Paul Desmond
Paul Desmond and Dave Brubeck, October 8, 1954.
Background information
Birth name	Paul Emil Breitenfeld
Born	25 November 1924
Origin	San Francisco, California, USA
Died	30 May 1977
Genre(s)	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Saxophonist, Composer, Arranger
Instrument(s)	Alto saxophone
Label(s)	Columbia Records
Associated acts	Dave Brubeck

Paul Desmond (25 November 1924 - 30 May 1977), born Paul Emil Breitenfeld, was a jazz alto saxophonist and composer born in San Francisco, perhaps best known for penning "Take Five" as a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Paul was with the Dave Brubeck Quartet from 1951-1967, though he rejoined Brubeck in 1972, 1973 and 1975 for tours. Brubeck also worked with Desmond in 1946 in an octet. Paul Desmond (in the background, with the saxophone) and Dave Brubeck (foreground), photographed by Carl Van Vechten, October 8, 1954. ... November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Nickname: Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California City-County San Francisco Government  - Mayor Gavin Newsom Area  - City  47 sq mi (122 km²)  - Land  46. ... May 30 is the 150th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (151st in leap years). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States around the start of the 20th century. ... A saxophonist is a musician who plays the saxophone. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Dave Brubeck in 1954 David Warren Brubeck (born December 6, 1920 in Concord, California[1]), better known as Dave Brubeck, is a U.S. jazz pianist. ... November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... May 30 is the 150th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (151st in leap years). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States around the start of the 20th century. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... For the Hersheys candy bar, please see Take 5. ... Dave Brubeck in 1954 David Warren Brubeck (born December 6, 1920 in Concord, California[1]), better known as Dave Brubeck, is a U.S. jazz pianist. ... Dave Brubeck formed The Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951, which consisted of Joe Dodge on drums, Bob Bates on bass, Paul Desmond on saxophone, and of course Brubeck on piano. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Look up octet in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In addition to his work with Dave Brubeck, Desmond also participated in Jim Hall and Gerry Mulligan quartets. Desmond's sound was a clear, light, and floating sound, and his style was melodic. He loved gentle ballads and would often float off into horizontal until awakened by his bandmates. Much of the success of the classic quartet was due to the superposition of his airy style over Brubeck's sometimes relatively heavy, polytonal piano work. Dave Brubeck in 1954 David Warren Brubeck (born December 6, 1920 in Concord, California[1]), better known as Dave Brubeck, is a U.S. jazz pianist. ... Jim Hall is a programmer for the FreeDOS project and the original developer of the GNU Robots program. ... Gerald Joseph Gerry Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996) was an American jazz musician, composer and arranger best known for his baritone saxophone playing. ... The musical use of more than one key simultaneously is polytonality. ...

Desmond also collaborated with Chet Baker and Ed Bickert among others. After the break-up of the Quartet in 1967, he retired for a while, then began to resurface in occasional reunions with Brubeck, Mulligan, and Hall, in a Christmas concert with the Modern Jazz Quartet in 1971, and in other collaborations. His gift for improvised counterpoint is perhaps most notable on the two albums he recorded with Mulligan ("Mulligan-Desmond Quartet" and "Two of a Mind"). The Chet Baker Monument in Amsterdam Chesney Henry Chet Baker Jr. ... Ed Bickert, jazz guitarist Ed Bickert was born in Hochfeld, Manitoba on November 29, 1932, and raised in Vernon, British Columbia. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The Modern Jazz Quartet was established in 1952 by Milt Jackson (vibraphone), John Lewis (piano, musical director), Percy Heath (bass), and Kenny Clarke (drums). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... Improvisation is the practice of acting and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of ones immediate environment. ... In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm, and interdependent in harmony. ...

In addition to his playing, he was known for his wit, as reflected in the liner notes for his solo albums, and as recollected by others. He was rumored for several years to be writing an autobiography, but one never surfaced. He died in 1977, not of his heavy alcohol habit but of lung cancer. Desmond had been a heavy smoker. Always witty, after he was diagnosed with cancer, he expressed pleasure at the health of his liver. "Pristine, one of the great livers of our time. Awash in Dewar's and full of health." His last concert was with Brubeck in February 1977, in New York City. His fans didn't know that he was already dying. Desmond specified in his will that all proceeds from "Take Five" would go to the Red Cross following his death. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Lung cancer is the malignant transformation and expansion of lung tissue, and is the most lethal of all cancers worldwide, responsible for 1. ... Dewars advertisement, East Village Dewars is a brand of Scotch whisky. ... Nickname: Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1625 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area  - City  468. ...

The Paul Desmond Papers are held at the Holt-Atherton Special Collections in the University of the Pacific Library. The University of the Pacific (also known as Pacific, and formerly known as UOP) is a private northern California university originally chartered on July 10, 1851 in Santa Clara, California, under the name California Wesleyan College by the California Supreme Court. ...

Select discography

The Paul Desmond Quartet LIVE

• "Like Someone In Love" (1975; Telarc Records)

with Dave Brubeck: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Telarc International Corporation is a Cleveland, Ohio based independent record label, founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. ... Dave Brubeck in 1954 David Warren Brubeck (born December 6, 1920 in Concord, California[1]), better known as Dave Brubeck, is a U.S. jazz pianist. ...

• "The Dave Brubeck Octet"' (1946; Fantasy Records)
• "Brubeck/Desmond" (1951; Fantasy Records)
• "Jazz At Storyville" (1951; Fantasy Records)
• "Modern Complex Dialogues" (1951; Alto)
• "How Long, Baby How Long, Pt. 1&2" (1951; Koronet)
• "The Man I Love c/w Down In Honkytonk Town" (1951; Koronet)
• "Jazz At The Black Hawk" (1952; Fantasy Records)
• "The Dave Brubeck Quartet" (1952; Fantasy Records)
• "Jazz At Oberlin" (1953; Fantasy Records)
• "The Jackson-Harris Herd And The Dave Brubeck Quartet (1953; Jazz Band)
• "Brubeck And Desmond At Wilshire-Ebell" (1953; Fantasy Records)
• "Jazz At College Of The Pacific" (1953; Fantasy Records)
• "Jazz At College Of The Pacific, Vol. 2" (1953; Fantasy Records)
• "At Storyville 1954" (1954; Columbia Records)
• "Jazz Goes To College" (1954; Columbia Records)
• "Brubeck Time" (1954; Columbia Records)
• "Jazz Red Hot And Cool" (1954; Columbia Records)
• "Desmond" (1954; Fantasy Records)
• "The Paul Desmond Quartet With Don Elliott" (1956; Fantasy Records)
• "Dave Brubeck Quartet Live In 1956-57 Featuring Paul Desmond" (1956; Jazz Band)
• "Live From Basin Street" (1956; Jazz Band)
• "Dave Brubeck/J.J. Johnson/Kai Winding - Dave Brubeck And Jay & Kai At Newport" (1956; Columbia Records)
• "Dave Brubeck/Leonard Bernstein - Dialogue For Jazz Combo And Orchestra" (1956; Ozone)
• "Jazz Impressions Of U.S.A." (1956; Columbia Records)
• "Live Together Dave Brubeck Featuring Paul Desmond (1956; Blue Vox Records)
• "Dave Brubeck/Paul Desmond/Dave Van Kriedt: Reunion" (1957; Fantasy Records)
• "Jazz Goes To Junior College" (1957; Columbia Records)
• "Dave Digs Disney" (1957; Columbia Records)
• "In Europe" (1958; Columbia Records)
• "Newport 1958" (1958; Columbia Records)
• "Jazz Impressions Of Eurasia" (1958; Columbia Records)

with Gerry Mulligan: Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. ... Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. ... Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. ... Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. ... Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. ... Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. ... Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. ... Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. ... Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. ... J.J. Johnson, in about the mid-1960s J.J. Johnson (born James Louis Johnson) in Indianapolis, Indiana, (January 22, 1924 - February 4, 2001), was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. ... Kai Chresten Winding (May 18, 1922-May 6, 1983) was a popular trombonist and jazz composer. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Gerald Joseph Gerry Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996) was an American jazz musician, composer and arranger best known for his baritone saxophone playing. ...

• "Gerry Mulligan/Paul Desmond" (1954; Fantasy Records)
• "Blues In Time" (1957; Verve Records)

with Chet Baker: Fantasy Records is a United States based record label, which was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. ... Verve Records is an American Jazz record label, founded by Norman Granz in 1956, which absorbed the catalogues of his earlier labels: Norgran Records and Clef Records (founded 1953). ... The Chet Baker Monument in Amsterdam Chesney Henry Chet Baker Jr. ...

• "Chet Baker Quartet Plus - The Newport Years, Vol. 1" (1955; Philology Records)

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Paul Desmond