Home » Jazz Articles » Paul Desmond
Jazz Articles about Paul Desmond
Verve's Bossa Nova U.S.A.
by Arnaldo DeSouteiro
Paul Desmond: Samba with Some Barbecue Originally titled “Struttin' with Some Barbecue" in 1941, this Satchmo tune lost its Dixie beat and got a bossa groove in the hands of the infallible Don Sebesky. Brazilian drummer Airto Moreira, then a newcomer in the New York jazz scene, provides a fiery propulsion to Paul Desmond's lyrical approach and “dry martini" alto sound. Different from the sad results of pseudo-bossa albums by Gene Ammons, Sonny Rollins, and so many others, this is ...
Continue ReadingThe Dave Brubeck Quartet: The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Live From The Northwest, 1959
by Mike Jurkovic
Like Elemental Music's previously unheard Bill Evans' set, Tales: Live in Copenhagen (1964), The Dave Brubeck Quartet,?Live From The Northwest, 1959 may not hold the historical weight of other posthumous Brubeck releases, but it certainly displays the effortless virtuosity and invention the quartet brought to every gig, large or small, far and wide and in-between. Just months before Brubeck, alto saxophonist?Paul Desmond, bassist?Eugene Wright,?and drummer?Joe Morello would set the music world alight with Time Out (Columbia, 1959), Wally ...
Continue ReadingThe Dave Brubeck Quartet: The Dave Brubeck Quartet Live from the Northwest,1959
by Pierre Giroux
The Dave Brubeck Quartet Live from the Northwest,1959 was recorded in a moment of jazz history that showcased the quartet's exceptional musical prowess and Dave Brubeck's innovative approach to jazz composition. The album offers a vibrant snapshot of the group's improvisational energy and collective synergy exemplified by the four incomparable musicians, which, in addition to Brubeck, were Paul Desmond alto saxophone, Eugene Wright on bass and Joe Morello drums. This seven-track concert was recorded over two ...
Continue ReadingDave Brubeck Quartet: Debut In The Netherlands 1958: The Lost Recordings
by Chris May
For some people, the Dave Brubeck Quartet's catalogue starts with 1959's Time Out (Columbia) and ends with Time Further Out (Columbia) two years later. Verily, they know not what they are missing. The band was burning from 1951, when Brubeck and alto saxophonist Paul Desmond founded it, until 1967 and the breakup of the “classic" lineup. That lineup comprised Brubeck, Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright, who joined in early 1958, and drummer Joe Morello, who joined in late 1956, and it ...
Continue ReadingDave Brubeck Quartet: Jazz at the College of the Pacific
by Keith Hatschek
December 14th 2021 marked the 58th anniversary of the concert by the Dave Brubeck Quartet held at College of the Pacific and immortalized on the album Jazz at College of the Pacific (Fantasy, 1954). Nat Hentoff praised the recording at the time of its release as, “Five stars... ranks with the Oberlin and Storyville sets as the best of Brubeck on record."Time has done little to diminish the impact of this monumental live recording. The six selections showcase ...
Continue ReadingDave Brubeck: Time OutTakes
by Stefano Merighi
Time OutTakes è il frutto della scoperta dell'insieme dei nastri giacenti nei vaults della Columbia, riguardanti il celebre album di Dave Brubeck, edito nel 1959. Come spesso accade per questo genere di operazioni, il supplemento di materiale che esce fuori dallo scavo coincide con versioni alternative dei medesimi brani della collezione definitiva (outtakes), ma anche con pezzi scartati dalla produzione--due in questo caso--oppure con la scoperta che in certi casi è bastata una sola “take" per essere soddisfatti ...
Continue ReadingPaul Desmond: The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings
by C. Andrew Hovan
Even if he had never played another note following the break-up of the Dave Brubeck group in 1967, alto saxophonist Paul Desmond would have entered the history books as one of music's most brilliant improvisers. During his 17 years with Brubeck, Desmond proved himself to be an indispensable part of that quartet with a wistful and witty sound that he himself described as akin to a “dry martini." Fortunately, Desmond continued to add to his legacy starting in ...
Continue Reading
Buy Now
