The rest of the Time Series albums were released between 1961 and 1963. I have won several prizes as the world's slowest alto player, as well as a special award in 1961 for quietness. Chinese Zodiac: Paul Desmond was born in the Year of the Rabbit. He and Art Pepper were virtually the only alto players of their generation not directly influenced by Charlie Parker. In the 1940s and 1950s, Desmond frequently took amphetamines, and in the 1970s, he was known to use cocaine. Desmonds childhood was problematic as his parents had a somewhat unhealthy relationship. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. And the thing that makes "Take Five" work is the bridge, which we almost didn't use. Paul studied literature at San Francisco State and, although he did not pursue a writing career, he displayed considerable talent. "name" : "Paul Desmond", They made two studio albums together (Gerry Mulligan - Paul Desmond Quartet (1957), and Two of a Mind (1962)). Extensive biography of jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond, one of the major jazz figures of all time, written by noted jazz critic Doug Ramsey. As a child, he played the violin and the clarinet. He is also well-known for his over three decades of illustrations for Brooks Brothers catalogs including more than one-thousand drawings. The two continued to play at the club to jam-packed audiences. Paul Desmond - Biography - IMDb He is a member of famous Soundtrack with the age 53 years old group. radio broadcast, "Birdland", NYC, December 15, 1951 At A Perfume Counter (as Perfume Counter) Alto AL 711 That Old Black Magic How High The Moon * Alto AL 711 Dave Brubeck - Modern Complex Dialogues Please check back soon for updates. Take Five - Paul Desmond And Dave Brubeck - Piano Solo (with Sheet Search The Dave Brubeck Quartet played until 1967, when Brubeck switched his musical focus from performance to composition and dissolved the group. Darius Brubeck recalls thinking that Desmond was his uncle almost into adolescence. It was first recorded in 1959 and is the third track on Time Out by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Eventually they became friends, but Desmond could often be found backstage, reading a book during Morello's extended drum solo on "Take Five". Observers noted that he seemed out of shape, needing 2 or 3 breaths to complete a phrase that he usually did with one great gasp. [4], Following his military discharge, Paul Emil Breitenfeld legally changed his last name from Breitenfeld to Desmond in 1946. The Breitenfeld family in Bohemia and Vienna featured musicians in every generation throughout the 1800s, 1900s, and to the present day. ". | The quintessential cool jazz saxophonist, an alto with a shimmering sound and light, airy playing exemplified by his self-written "Take Five." For the critics it was a strange musical relationship. Their uncanny rapport and ability to interact kept the music exciting and fresh. Paul Desmond Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More | AllMusic The harmony was always right, the melodies were always right. After meeting and playing together in the late 40s, they formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951 and never looked back. Baker and Desmond also appeared together on two tracks included on Jim Hall's 1975 Concierto album. | His fans were unaware of his rapidly declining health. [1] Starting in 1933, Desmond spent nearly five years living with relatives in New Rochelle, New York due to his mother's mental health problems. Died : May 30, 1977 in New York City, New York. He was an eminent member of the highly renowned Dave Brubeck Quartet, and he earned a reputation as one of West Coasts best jazz saxophonists. After Desmond died, the editor of Parkside Publications sought out Ramsey and persuaded him to write the book. Paul Desmond was born in 1920s. All Rights Reserved But through their years together Desmond remained remarkably loyal to his partner, "There's certainly nobody else with whom I would have stuck around this long." Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 25 November. He is not dating anyone. The paper is high-quality and the photographic illustrations, some two pages, are equally elegant. The writing is exquisite. In 1953 Iola Brubeck Iola Brubeck wrote to more than 100 colleges and universities enclosing reviews of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, a . He is from USA. There was an early marriage for Desmond but for various reasons, it didnt work out. JUMP TO: Paul Desmonds biography, facts, family, personal life, zodiac, videos and related celebs. Desmond first met pianist Dave Brubeck while both were in the Army, and in 1947 they connected again. Frequently covered by a variety of artists, the track is the biggest-selling jazz song of all time and a Grammy Hall of Fame inductee.. Dave Brubeck was inspired to create an album based on odd time signatures during his state sponsored 1958 . [13] Desmond reportedly owned a Baldwin grand piano, which he lent to Bradley Cunningham, owner of Bradley's piano bar in Greenwich Village, provided that Cunningham move the large piano back to Desmond's Upper West Side apartment to become part of Desmond's estate. Jazz Goes to College , Columbia, 1954. Paul Desmond's sound was like a dry martini, and his melodies flowed As a child, he often played the violin (even though his father forbade him to do so), and the age of twelve, he would start studying the clarinet at San Franciscos Polytechnic High School. Large format (10x11"), hard bound with dust jacket, 372 pages, 190 photos, matte paper; complete with discography of all Desmond recordings. - Downbeat Magazine, July, 2005an invaluable addition to jazz literature. So thrilled was he with his first two weeks at Toronto's "Bourbon Street", that Desmond rushed back to New York and talked record producer Creed Taylor into flying Bickert in so that he could record an album with him. | Biographies Paul Desmond Biography - Jazz In Print - Periodicals, Books, Newspapers Paul Desmond was born on November 25, 1924 in San Francisco, California, USA. Much of the success of the classic Brubeck quartet was due to the juxtaposition of his airy style over Brubeck's sometimes relatively heavy, polytonal piano work.[14]. (1924 - 1977) Paul Desmond had a sound on alto saxophone that remains highly recognizable. Paul Desmond: The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings (Mosaic) In one Down Beat review he was described as "oftimes loud and pounding and seemingly at a loss for melodic ideas." He was one of the most popular musicians to come out of the West Coast's . 1991 Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1991. And, in fact, he was a prolific correspondent, carrying his Olivetti portable typewriter with him even on his foreign trips. A master of the alto saxophone as well as a consummate composer and musician, Desmond was a pivotal figure on the West Coast cool jazz scene. Eliot's "This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper"). Desmond met Dave Brubeck in 1944 in the military. At the time, Brubeck and wife Iola had three small children, and Brubeck had instructed Iola not to let Desmond set foot in the family home. Dave Brubeck. Although this book is out of print, there are occasionally copies available in the used book ads, some priced at $100 or more. Discography Paul Desmond Follow Artist + The quintessential cool jazz saxophonist, an alto with a shimmering sound and light, airy playing exemplified by his self-written "Take Five." Read Full Biography Overview Biography Discography Songs Credits Related Share on facebook twitter tumblr Album Discography It was really easy to play." Instead, though they shared the same concert stage nearly every night, he didn't speak to Morello for a year. The Complete Recordings of the Paul Desmond Quartet with Jim Hall (1959-65) , Mosaic, 1988. When the Quartet split up in 1967, Desmond unofficially retired. He was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet and composed that group's biggest hit, "Take Five". To me his lyricism has never been equalled, as far as logic and lyricism combined, because there's always a strand going back some place in his melodies, and in his choruses that shows a great intellect combined with a great emotionalism, and usually you don't find the two things in one person. It is an oversized book, clothbound at 10 x 11. And we didn't go back on. Take Five : The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond - Google Books I was ready to trade the entire rights, lifetime-wise of "Take Five" for a used Ronson electric razor. Paul Desmond Biography, Songs, & Albums | AllMusic Albums include Take Ten, Two of a Mind, and Brubeck Time. Paul Emil Breitenfeld is part of G.I. The greatest overall compatibility with Sagittarius is Gemini and Aries. Desmond's pure tone, the ingenuity of his melodic lines, his harmonic resourcefulness, the musical wit that reflected his literate and sophisticated personality, made him one of the most personal and appealing of all jazz stylists. He played his last gigs with the Brubeck Quartet at reunions before dying of lung cancer. These illustrations made him a major influence on the image of urban males in twentieth-century America. The Quartet was extremely successful for their Time Series, which was a series of five albums that featured songs in irregular, unusual time signatures such as 5/4 and 9/8. Paul Emil Breitenfeld was born on November 25, 1924 in San Francisco, California. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Paul Desmond - IMDb The economic boom and the Jazz Age were over, and America began the period called the Great Depression. Despite his many friends, Gene Lees wrote that Desmond was the "loneliest man" he ever knew. Brubeck himself, thought that Desmond lacked ambition, but was upset when he signed a deal with RCA to record on his own, while still part of the Quartet. In an era that worshipped the frenetic, bebop style of Charlie Parker, Paul Desmond found his own sound, a tone that he claimed imitated a "dry martini." The quintessential cool jazz saxophonist, an alto with a shimmering sound and light, airy playing exemplified by his self-written "Take Five. 1 (Oct., 2001), pp. Jazz musician and songwriter who played alto saxophone for the Dave Brubeck Quartet and penned the groups 1959 hit song Take Five. He was a prominent member of the post-World War II cool jazz movement. , money, salary, income, and assets. In their 'Take The A Train' performance in Hanover, Germany in 1958, for example, Desmond's playing sounded lack-luster and uninterested. On the first page of the set's notes, we are informed that Toronto bassist and recording engineer Don Thompson recorded Desmond's quartet in March . If you see something that doesnt look right, contact us. | He was famous for being a Saxophonist. [1] His grandfather Sigmund Breitenfeld, a medical doctor, was born in Austria in 1857; he and wife Hermine (ne Lewy) emigrated to the US at the end of the 19th century. Paul Desmond was a legendary American jazz alto saxophonist and composer. Whos the richest Saxophonist in the world? I've never seen a biography like it. - Gene Lees, Editor of "The Jazz Letter"This is the finest biography we've had of an important jazz figure. - Dan Morgenstern (Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies), LEARNTimelineBrubeck BooksAbout Dave BrubeckBrubeck Living Legacy, LISTENLullabiesJazz WorksCompositionsTime OutTakes, CONNECTContact Find EventsDave Brubeck 100. There was a period of time when Desmond left Brubeck and performed with small groups. All About Jazz musician pages are maintained by musicians, publicists and trusted members like you. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. The book details how Desmond was an only child whose father was a musician-composer in the San Francisco area. One of the great livers of our time. He donated many of his possessions to libraries and to charity. Ramsey and Desmond were friends for a long period. Paul Desmond - Biography. So he just played the second half. And when it came time for the encore, because the whole audience wanted Paul back onstage he said the old cliche "Leave em wanting more." Though he never abandoned his gift for writing, music won, and he concentrated on clarinet, then the saxophone. "[1], Desmond was married from 1947 to 1949 to Duane Reeves Lamon. He began by playing clarinet in high school and was tutored in music theory by his father, a theater organist and arranger. Ruling Planet: Paul Desmond had a ruling planet of Jupiter and has a ruling planet of Jupiter and by astrological associations Thursday is ruled by Jupiter. But usually they end up marrying some cat with a factory. | But he was also a moody man. [8], After drummer Joe Dodge decided to leave the group, Joe Morello joined in late 1956 with Desmond's recommendation. Long before his success as the alto saxophonist with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, decades before he wrote "Take Five," Desmond determined that he would be himself, never a disciple or an imitator, whatever the cost. Whos the richest Saxophonist in the world. Large format (10x11"), hard bound with dust jacket, 372 pages, 190 photos, matte paper; complete with discography of all Desmond recordings. His ambition, he said, was to sound like a dry martini. Desmond had a falling out with Brubeck when he resigned from the Band Box and prevented Brubeck from taking over the residency. Bookstore There were no children by that marriage and long thereafter Desmond was the man-about-town with multiple romances, some serious and some extremely casual. The groups popularity had spread via college campuses, but a Time magazine article featuring Brubeck brought them international attention in 1954, the same year that Paul recorded his first album as a leader, The Paul Desmond Quintet - Desmond. Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond