Jazz Articles about Paul Desmond

Paul Desmond: Lemme Tell Ya 'Bout Desmond: the Music of Paul Desmond

by C. Michael Bailey
July 1, 2001

An alto saxophone tone as dry and bright as a martini with the sun shining through it.

I have been listening to this disc over and over and over. My knowledge of Desmond is admitted limited. Sure he penned “Take Five" and was a mainstay with Brubeck in the '50s and '60s. And sure he has had a moon of ink spilled on his behalf. But I have been listening to this disc over and over and over.

Joel Dorn ...

The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Jazz: Red Hot And Cool

by Jim Santella
June 1, 2001

The “red hot" in the title comes from this album's cover photograph. A lovely model with bright red attire worked with Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond to provide the visual nightclub perspective. The “cool," of course, comes from the quartet's music. Recorded at Basin Street in New York at three dates in 1954 and '55, The Dave Brubeck Quartet works through several programs that offered happy-go-lucky fare. It's the kind that had already led Brubeck and Desmond to success. This ...

The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Jazz Impressions Of Japan

by Jim Santella
April 1, 2001

Dave Brubeck has always been able to effectively communicate with the average “Joe." His compositions bring a spark of recognition. It's jazz, but with an underlying meaning easy enough to comprehend at first listen. Stereotypes enter the picture when particular harmonies are employed or when distinctive rhythms dance freely. His quartet could easily make “Chopsticks" appeal to the masses with a moody intro, an easy-to-recognize head melody, inspired solos all around, and a return to the starting point.

With the ...

Paul Desmond: Lemme Tell Ya 'Bout Desmond

by AAJ Staff
January 1, 2001

Oddly, few saxophonists choose to imitate Paul Desmond's sound. Even Lee Konitz, whose timbre is comparable, attracts more imitators, perhaps because of his angularity and his adaptability to virtually any configuration of musicians or any musical concept. While Desmond's sound within the Dave Brubeck Quartet of course is as well-known as Brubeck's himself, Desmond's coolness remains pristine and unique, even though a generation has passed since his death. In contrast, consider Bird's and Coltrane's musical descendants.Perhaps a reappraisal ...

Paul Desmond: Lemme Tell Ya 'Bout Desmond

by AAJ Staff
January 1, 2001

Oddly, few saxophonists choose to imitate Paul Desmond's sound. Even Lee Konitz, whose timbre is comparable, attracts more imitators, perhaps because of his angularity and his adaptability to virtually any configuration of musicians or any musical concept. While Desmond's sound within the Dave Brubeck Quartet of course is as well-known as Brubeck's himself, Desmond's coolness remains pristine and unique, even though a generation has passed since his death. In contrast, consider Bird's and Coltrane's musical descendants.Perhaps a reappraisal ...

Paul Desmond: Take Ten

by C. Andrew Hovan
May 1, 1999

As legendary a group as the Dave Brubeck Quintet was during the '60s, the fact remains that front line alto man Paul Desmond made some of his finest recordings away from Brubeck and on his own, first for RCA and then for CTI. His RCA sides present the cream of the crop of his recorded legacy, owing much to the fact that during this period Desmond chose not to work with a pianist but instead opted for guitar legend Jim ...