Dave Brubeck was sent to Europe by the US State Department in 1958, as a promo tour during the Cold War. He came back inspired by all the different rhythms he had heard. Especially the odd (for the traditional jazz mind) Turkish rhythms captured his mind. He decided to create an album full of odd time signatures: 5/4, 4/4 (common time) alternated with 9/8 and 3/4.
Columbia record executives were not exactly happy with the idea, but since in 1959 Brubeck was already a best selling jazz star, they let him do his thing. And Brubeck’s idea was good: the album went platinum, and was the first jazz album to reach that high mark. Time out manages to not sound academical, and keeps swinging through all these weird rhythms. What was meant as an experiment went on to become mainstream. Take five, one of its tracks, is maybe the best known jazz track ever.