Alto Saxophonist, Composer. Desmond was also described as a womanizer who was unable to form (and was uninterested in maintaining) steady relationships with women, though he had no shortage of female companions throughout his life. With the immense success of Desmond's "Take Five," the Brubeck Quartet became the first million-selling jazz group. Desmond's grudge against Morello could also be heard during their performance. Add photos, demo reels Add to list More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Known for A Civil Action 6.6 Paul Shalline 1998 Legends of the Fall 7.5 Roscoe Decker 1994 Glory 7.8 10th Connecticut Soldier 1989 All the King's Men 6.1 Slade 2006 Credits IMDbPro Fortunately Don Thompson also doubles as a recording engineer, and a number of the club dates were recorded and released. But it was his simpatico partnership with the formally-trained pianist Dave Brubeck that rocketed him to fame on the concert stages of the world. Born in San Francisco in 1924, Desmond was one of the leading proponents of the West Coast "cool" style. | } New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. It was first recorded in 1959 and is the third track on Time Out by the Dave Brubeck 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." His net worth has been growing significantly in 2022-2023. But that that was when he was playing great. Desmond was also drafted into the army for three years due to World War II, however, his unit was never called up to the front lines. The greatest overall compatibility with Sagittarius is Gemini and Aries. It comprises seven discs of live recordings from iconic alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and his quartet across 11 nights at Toronto's Bourbon Street: four in March 1975 and seven in October. Desmond first met pianist Dave Brubeck while both were in the Army, and in 1947 they connected again. Genres MusicBiographyJazzHistory 370 pages, Unknown Binding In that capacity, he interviewed comedian Bob Hope for his school newspaper during one of Hope's visits to San Francisco. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. Jazz Goes to College , Columbia, 1954. At 53 years old, Paul Desmond height not available right now. The quartet became especially popular with college-age audiences, often performing in college settings, including their ground-breaking 1953 album Jazz at Oberlin at Oberlin College and at the campuses of Ohio University and the University of Michigan. He was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet and composed that group's biggest hit, "Take Five". Jim Hall talked him into coming to Toronto to play with Canada's premier jazz guitarist Ed Bickert. Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1991. The writing is exquisite. Paul Desmond was born in the Year of the Rat. Born : November 25, 1924 in San Francisco, California. Doug Ramsey in his book Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond reports that when asked if he wanted a memorial service, Desmond replied, I dont care. One moment, you will be redirected shortly. Paul Emil Breitenfeld is part of G.I. 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. If you see something that doesnt look right, contact us. | Desmond also joined the Modern Jazz Quartet for a Christmas concert in 1971 at the New York Town Hall.[4]. Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond is the story of a jazz artist who transcended genres to establish one of the most immediately recognizable sounds in all of music. Paul Desmond was a legendary American jazz alto saxophonist and composer. They recorded fifty tunes in all, plus an album with strings. Trivia (5) 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. 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 . "url": "https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/paul-desmond" Who are the richest people in the world? "Doug Ramsey's Take Five is an invaluable addition to jazz literatureby an especially enduring writer on the music. Other of his compositions such as Audrey, Desmond Blue, and Wendy are often visited by jazz musicians. In contrast, Brubeck was deeply religious and a stalwart family man.[7]. The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond, Rezensionen werden nicht berprft, Google sucht jedoch gezielt nach geflschten Inhalten und entfernt diese, Foreword by Dave Brubeck and Iola Brubeck, Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond. Desmond was also credited as the lead songwriter for the Quartets most famous composition, Take Five. He met Brubeck in the late '40s and played with his Octet. Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 May 30, 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer and proponent of cool jazz. [15] His gift for improvised counterpoint is perhaps most evident on his two albums with baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan (Mulligan-Desmond Quartet and Two of a Mind). He is primarily known for his paintings, drawings and sketches of horses and equestrian sports. The initials "G.I." History He donated many of his possessions to libraries and to charity. - Paul Desmond. [1], Desmond's father Emil Breitenfeld was a pianist, organist, arranger, and composer who accompanied silent films in movie theaters and produced musical arrangements for printed publication and for live theatrical productions. His ambition, he said, was to sound like a dry martini. The Quartet formed toward the end of 1950 and took final shape with Eugene Wright and Joe Morello a few years later. --publisher. 1" // "How Long, Baby How Long, Pt. Within several months they attained a measure of national fame, largely by word of mouth among West Coast critics who championed the group's innovations. Playing with Desmond and Mulligan was really mind-blowing because they were such heroes for me. We have estimated Desmond grew especially close to Dave's son Michael, to whom he left his saxophone upon his death. Clarinetist Perry Robinson recalls in his autobiography that Desmond would sometimes need a vitamin B12 shot just to go on playing during his later career.[10]. 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. The co-author of that enduring hit, "Take Five," was the band's alto sax player, Paul Desmond, who is now the subject of a lavish, beautifully produced, large-format biography by Doug Ramsey called Take Five (Parkside Publications, $44.95). In one Down Beat review he was described as "oftimes loud and pounding and seemingly at a loss for melodic ideas." When drummer Joe Morello joined the Quartet in 1956, Desmond disliked his crowd-pleasing performances so much that he threatened to quit the Quartet. The rest of the Time Series albums were released between 1961 and 1963. [11] Desmond is reported to have quipped, upon seeing a former girlfriend on the street, "There she goes, not with a whim but a banker" (a semi-Spoonerism reference to T.S. Desmonds encounter with the legendary Dave Brubeck has become a trademark story in the jazz world. Desmond offered to perform arranging and administrative work for Brubeck's band, and to babysit Brubeck's children, and Brubeck finally relented and agreed to try working with Desmond again.[4]. I knew Paul Desmond, but I found so much more I did not know."Nat Hentoff, author of American . Desmond made the move from the San Francisco area to New York where he spent his remaining years. Though a mild-mannered, professorial-looking man, Desmond was capable of strong emotion. Desmond produced a light, melodic tone on the alto saxophone, trying to sound, he said, "like a dry martini." Awash in Dewars and full of health." Then slowly, Desmond awoke. [2] However, Fred Barton, songwriter/arranger and Desmond's cousin, found extensive genealogical proof that both the Breitenfeld and Lwy families were Bohemian Jews. After this long and expensive process, Desmond willed the piano to Cunningham, a characteristic and final prank. Desmond also played with guitarist Jim Hall in New York City in 1971, and with Canadian guitarist Ed Bickert in Toronto. 1991 Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1991. Finally it clicked the hooded harvester from Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal. Genres: Cool Jazz, Jazz, Bossa nova. Once more details are available, we will update this section. Brubeck was trying out for the 253rd Army band, which Desmond belonged to. 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." 1 (Oct., 2001), pp. During World War I, while training with the 17th New York Regiment in Plattsburgh, New York, he composed The Last Long Mile, one of the best-known soldiers' songs of that war.[3]. An introvert whose literary ambitions found some expression in his bright and funny album liner notes, Desmond, who died of lung cancer in 1977 at 52, became famous in the 1950s with the hugely. At the New Orleans Jazz Festival he played a soaring set with Gerry Mulligan. { Chinese Zodiac: Paul Desmond was born in the Year of the Rabbit. With his special brand of humor, Desmond said that he took the job only because he was nearby and could tumble out of bed to work. For the critics it was a strange musical relationship. Lesser known, however, are the personal traits of Desmond. | (1924 - 1977) Paul Desmond had a sound on alto saxophone that remains highly recognizable. Paul Desmond is known for A Civil Action (1998), Legends of the Fall (1994) and Glory (1989). 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. You don't think of Paul Desmond as a real swinging musician, he's not famous for that. He appeared with Dave Brubeck in a series of concerts called "Two Generations of Brubeck" in which Dave played with his musical sons, and in 1976, the Quartet reunited for the Silver Anniversary Tour. Like many famous people and celebrities, Paul Desmond kept his personal life private. Born : November 25, 1924 in San Francisco, California. People born under this sign are clever and charming. DR. And the thing that makes "Take Five" work is the bridge, which we almost didn't use. This page is updated often with new details about Paul Desmond. In 1954, the quartet was featured on Time Magazine. Famed critic Nat Hentoff called him "one of the most creative figures in modern jazz." For seventeen years he was the lead soloist in the most commercially successful jazz combo ever, the Dave Brubeck Quartet. He is also well-known for his over three decades of illustrations for Brooks Brothers catalogs including more than one-thousand drawings. Jazz musician and songwriter who played alto saxophone for the Dave Brubeck Quartet and penned the group's 1959 hit song "Take Five." He was a prominent member of the post-World War II "cool jazz" movement. With a style that was similar to that of Lee Konitz, one of his influences, he quickly became one of the best-known saxophonists from the West Coast's cool school of jazz. Search Large format (10x11"), hard bound with dust jacket, 372 pages, 190 photos, matte paper; complete with discography of all Desmond recordings. Paul Desmond's net worth Playing with him, you really couldn't go wrong. Yet with different musical aspiration and taste, their relationship was full of tension. Supplement 1, pp. He had spoken to Don Thompson earlier that month, making plans to play New York with his quartet, but he never made it.