Dave Brubeck Octet - Dave Brubeck Octet

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1984
Time: 46:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 108,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:00) 1. The Way You Look Tonight
(2:36) 2. Love Walked In
(2:41) 3. What Is This Thing Called Love?
(2:51) 4. September In The Rain
(2:14) 5. Prelude
(2:43) 6. Fugue On Bop Themes
(2:22) 7. Let's Fall In Love
(2:40) 8. Ipca
(6:51) 9. How High The Moon
(4:33) 10. Serenade Suite
(1:29) 11. Playland-At-The-Beach
(1:04) 12. Prisoner's Song
(2:14) 13. Schizophrenic Scherzo
(1:30) 14. Rondo
(2:15) 15. I Hear A Rhapsody
(3:00) 16. You Go To My Head
(2:09) 17. Laura
(0:31) 18. Closing Theme

The listener has to forgive a few things about this undeniably brilliant collection of Dave Brubeck's first big ensemble. First: the liner notes' pretentions. Brubeck announces there that between 1946, when some of these tunes were recorded, and 1956, when the tapes were first "reissued" on LP, "very few released recordings" have "more musical importance" than the octet. Second: the nearly seven minutes of "How High the Moon" narrated to show how jazz was formed, as the band plays in short demonstrative segments.

Third: the audio vérité sound, which even Brubeck thought questionable in 1956. Hearing this dynamic set, though, makes forgiveness easy. The arrangements show a wild abundance of color and orchestral finesse (many of the group's members were, like Brubeck, students of Darius Milhaud).

You get quick-clip swingers like "The Way You Looked Tonight" and the string of chamber-esque horn studies that includes "Schizophrenic Scherzo" and more. You also get to hear early Paul Desmond and William O. Smith bouncing ideas off each other and drummer Cal Tjader. And it's all a delight, especially with the magnanimity of "forgiving" Brubeck. By Andrew Bartlett
https://www.amazon.com/Dave-Brubeck-Octet/dp/B000000Y60

Personnel: Dave Brubeck – piano; Paul Desmond – alto saxophone; Jack Weeks – bass; Cal Tjader – drums; William O. Smith – clarinet & baritone saxophone; Bob Collins – trombone; Dick Collins – trumpet; David Van Kriedt – tenor saxophone

Dave Brubeck Octet

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Paul Desmond, Ed Bickert, Don Thompson, Jerry Fuller - Live At Bourbon Street

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1975
Time: 79:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 181,8 MB
Art: Front

( 7:18) 1. Wendy
(11:23) 2. Wave
( 8:59) 3. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
( 9:40) 4. Nancy
( 9:28) 5. Manha de Carnaval
( 7:18) 6. Here's That Rainy Day
(10:35) 7. My Funny Valentine
( 7:09) 8. Take Five
( 7:32) 9. Line for Lyons

When the Dave Brubeck Quartet broke up in 1967, Paul Desmond worked sporadically playing live dates, probably in part due to his substantial royalty income from his hit composition "Take Five." When Jim Hall was unavailable to play with Desmond in Canada, he recommended guitarist Ed Bickert who, like Hall, is a brilliant accompanist with the kind of musical E.S.P. that Desmond had with Brubeck.

Bassist Don Thompson (who is also a fine pianist and vibraphonist) and drummer Jerry Fuller round out this solid quartet, which worked off and with Desmond when he played in Canada during the remainder of his life. These sessions, drawn from several nights at Bourbon Street in Toronto during the fall of 1975, are intimate performances enjoyed by attentive audiences. The selections include songs that Desmond had recorded with Brubeck or Gerry Mulligan, along with tunes he had played on his own records.

Desmond's cool tone and witty quotes are a treat throughout the album. The toe-tapping blues "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" showcases Bickert's lyrical playing, along the subtly swinging work of Thompson. Desmond playful interpretation of "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)" is typical of his recorded work. The most surprising track is the unusual setting of "Take Five," which takes an exotic route near the beginning of the leader's solo, with a droning vamp underneath him.

First released as a two-LP set by Horizon/A&M in 1976, the album wasn't in print long due to the demise of Horizon, though frustrated collectors welcomed the 2000 Verve CD edition, which not only fit all of the music onto a single disc, but added a previously unissued take of Gerry Mulligan's "Line for Lyons" along with the original liner notes by Desmond and his good friend, journalist Doug Ramsey, plus extensive updated notes by Carl Woideck.

This is easily the cream of the crop of Paul Desmond's post-Brubeck recordings as a leader and rivals the studio albums he recorded with Jim Hall; it is unfortunate that Desmond was diagnosed with lung cancer around the time this recording was first issued in 1976, which cut short a brilliant career far too soon. By Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-paul-desmond-quartet-live-mw0000061025#review

Personnel: Paul Desmond, alto sax; Ed Bickert, guitar; Don Thompson, bass; Jerry Fuller, drums.

Live At Bourbon Street

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Paul Desmond - Pure Desmond

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:34
Size: 134,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:33) 1. Squeeze Me
(4:54) 2. I'm Old Fashioned
(4:22) 3. Nuages
(3:38) 4. Why Shouldn't I
(3:41) 5. Everything I Love
(4:30) 6. Warm Valley
(4:09) 7. Till The Clouds Roll By
(5:10) 8. Mean To Me
(3:04) 9. Theme From Mash
(6:21) 10. Wave
(4:47) 11. Nuages (Alt. Take)
(4:05) 12. Squeeze Me (Alt. Take)
(5:13) 13. Till The Clouds Roll By (Alt. Take)

With a dry tone, and unhurried phrasing definitive of the emergent West Coast Cool a relaxed alternative to the edgier hard bop coming from New York alto saxophonist Paul Desmond had already made a name for himself with pianist Dave Brubeck's quartet on the legendary Time Out (Columbia, 1959). Desmond also wrote the tune that became Brubeck's signature, "Take Five," and, while he passed away too young at the age of 52 from lung cancer, he's left behind a relatively small but significant legacy of recordings that have sometimes become overlooked with the passing of time.

Pure Desmond was only one of two albums the saxophonist made for CTI (though he did record two albums with Creed Taylor for A&M, before the producer started his own label), but it's the absolute winner of the two. A small group album featuring the same three bonus tracks as a previous CD version, with CTI Masterworks' warm remastering and beautiful mini-vinyl-like soft digipaks, it represents a welcome return to print of an album that, despite alcoholism and heavy smoking, finds Desmond in great form just three years before his death in 1977.

With label staple Ron Carter swinging comfortably with Modern Jazz Quartet and longtime Desmond musical cohort, drummer Connie Kay, Pure Desmond stands as one of the altoist's best records as cool as a calming breeze on a summer's day and as dry as a good martini. The album blend of standards ranging from Duke Ellington to Antonio Carlos Jobim also features the tremendously overlooked Ed Bickert, a Toronto, Canada native whose uncharacteristically warm-toned Fender Telecaster had already been heard in the company of fellow Canadians like flautist Moe Kaufman, and bandleaders Phil Nimmons and Rob McConnell, but whose star mysteriously never rose as it deserved, amongst peers like Joe Pass, Herb Ellis and, in particular, Jim Hall.

The tempo never gets past medium, but there's a simmering energy on some of the material, in particular the Jerome Kern chestnut, "Till the Clouds Roll By," heard here in two versions: the original album version, where Bickert's solo is the height of linear invention and occasionally bluesy bend; and a slightly longer alternate take where he builds a solo filled with rich voicings and single note phrases constantly accompanied with periodic chordal injections. The mix and overall tone of the alternate take is a little rawer, with Carter's bass a more visceral punch in the lower register.

Light Latin rhythms also define the session, with the by-then-popular "Theme from M*A*S*H" given a light bossa treatment, as is Jobim's "Wave," which closes the original album on a graceful note, but here acts as a gateway to alternate takes including the ambling opener, "Squeeze Me," and the Django Reinhardt classic, "Nuages," that skips the guitar/sax duo intro and heads straight into an ensemble reading.

With a supportive group that clearly gets the value of less over more, the aptly titled Pure Desmond stands, alongside The Paul Desmond Quartet Live (A&M/Horizon, 1975)his other album with Bickert as the pinnacle of this West Coast cool progenitor's career.
By John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/pure-desmond-paul-desmond-cti-masterworks-review-by-john-kelman

Personnel: Paul Desmond: alto saxophone; Ed Bickert: electric guitar; Ron Carter: bass; Connie Kay: drums; Don Sebesky: musical supervision.

Pure Desmond

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Dave Brubeck - Dave Brubeck at Storyville: 1954

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:19
Size: 110,9 MB
Art: Front

(10:51) 1. On the Alamo
( 7:02) 2. Don't Worry 'Bout Me
( 5:58) 3. Here Lies Love
( 8:15) 4. Gone with the Wind
( 9:29) 5. When You're Smiling
( 6:42) 6. Back Bay Blues

This Columbia LP contains a total of six tracks from three different appearances by the Dave Brubeck Quartet at George Wein's Storyville between December 1953 and July 1954, two of which originated from radio broadcasts. Sticking to a mix of standards and popular songs that have since fallen out of favor among jazz musicians, the pianist and his longtime alto saxophonist, Paul Desmond, weave their magic together with several extended imaginative improvisations, particularly "On the Alamo" and "Gone with the Wind." The campy pseudo-newspaper packaging adds to the appeal of this long unavailable record, which still pops up occasionally in used record stores nearly five decades after it was recorded.~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/dave-brubeck-at-storyville-1954-mw0000895185

Personnel: Dave Brubeck (piano); Paul Desmond (alto sax); Ron Crotty (bass); Bob Bates (bass); Joe Dodge (drums)

Dave Brubeck at Storyville: 1954

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Dave Brubeck - The 1965 Canadian Concert

Styles: Piano
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:38
Size: 180,9 MB
Art: Front

(11:19) 1. St. Louis Blues
( 8:23) 2. Take The 'A' Train
( 6:54) 3. Cultural Exchange
( 6:46) 4. Tangerine
( 5:11) 5. Someday My Prince Will Come
(10:55) 6. These Foolish Things
( 5:01) 7. Koto Song
( 1:50) 8. Take Five (incomplete)
( 5:41) 9. St. Louis Blues
( 6:13) 10. Nomad
( 5:51) 11. Thank You (Dziekuje)
( 4:30) 12. Brandenburg Gate

This release contains a splendid 1965 concert by the Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond recorded in Ontario, Canada & presented here for the first time ever on CD. As a bonus, all of the music from an extremely rare 1962 TV broadcast featuring the same group has been added.
https://www.jazzmessengers.com/en/5325/dave-brubeck/the-1965-canadian-concert

Personnel: Paul Desmond - alto sax; Dave Brubeck - piano; Eugene Wright - bass; Joe Morello - drums

The 1965 Canadian Concert

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Carmen McRae & Dave Brubeck - Take Five

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz 
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:32
Size: 90,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:55)  1. When I Was Young
(3:03)  2. In Your Own Sweet Way
(3:03)  3. Too Young for Growing Old
(3:06)  4. Ode to a Cowboy
(4:42)  5. There'll Be No Tomorrow
(4:48)  6. Melanctha
(2:38)  7. It's a Raggy Waltz
(2:38)  8. Oh, So Blue
(5:30)  9. Lord, Lord
(2:59) 10. Travellin' Blues
(2:21) 11. Take Five
(1:44) 12. Easy as You Go

Around the time that she was participating in Dave Brubeck's Real Ambassadors, singer Carmen McRae appeared at Basin Street East with the backing of Brubeck's trio (no Paul Desmond on this set). The resulting live album finds McRae mostly interpreting the lyrics of Iola Brubeck; all dozen songs except Desmond's "Take Five" are Dave Brubeck originals. This interesting set finds McRae's voice in prime form, and her vocal versions of such songs as "In Your Own Sweet Way," "Ode to a Cowboy," "It's a Raggy Waltz" And "Travellin' Blues" are definitive.
~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/take-five-live-mw0000265922

Personnel:  Carmen McRae – vocal;  Dave Brubeck – piano;  Paul Desmond - alto saxophone;  Gene Wright – bass;  Joe Morrello - drums

Take Five

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Dave Brubeck Quartet featuring Paul Desmond - Buried Treasures

Styles: Piano And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:14
Size: 128,0 MB
Art: Front

( 1:30) 1. Introduction
( 7:19) 2. Mr. Broadway
( 7:21) 3. Koto Song
( 7:38) 4. Sweet Georgia Brown
( 7:22) 5. Forty Days
( 7:32) 6. You Go To My Head
( 5:10) 7. Take Five
(11:20) 8. St. Louis Blues

In 1998, Columbia reissued a bunch of CDs by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, often adding one or two previously unissued selections to the sets. Buried Treasures: Recorded Live in Mexico City, however, is something different, for none of the music had been out before. Recorded live in 1967 during a tour of Mexico that also resulted in the album Bravo! Brubeck!, the set features the classic Brubeck Quartet (with altoist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello) performing seven selections they had previously recorded, which was probably why this particular music stayed in the vaults for decades.

The quality is certainly quite high, with Brubeck and Desmond really digging into such songs as "Koto Song" (coming up with some inspired ideas over its vamp), "You Go to My Head," a lengthy "St. Louis Blues," and a fairly concise version of "Take Five," one of the few versions by Brubeck of the hit song that does not have a drum solo. Suffice to say, Dave Brubeck fans only need to be notified of two things: they do not already own this music, and the Quartet is heard throughout in prime form. Recommended.~ Scott Yanowhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/buried-treasures-recorded-live-in-mexico-city-mw0000600878

Personnel: Dave Brubeck - piano, arranger, liner notes; Paul Desmond - alto saxophone; Gene Wright - double bass; Joe Morello - drums

Buried Treasures

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Dave Brubeck - Anything Goes - Plays Cole Porter

Styles: Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:15
Size: 110,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:34)  1. Anything Goes
(5:07)  2. Love For Sale
(4:49)  3. Night And Day
(6:11)  4. What Is This Thing Called Love?
(5:16)  5. I Get A Kick Out Of You
(6:14)  6. Just One Of Those Things
(6:34)  7. You're The Top
(8:26)  8. All Through The Night

The Quartet performs eight of Cole Porter's most famous songs on this enjoyable outing. Few surprises occur but the music often swings hard, pianist Brubeck and altoist Paul Desmond take several excellent solos and bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello really push the group.~Scott Yanow(http://www.allmusic.com/album/anything-goes-the-music-of-cole-porter-mw0000649427).

Anything Goes

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The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out (50th Anniversary) (Legacy Edition) [Disc 1] And (Disc 2)

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:37 (Disc 1)
Size: 89,2 MB (Disc 1)
Time: 54:19 (Disc 2)
Size: 125,3 MB (Disc 2)
Art: Front

Disc 1
(6:46)  1. Blue Rondo a La Turk
(7:24)  2. Strange Meadow Lark
(5:27)  3. Take Five
(5:25)  4. Three to Get Ready
(4:51)  5. Kathy's Waltz
(4:24)  6. Everybody's Jumpin'
(4:17)  7. Pick up Sticks

Disc 2
(7:55)  1. St. Louis Blues
(4:57)  2. Waltz Limp
(6:19)  3. Since Love Had It's Way
(6:00)  4. Koto Song
(4:49)  5. Pennies from Heaven
(9:36)  6. You Go To My Head
(7:22)  7. Blue Rondo à la Turk
(7:18)  8. Take Five

The year 1959 could easily go down as the one of most important years in the history of recorded jazz. In addition to Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (Columbia), it saw the release of the Dave Brubeck Quartet's groundbreaking LP Time Out. Columbia Records got the risky inclination to release the album's third track, the Paul Desmond-penned title song, as a single and it went on to become the first jazz single to sell one million copies. Despite the fact that "Take Five" might be one of the top three most-recognized jazz recordings ever, the album's history shows that it almost wasn't even released. 

According to Brubeck (in an interview included on a bonus DVD), Time Out made Columbia executives extremely skeptical on three major counts. First, Brubeck wanted to feature nothing more than an abstract painting on the cover. Second, the execs feared the album's groundbreaking, unconventional time signatures wouldn't hold up in dance halls. Third, all of the tunes were originals, meaning standards like "Stardust" and "Body and Soul" wouldn't pad the more unfamiliar works. Luckily, company President Goddard Lieberson believed in Brubeck's vision, resulting in what remains today as one of music's undisputed masterpieces.

The aforementioned DVD that comes with it includes a 30-minute interview conducted in 2003 with a lively and reflective Brubeck where he discusses in great detail the album's origin, as well as that of each individual track. The DVD also features an interactive, multi-angle "piano-lesson" where the viewer can toggle through four different camera angles that simultaneously shoot Brubeck performing a solo version of "Three to Get Ready." The crown jewel of this edition, however, has to be the bonus disc featuring the same quartet from Time Out in various performances at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1961, '63 and '64. It's hard to describe the thrill of listening to this classic ensemble playing at its very best and to audiences whose enthusiasm equals that of the performers on stage.

Highlights include the haunting, noir-ish "Koto Song," as well as Brubeck's magnificent solo work on "Pennies From Heaven."~Graham Flanagan http://www.allaboutjazz.com/time-out-50th-anniversary-legacy-edition-dave-brubeck-legacy-recordings-review-by-graham-l-flanagan.php

Personnel: Dave Brubeck: piano; Paul Desmond: alto sax; Eugene Wright: bass; Joe Morello: drums.

Paul Desmond - Play Me Again

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 136:59
Size: 314,7 MB
Art: Front

( 5:49) 1. All the Things You Are
(11:44) 2. Balcony Rock
( 9:00) 3. Blues In Time
( 9:37) 4. Body and Soul
( 3:37) 5. Desmond Blue
( 2:37) 6. Down In Honky Tonk Town
( 5:47) 7. Fall Out
( 5:30) 8. For All We Know
( 9:02) 9. How High the Moon
( 3:06) 10. How Long Baby, How Long (Part 1)
( 6:25) 11. You Go To My Head
( 6:29) 12. These Foolish Things
( 7:43) 13. The Way You Look Tonight
( 2:50) 14. The Man I Love
( 6:22) 15. Stardust
( 7:50) 16. Perdido
( 2:49) 17. How Long Baby, How Long (Part 2)
( 2:51) 18. I May Be Wrong
( 3:48) 19. I Should Care
( 4:29) 20. I've Got You Under My Skin
( 4:06) 21. Late Lament
( 3:07) 22. Line For Lyons
( 3:49) 23. My Funny Valentine
( 3:24) 24. My Heart Stood Still
( 4:59) 25. Over the Rainbow

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 https://www.allmusic.com/artist/paul-desmond-mn0000069348/biography

Play Me Again

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Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond - Reunion (Remastered) 1957/2006

Styles: Piano And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:32
Size: 88,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:18) 1. Strolling
(6:05) 2. Shouts
(3:52) 3. Prelude
(5:14) 4. Divertimento
(4:14) 5. Chorale
(5:17) 6. Leo's Place
(4:32) 7. Darien Mode
(5:56) 8. Pieta

Tenor-saxophonist Dave Van Kreidt, a former member of Dave Brubeck's octet in the late '40s, had a reunion with the pianist, altoist Paul Desmond and bassist Bob Bates for this unusual session; Brubeck's new drummer Joe Morello made the group a quintet. Van Kreidt supplied all of the compositions (some of which are fairly complex), giving this set a sound very much different than the usual Brubeck Quartet outing. Interesting if not essential classical-influenced music that predates the Third Stream movement.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/reunion-mw0000308129

Personnel: Dave Brubeck, piano; Paul Desmond, alto sax; David Van Kriedt, tenor sax; Norman Bates, bass; Joe Morello, drums

Reunion

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Chet Baker - She Was Too Good To Me (CTI Records 40th Anniversary Edition)

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:33
Size: 93,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:02) 1. Autumn Leaves
(4:40) 2. She Was Too Good to Me
(6:06) 3. Funk In Deep Freeze
(5:27) 4. Tangerine
(4:05) 5. With a Song in My Heart
(3:54) 6. What'll I Do
(4:28) 7. It's You Or No One
(4:48) 8. My Future Just Passed

Producer Creed Taylor wisely avoided trying to shoehorn Chet Baker into the slick, fusion-oriented mid-'70s CTI Records sound. Fronting an all-star combo featuring Bob James' twinkling electric piano and Paul Desmond's lyrical alto sax, Baker remains true to his eternally hip '50s sides, tackling a bouncy, gently swinging "Autumn Leaves" and a cool, cerebral take on Hubert Laws' "Funk In Deep Freeze." Baker's two airy vocals, the wistful title track and the haunted "What'll I Do," testify to his gentle way with a ballad. ~ Editors’ Notes https://music.apple.com/us/album/she-was-too-good-to-me-40th-anniversary-edition/394301173

Personnel: Trumpet, Vocals – Chet Baker; Alto Saxophone – Paul Desmond ; Arranged By, Conductor – Don Sebesky; Bass – Ron Carter; Cello – George Ricci, Jesse Levy, Warren Lash; Drums – Jack DeJohnette (tracks: 5, 6, 7 ), Steve Gadd (tracks: 1 to 4, 8); Electric Piano – Bob James; Flute [Alto], Oboe [D'amore] – George Marge; Flute, Clarinet – Romeo Penque; Flute, Flute [Alto] – Hubert Laws; Vibraphone – Dave Friedman; Violin – Barry Finclair, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Harold Kohon, Harry Glickman, Herbert Sorkin, Lewis Eley, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman

She Was Too Good To Me (CTI Records 40th Anniversary Edition)

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Paul Desmond - Glad To Be Unhappy

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:25
Size: 130,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:44)  1. Glad to Be Unhappy
(7:17)  2. Poor Butterfly
(6:23)  3. Stranger In Town
(4:25)  4. A Taste of Honey
(5:23)  5. Any Other Time
(4:41)  6. Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo
(6:18)  7. Angel Eyes
(6:15)  8. By the River Sainte Marie
(4:30)  9. All Across The City
(5:26) 10. All Through The Night

Even though Desmond was kidding when he described himself as the world's slowest alto player, this record bears out the kernel of truth within the jest. Here, Desmond set out to make a record of love songs and torch ballads, so the tempos are very slow to medium, the mood is of wistful relaxation, and the spaces between the notes grow longer. At first glance, Desmond may seem only peripherally involved with the music-making, keeping emotion at a cool, intellectual arms' length, yet his exceptionally pure tone and ruminative moods wear very well over the long haul. Again, Jim Hall is his commiserator and partner, and the guitarist gets practically as much space to unwind as the headliner; the solo on "Angel Eyes" is an encyclopedia of magnificent chording and single-string eloquence. Gene Wright returns on bass, spelled by Gene Cherico on "Poor Butterfly," and Connie Kay's brush-dominated drum work is pushed even further into the background. A lovely recording, though not the best album in the Desmond/Hall collaboration. ~ Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/album/glad-to-be-unhappy-mw000045501

Personnel:  Paul Desmond - alto saxophone; Jim Hall - guitar; Gene Cherico, Eugene Wright  - bass; Connie Kay - drums

Glad To Be Unhappy

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Paul Desmond Quartet - Paul Desmond Quartet Featuring Don Elliott

Styles: Saxophone And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:15
Size: 95,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:34)  1. Jazzabelle
(3:06)  2. A Watchman's Carroll
(5:18)  3. Everything Happens to Me
(4:10)  4. Let's Get Away from It All
(4:45)  5. Look for the Silver Lining
(6:06)  6. Sacre Blues
(5:44)  7. You Go to My Head
(5:29)  8. Line for Lyons

One of Paul Desmond's earliest sessions as a leader and a gem of a set that sounds quite different than his later work! The group's a quartet with no piano and features Don Elliott on trumpet, Norman Bates (Joe from the Brubeck group) on bass, and Joe Chevrolet (aka Joe Doge, also from Brubeck) on drums all swinging in an airy mode that's kind of a cross between Desmond's work with the Brubeck group, and some of Gerry Mulligan's early 50s recordings. Titles include "A Watchman's Carroll", "Jazzabelle", "Look For The Silver Lining", "Sacre Blues", and "Line For Lyons".  © 1996-2019, Dusty Groove, Inc.(OJC pressing.) https://www.dustygroove.com/item/48234

Personnel: Alto Saxophone – Paul Desmond; Trumpet – Don Elliott; Bass – Norman Bates ; Drums – Joe Dodge

Paul Desmond Quartet Featuring Don Elliott

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Paul Desmond & Jim Hall - Bossa Antigua

Styles: Saxophone And Guitar Jazz
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:27
Size: 137,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:47)  1. Bossa Antigua
(5:07)  2. Night Has A Thousand Eyes
(4:37)  3. O Gato
(5:41)  4. Samba Cantina
(4:34)  5. Curação Doloroso
(6:22)  6. Ship Without A Sail
(4:33)  7. Aliança
(6:17)  8. Girl From East 9th Street
(7:21)  9. Night Has A Thousand Eyes (alt tk)
(5:09) 10. Samba Cepeda
(4:54) 11. O Gato (alt tk)

Bossa Antigua picks up the samba-based rim shots of drummer Connie Kay on Take Ten and tries to make a whole new record out of them. While the title track duplicates the original percolating groove of "El Prince," other tracks like "Samba Cantina" revert to a typical bossa nova rhythm of the period, which leads one to conclude that "bossa antigua" is merely whatever Desmond says it is. Of the album's two non-originals, "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," of course, is made-to-order for Desmond's wistful, sophisticated temperament, and he delivers exactly what a Desmond devotee would expect and love; and "A Ship Without a Sail" has some memorable off-the-cuff solo ideas. Jim Hall is around again to lend subtle rhythm support and low-key savvy in his solos, and like many Desmond companions of this period, he makes a fine sparring partner in the contrapuntal exchanges. The Brubeck Quartet's Gene Wright again lends a sturdy hand on bass. The playing is wonderful throughout, though just missing the full-throttle inspiration of Take Ten. ~ Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/album/bossa-antigua-mw0000238995

Personnel:  Paul Desmond – alto saxophone; Jim Hall – guitar; Gene Cherico (track 8), Eugene Wright (tracks 1-7 & 9-11) – bass; Connie Kay – drums

Bossa Antigua

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The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Gone With The Wind

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:01
Size: 93,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:52)  1. Swanee River - Live
(7:37)  2. The Lonesome Road - Live
(6:36)  3. Georgia on My Mind - Live
(1:57)  4. Camptown Races - Live - Part 1
(2:07)  5. Camptown Races - Live - Part 2
(2:27)  6. Short'nin' Bread - Live
(4:31)  7. Basin Street Blues - Live
(2:27)  8. Ol' Man River - Live
(6:22)  9. Gone with the Wind - Live

This dynamic quartet, strongly influential during the cool jazz period, performed as a group from 1951 to 1967. Since the 1930s, leader Dave Brubeck received high praise and critical acclaim for his role as bandleader and for his stirring arrangements. At the piano, Brubeck plays along with the accompaniment of Paul Desmond, another timeless jazz legend in his own right. Joe Morello drives the rhythm of the group on drums and percussion with the help of Gene Wright, who shares his talent and pulsating beats on standup bass. Desmond is featured on this collection of standards, jamming along on the alto sax to tunes such as "Swanee River," "That Lonesome Road," and "Basin Street Blues." Brubeck shimmers with radiance and phenomenal craftiness in his piano improvisation at the end of "Georgia on My Mind." Morello gives it his creative all with a rich flair for rhythm during his strong solo performance on the tune "Short'nin' Bread." It is here that a superb call-and-response exchange between Morello's drums and Brubeck's piano is rendered. The song "Camptown Races" is featured here in two takes. Its mood and rhythmic power is intense and uplifting, pulling the listener into its dreamy percussive web. One can almost feel the crowd of thousands cheering a group of racehorses making their way around the turn to a photo finish. The album as a whole is filled with wonderful surprises and contains some of the best that the cool jazz style has to offer. It is written in the record notes that the foursome believed this would be a special session from the very first take. The group played several of these tunes for the first time in the studio, working out the final product spontaneously. This recording is masterful in scope and very stimulating in style and detail. The percussion of Morello and the bass playing of Wright are quite colorful and filled with texture and majestic rhythmic quality. Desmond's lead on the alto sax is compelling and passionate, filled with joyous melodies that would be perfect for a romantic date. His ability to surf up, down, and through scale passages with a sense of effortlessness is certainly full proof as to why he is regarded with such high esteem within the entire spectrum of jazz. Dave Brubeck's proficiency resonates throughout the record as he shows off his classically trained ear. Brubeck is one of the few pianists who, during his day, clearly avoided standard bop melodic conceptions and rhythmic feeling, and played within a unique style very much his own. Gone With the Wind is strongly recommended not only for the seasoned jazz fan, but also for first-time listeners who wish to be thoroughly captivated. ~ Shawn M. Haney https://www.allmusic.com/album/gone-with-the-wind-mw0000187774

Personnel:  Piano – Dave Brubeck; Alto Saxophone – Paul Desmond; Bass – Gene Wright; Drums – Joe Morello

Gone With The Wind

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Dave Brubeck - Jackpot

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1966
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 52:56
Size: 97,4 MB
Art: Front

( 6:48)  1. Ace in the Hole
( 6:49)  2. Out of Nowhere
(10:25)  3. You Go To My Head
( 3:06)  4. Who's Afraid (of Virginia Woolf?)
( 7:03)  5. Chicago (That Toddling Town)
( 2:58)  6. Rude Old Man
(10:58)  7. Jackpot
( 4:44)  8. Win a Few, Lose a Few

Dave Brubeck really hits the jackpot here playing live in Las Vegas with his classic quartet that includes the legendary Paul Desmond on alto sax! Dave's studio records for Columbia are all pretty darn great but sometimes, there's a little something extra in his live dates for the label maybe a few more relaxed moments, or less overall concepts that give the group a bit more of a spontaneous approach in ways that almost take us back to the early years on Fantasy Records. Dave opens up the set with a trio number, and a bit more bluesy vibe than usual then Desmond comes in, and blows us away all over again with his impeccable tone and timing alongside rhythm from Eugene Wright on bass and Joe Morello on drums. Titles include "Win A Few Lose A Few", "Jackpot", "Rude Old Man", "Ace In The Hole", and "Out Of Nowhere".  © 1996-2019, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/570290/Dave-Brubeck:Jackpot

Personnel:  Piano – Dave Brubeck;  Alto Saxophone – Paul Desmond; Bass – Eugene Wright;  Drums – Joe Morello

Jackpot

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Don Sebesky - Giant Box

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:35
Size: 140,1 MB
Art: Front

(13:56)  1. Firebird/Bird Of Fire
( 5:50)  2. Song To A Seagull
( 8:15)  3. Free As A Bird
( 8:11)  4. Psalm 150
( 5:40)  5. Vocalise
( 9:48)  6. Fly/Circles
( 7:52)  7. Semi-tough

It's a bit bizarre to find an album called Giant Box in a small cardboard case, or as a download lacking physical form, but times change. When Don Sebesky's grand musical statement on CTI hit the marketplace in 1973, it came in a classical-type record box, befitting the stature of the music. Opinions vary as to whether Sebesky can be said to have been a savior of jazz in the '70s, or a jazz Judas who helped to commercialize the music. Truth be told, he's neither. Sebesky is simply a great arranger and talent who happened to thrive in this music during a period when the ideology of jazz was fractured in so many ways. Sebesky bore the brunt of critical attacks against this new offshoot, but he wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel. While his arrangements were occasionally excessive, many of his works are also masterful musical creations that create an entire universe of sound, in service of a particular artist's vision. While there may be reservations about the "Sebesky Sound," hindsight shows his arranging brilliance, as demonstrated on Giant Box.

The early '70s success of CTI afforded Creed Taylor the opportunity to give Sebesky some musical freedom on this project, and what he came up with is astonishing. Sebesky fuses Igor Stravinsky's "Firebird" and John McLaughlin's "Birds Of Fire" into a single work, featuring cinematic orchestral episodes and exciting solos from the likes of Hubert Laws and Freddie Hubbard. Joni Mitchell's "Song To A Seagull" becomes a feature for Paul Desmond's distant and lonely sounding alto saxophone, but Ron Carter's bass makes friends with him and the pair proves to be simpatico in its conversational work. The first of three Sebesky originals ("Free As A Bird") is also the first number that deals in hard swinging big band writing, and it also features some wonderful solo work from pianist Bob James, Freddie Hubbard now on flugelhorn and Grover Washington Jr. on soprano saxophone. Sebesky's take on Jimmy Webb's "Psalm 150" is the one number that doesn't stand up too well, as it comes off like a combination between solemn chanting, Donald Byrd's A New Perspective (Blue Note, 1963), standard-issue funk, and "Aquarius" from Hair (1967). Things get back on track with Desmond's sad-eyed saxophone work on "Vocalise," which also features vibraphonist Milt Jackson and Sebesky's superb string writing. The final pair of pieces on the album are representative of Sebesky's experimental side ("Fly/Circle") and understanding of popular, groove-based music ("Semi-Tough"). "Fly/Circle" is an episodic number that features Laws' effects-laden flute runs, Sebesky's pleasant vocals, an eerie Bernard Hermann-esque woodwind statement, solos over a small group setting, and more. "Semi-Tough" goes in a completely different direction, as Sebesky taps into raunchy, straight-up street funk that's part-Isaac Hayes and part Sanford And Son. While Giant Box is indicative of the bigger-is-better approach of the times, it also serves as a benchmark for creativity in arranging and composition, and helps to place Sebesky's talents in the proper light. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/giant-box-don-sebesky-cti-masterworks-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Don Sebesky: piano (7), electric piano (1, 2, 3), organ (7), accordion (3, 6), clavinet (7), vocals (4, 6); Bob James: piano (3, 5, 6), organ (4, 7); Ron Carter: bass, electric bass, piccolo bass; Billy Cobham: drums (1, 4, 7); Jack DeJohnette: drums (2, 3, 5, 6); George Benson: guitar (7); Harry Leahey: guitar (1); Airto: percussion (1, 6, 7); Rubens Bassini: conga drums (4); Dave Friedman: percussion (4); Phil Kraus: percussion (4); Ralph MacDonald: percussion (4); Paul Desmond: alto saxophone (2, 5); Joe Farrell: soprano saxophone (6); Grover Washington, Jr.: alto saxophone (7), soprano saxophone (3); Milt Jackson: vibraphone (5); Freddie Hubbard: trumpet (1, 5), flugelhorn (3); Hubert Laws: flute (1, 6); Jackie Cain: vocals (4); Roy Kral: vocals (4); Randy Brecker: trumpet; Alan Rubin: trumpet; Joe Shepley: trumpet; Wayne Andre: trombone, baritone; Warren Covington: trombone, baritone; Garnett Brown: trombone; Paul Faulise: bass trombone, baritone; Alan Raph: bass trombone, baritone; Jim Biffington: french horn; Earl Chapin: french horn; Phil Bodner: flute, piccolo, clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, oboe, English horn; Jerry Dodgion: flute, piccolo, clarinet, soprano saxophone; Walt Levinsky: clarinet, tenor saxophone; George Marge: flute, clarinet, soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone, oboe, English horn; Romeo Penque: flute, piccolo, clarinet, soprano saxophone, oboe, English horn; Tony Price: tuba; Al Brown: violin; Harry Cykman: violin; Max Ellen: violin; Paul Gershman: violin; Harry Glickman: violin; Emanuuel Green: violin; Harold Kohon: violin; Charles Libove: violin; Harry Lookofsky: violin; Joe Malin: violin; David Nadien: violin; Gene Orloff: violin; Elliot Rosoff: violin; Irving Spice: violin; Seymour Barab: cello; Charles McCracken: cello; George Ricci: cello; Alan Shulman: cello; Margaret Ross: harp; Homer Mensch: concert string bass; Lani Groves: background vocals (7); Carl Caldwell: background vocals (7); Tasha Thomas: background vocals (7).

Giant Box

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Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond - Dave Brubeck & Paul Desmond

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:11
Size: 172.1 MB
Styles: Cool jazz
Year: 1982
Art: Front

[7:22] 1. Jeepers Creepers
[2:39] 2. On A Little Street In Singapore
[2:14] 3. The Trolley Song (Rehearsal)
[3:20] 4. The Trolley Song
[2:51] 5. I May Be Wrong
[8:13] 6. Blue Moon
[3:22] 7. My Heart Stood Still
[7:17] 8. Let's Fall In Love
[5:02] 9. Over The Rainbow
[7:49] 10. You Go To My Head
[7:03] 11. Crazy Chris
[6:51] 12. Medley-Give A Little Whistle-Oh, Lady Be Good
[6:56] 13. Tea For Two
[4:06] 14. This Can't Be Love

Alto Saxophone – Paul Desmond (tracks: 1 to 6, 8 to 15); Bass – Ron Crotty (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11, 14), Wyatt Ruther (tracks: 2, 5, 15); Drums – Herb Barman (tracks: 15), Joe Dodge (tracks: 3, 4), Lloyd Davis (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 12 to 14); Piano – Dave Brubeck.

Two greats interact here, in recordings from 1952-54, with stunning intuition. Brubeck, as always, makes a virtue of his limited fleet-fingeredness. He has no need to hurry in the company of Paul Desmond, an alto saxophonist akin to Getz--light and never imbalanced. His and Brubeck's musical rapport had been forged in Brubeck's earlier octet and would continue for many years in his sterling quartet. The program here emphasizes standards. There is light combo support on some tracks. For "On a Little Street in Singapore," Brubeck and Desmond take a thoughtful, fragile jaunt through foreign streets. In "Trolley Song," the trolley bell sounds in Desmond's ringing horn. On "My Heart Stood Still," the pianist is alone, hammering heartily in his folksy, front-parlor way. ~Peter Monaghan

Dave Brubeck & Paul Desmond

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Paul Desmond - Greatest Hits

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 54:19

Size: 124.3 MB

Styles: Saxophone jazz

Year: 1997/2008

Art: Front

[3:06] 1. Take Ten

[4:15] 2. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face

[4:08] 3. Theme From Black Orpheus

[4:39] 4. Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo

[3:35] 5. Desmond Blue

[3:57] 6. Embarcadero

[5:47] 7. Polka Dots And Moonbeams

[5:48] 8. All The Things You Are

[3:21] 9. El Prince

[6:49] 10. Alone Together

[4:27] 11. A Taste Of Honey

[4:23] 12. O Gato

Bass – Gene Wright (tracks: 1,2,4,11,12), Gene Cherico (tracks: 3,6,7,9,10); Drums – Connie Kay (tracks: 1-4,6,7,9,10-12); Guitar – Jim Hall (tracks: 1-4,6,7,9,10-12); Saxophone – Paul Desmond (tracks: 1-4,6,7,9,10-12). Recorded between 1961 & 1965, this is a "greatest hits" CD, which collects stereo mixes of tracks from Paul Desmond's six early-1960s RCA albums.

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.

Greatest Hits

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