What can the use of odd, interesting, or changing time signatures add to a peice of music?

Explanation:

I recommend listening to Dave Brubeck's Time Out. That whole record is an exploration of odd time signatures and unusual ways of subdividing rhythms, but in a way that still swings. Three of the more famous tracks, for example, are:

"Blue Rondo a la Turk": This is in 9/8, which is an old time signature dating back to the Baroque period, used when a composer wanted a triplet feel in 3/4 time. What makes this song different is that instead of the usual 3-3-3 break-down, Brubeck subdivides the beat into 2-2-2-3, which gives it a totally different feel.

"Take Five": This is in 5/4, subdivided into 3-2. You've heard this song a million times, even if you didn't know it. It's in every commercial that's trying for a "sophisticated luxury" feel. It isn't easy to make 5/4 sound mainstream, but this song does it.

"Three To Get Ready": This has a pattern of changing time signatures throughout the song. It's two bars of 3/4 followed by two bars of 4/4, then back to two bars of 3/4, then 4/4, etc. The drumming is interesting here: Joe Morello basically just brushes a 3/4 pattern on the snare during the whole song, but in the 4/4 bars it starts to syncopate, which then causes it to be "out of phase" in the 3/4 bars, gradually coming back into phase later.

Anyway. It's a great record and a wonderful collection of odd time experiments.

hard bop is an extension of bebop that was kind of interrupted by the cool sounds of west coast jazz. it experienced its revival in the 1990’s.