Paul Desmond
Paul Desmond is widely recognized for his genius as a melodic improviser and as the benchmark of cool jazz sax players. His warm, elegant tone was one that he admittedly tried to make sound like a dry martini. He and Art Pepper were virtually the only alto players of their generation not directly influenced by Charlie Parker. Desmond was influenced by Lester Young, but took it further, into melodic and harmonic worlds never before traveled by reedmen -- especially in the upper registers. Desmond is best known for his years with the Dave Brubeck Quartet (1959-1967) and his well-known composition "Take Five." He met Brubeck in the late '40s and played with his Octet. The Quartet formed toward the end of 1950 and took final shape with Eugene Wright and Joe Morello a few years later. Jazz at Oberlin and Take Five were considered essential purchases by college students of the era, but Jazz Impressions of Japan was its most innovative recording. Desmond played his loping, slow, ordered, and intricate solos in direct contrast to the pianist's obsession with large chords, creating a myriad of textures for melodic and rhythmic counterpoint unlike any heard in jazz. His witty quotations from musicals, classical pieces, and folk songs were also a watermark of his artistry. When the Quartet split in 1967, Desmond began an intermittent yet satisfying recording career. It included dates with Gerry Mulligan for Verve, various sessions with Jim Hall, and a concert with the the Modern Jazz Quartet. He played his last gigs with the Brubeck Quartet at reunions before dying of lung cancer. Desmond's recordings for RCA have gotten box-set treatment and Mosaic issued one of the complete sessions with Hall. There are also reissues from A&M and CTI, though recordings on Artist House and Finesse remain regrettably out of print.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo
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Glad To Be Unhappy
Jazz - Released by RCA Victor on May 10, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pure Desmond (CTI Records 40th Anniversary Edition)
Jazz - Released by Masterworks Jazz on Jan 1, 1975
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
First Place Again
Jazz - Released by Rhino - Warner Records on Oct 21, 2013
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Two Of A Mind
Jazz - Released by RCA Victor - Legacy on Jan 1, 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Desmond Blue
Jazz - Released by RCA Victor - Legacy on Oct 28, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Skylark
Jazz - Released by Epic - Associated - Legacy on Jan 1, 1973
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cool Imagination
Jazz - Released by RCA Bluebird on Oct 21, 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best Of Paul Desmond
Jazz - Released by Contemporary Jazz Masters on May 22, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Complete RCA Victor Recordings
Jazz - Released by RCA Victor - Victor Jazz on Apr 1, 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gerry Mulligan - Paul Desmond Quartet / Blues In Time
Jazz - Released by Verve Reissues on Jan 1, 1957
Qobuz Référence16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Greatest Hits Series--Paul Desmond
Jazz - Released by RCA Victor on Aug 26, 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Bridge Over Troubled Water
Jazz - Released by A&M JAZZ on Jan 1, 1969
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
From The Hot Afternoon (Expanded Edition)
Jazz - Released by Verve on Jan 1, 1969
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dave Brubeck And Paul Desmond
Jazz - Released by Fantasy on Jan 1, 1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paul Desmond: The Best of the Complete RCA Victor Recordings
Jazz - Released by RCA Victor on Dec 25, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stardust
The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Paul Desmond
Jazz - Released by Fantasy Records on Jan 1, 1954
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo