is "Jazz for Idiots." He responded: "I hate Brubeck, myself, but it's not because I know more than you; it's just because I hate Brubeck."

I think this is his polite way of saying it's Jazz for Idiots.

It turns out that my friend respects Paul Desmond, the sax player who wrote "Take Five," but not for entirely (or even mostly) musical reasons. Evidently, Desmond was an ex-English major who had a way with words. I was especially impressed with his take on fashion models:

Sometimes they go around with guys who are scuffling -- for a while. But usually they end up marrying some cat with a factory. This is the way the world ends, not with a whim but a banker.

Unbelievable. And here he is with the rest of the group, doing "Take Five":