Paul Desmond

American jazz musician (1924-1977)

Born: 25 November 1924
San Francisco
Died: 30 May 1977
New York City
Country: United States
Record labels: Columbia Records, RCA Records, CTI Records, Horizon Records
Discography: 26 albums

Biography

Paul Desmond was a jazz musician who played alto saxophone. Paul Desmond was born on 25 November 1924 in San Francisco and died on 30 May 1977 in New York City. The music is usually filed under jazz. Record labels: Columbia Records, RCA Records, CTI Records and Horizon Records. The discography here lists 26 albums, from “First Place Again” (1960) to “Nice People” (2021).

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. He was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet and composed the group's biggest hit, "Take Five". The song remains the best-selling jazz song of all time. In addition to his work with Brubeck, he led several groups and collaborated with Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Jim Hall, and Ed Bickert. After years of chain smoking and poor health, Desmond succumbed to lung cancer in 1977 after a tour with Brubeck.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Discography

Studio and live albums

First Place Again 1960

Desmond Blue 1962

Two of a Mind 1962

Take Ten 1963

Bossa Antigua 1965

Glad to Be Unhappy 1965

Easy Living 1966

Bridge Over Troubled Water 1969

From the Hot Afternoon 1969

Summertime 1969

Skylark 1973

Pure Desmond 1975

Paul Desmond 1978 · Live

Paul Desmond & The Modern Jazz Quartet 1981 · Live

Easy Living 1986

Like Someone in Love 1992 · Live

Late Lament 1993

Re-Union 1994

The Ballad of Paul Desmond 1996

Desmond Blue / Take Ten 2000

Complete Jazz at Storyville 2002

Cool Imagination 2002

Improvised Counterpoints 2009

Six Classic Albums 2015

Paul Desmond Plays Paul Desmond 2020

Nice People 2021

Also plays on

Albums where Paul Desmond is credited as a sideman

1966	Time In — Dave Brubeck	alto saxophone
1971	Summit Sessions — Dave Brubeck	alto saxophone
1976	1975: The Duets — Dave Brubeck & Paul Desmond	alto saxophone

Standards written by Paul Desmond

Title	Key	Form	Groove
Take Five	E♭ minor	ABA · 24	Medium-up swing
Bossa Antigua	A♭ major	ABCA · 32	Bossa nova
Wendy	E♭ major	· 32	Slow swing

Analysed solos by Paul Desmond

Alone Togetheralto saxophone · 200 BPM · C-min · 1963-06-12
Bossa Antiguaalto saxophone · 192 BPM · Ab-maj · 1964-07-28
Samba Cantinaalto saxophone · 151 BPM · F-min · 1964-07-28
Samba Cantinaalto saxophone · 153 BPM · F-min · 1964-07-28
Aliancaalto saxophone · 233 BPM · Bb-maj · 1964-07-30
Aliancaalto saxophone · 236 BPM · Bb-maj · 1964-07-30
The Girl from East 9th Streetalto saxophone · 142 BPM · Ab-maj · 1964-08-20
Blue Rondo a la Turkalto saxophone · 117 BPM · F-maj · 25 Juni - 18. August 1959

Historic 78 rpm records

HOW LONG, BABY, HOW LONG THE JACK SHEEDY SEXTET · Jack Minger · Paul Desmond · Jack Sheedy ·… archive.org ↗
HOW LONG, BABY, HOW LONG THE JACK SHEEDY SEXTET · Jack Minger · Paul Desmond · Jack Sheedy ·… archive.org ↗
Down In Honkytonk Town The Jack Sheedy Sextet · Jack Minger · Paul Desmond · Jack Sheedy ·… · 1950 archive.org ↗
The Man I Love The Jack Sheedy Sextet · Jack Minger · Paul Desmond · Jack Sheedy ·… · 1950 archive.org ↗