Happy New Year! I hope these first twelve (or thirteen depending where in the world you are) days have been great for you. So, first things first- what happened to the posts about vinyl? I'm currently between turntables. That is, the record player I've been using isn't the best (at all) so I've finally scrounged [...]
Exactly 50 years ago today, the Dave Brubeck Quartet played their last concert date as a regular unit. After being on the road more or less constantly since 1951, Brubeck was ready for a break. Luckily, a tape machine captured the concert, as well as some fun and excitement. Having just completed a European tour [...]
After a slate of instances where the various band members made references to Christmas tunes in their solos on non-Christmas songs, here's an instance of the opposite. On this, the only commercially released recording of the Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond playing a Christmas song, Desmond managed to squeeze something else in there, too. [...]
Rolling along with the festive-themed 'Desmond's Quotes', this post highlights another band member of the Brubeck Quartet making Christmas references in their solo. This recording is unique in that there are numerous quotes and references flying around, and it's not just Paul Desmond that engages in the shenanigans. The recording that all this merry music-making [...]
Christmas came early, for me anyhow. After a combo of school and lack of funds kept me away for months, I was able to make a trip down to my local record store. A few hours later, I walked out with too many records. Those records will be profiled here in the next few weeks, [...]
Out of all the songs Dave Brubeck penned over his lengthy career, my favorite is his tune "Nomad". Written by Brubeck during their tour of Eurasia in the spring of 1958 while in Afghanistan, the tune was first heard by the masses on Brubeck's album 'Jazz Impressions of Eurasia'. It has a haunting melody, interesting [...]
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. [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
It's A Raggy Waltz 