Take Ten was the first small-group jazz album Desmond released as a solo artist under a contract with RCA records. His initial RCA releases were an album featuring him alongside a string orchestra (1961's
Desmond Blue), and a small-group session co-lead with Gerry Mulligan (1962's
Two of a Mind). With
Take Ten, Desmond continued a partnership with guitarist
Jim Hall that had begun with the 1959 quartet album
First Place Again for Warner Bros. records. In the time between the earlier quartet record with Hall and
Take Ten, Desmond (as part of
The Dave Brubeck Quartet) had a huge popular hit in 1961 with his composition "
Take Five". "Take Five" was recorded in 1959 for the Brubeck Quartet's
Time Out album, but only became a hit after the 1961
single release. ''Take Ten's
title track was a 5/4 jazz composition similar to "Take Five" in terms of rhythm, chord structure, and melody. The Take Ten
album also reflected the popularity of another early-1960s Billboard'' Hot 100 U.S. jazz hit, 1962's "
Desafinado" recording by jazz saxophonist
Stan Getz. "Desafinado" marked the beginning of the
bossa nova craze in North America. The Dave Brubeck Quartet (featuring Desmond) recorded
Bossa Nova U.S.A. in the fall of 1962, following the popularity of "Desafinado".
Take Ten was Desmond's first solo album to incorporate bossa nova. Desmond continued to explore bossa nova in his next album, 1964's
Bossa Antigua. == Chart performance ==