Running a blog half-dedicated to Paul Desmond, I couldn't let his birthday pass without doing something. I pondered what and how to commemorate his birthday, and after much deliberation, I opted to spotlight one of his original compositions and the Desmondology behind it. Born on the 25 of November, 1924, he would've been 93 today. [...]
The Music Tune: "Mutt and Jeff" Recorded: 7 November, 1954 in New York City, New York Personnel: Baritone/Alto Sax- Boots Mussulli Piano- Ray Santisi Bass- Max Bennett Drums- Shelly Mann Tune: "Lullaby In Rhythm" Recorded: 14 June, 1954 in New York City, New York Personnel: Alto Sax- Boots Mussulli Piano- Ray Santisi Bass- John Carter [...]
On this day fifty years ago (well, it was the 13th when I wrote this), the Dave Brubeck Quartet played their last European concert. Luckily, the music made that night was recorded and pressed onto wax. The Music Tune: "These Foolish Things" Recorded: 13 November, 1967 in Paris, France Personnel: Paul Desmond- Alto Sax Dave [...]
Talking to a friend after class the other day, she made a comment that I looked like the type to play cello in a jazz band. That made me think about West Coast jazz and how funny her comment was in that context, which led me to a hankering for some West Coast jazz. The [...]
One of the most famous tunes Paul Desmond 'wrote' was a song named 'Audrey'. Paul had a big crush on Audrey Hepburn, and at a recording session in 1954, he and the Brubeck Quartet improvised a minor blues with her in mind. In the ensuing years, the Dave Brubeck Quartet would occasionally return to the [...]
This edition of 'Desmond's Quotes' is special for a couple of reasons. First of all, it kicks off a new series entitled 'Brubeck's Notes', which sets out to spotlight performances where Dave Brubeck weaves his own quotative magic. Second of all, this post highlights one of Brubeck's most inspired moments ever captured on tape. [...]
The Music Hampton Hawes, a fellow Californian, may be closely tied to West Coast jazz, but there's nothing cool or relaxed about his playing. Especially on this series of records, his playing sounds more like a horn, spitting out line after line of percussive piano. Only the easy swing and the presence of Jim Hall's [...]
After a lengthy spell of no posts, I found some time to write. I won't say free time, because if I do, an assignment will suddenly appear. While sitting in a particularly boring lecture the other day, I began to think about Paul Desmond's public and private spats with drummers in Brubeck's quartets. Radio personality [...]
The Music Tune: Mr. X Recorded: 17 September, 1956 in New York City Personnel: Sonny Rollins: Tenor Sax Kenny Dorham: Trumpet Ray Bryant: Piano George Morrow: Bass Max Roach: Drums As the liner notes say, this was the first recording Max Roach made after the tragic car crash that killed his star trumpeter Clifford Brown [...]
Jazz fans like to know the musicians that most jazz fans don't know. It's almost like a secret rite of passage, being familiar with the jazz musicians that seemed to have slipped through the cracks of history and praise. Yeah, Miles was great, but what about Kenny Dorham? Oscar Peterson had chops, but so did [...]
It's A Raggy Waltz 