His rare gift for improvised counterpoint is perhaps most evident on the two albums he recorded with baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan (Mulligan-Desmond Quartet and Two of a Mind).
Playing with Desmond and Mulligan was really mind-blowing because they were such heroes for me.
The two made two studio albums together (Gerry Mulligan - Paul Desmond Quartet (1957), and Two of a Mind (1962)). Desmond had met Dave Brubeck in 1944 while still in the military.
In addition to his work with Brubeck, he led several groups and collaborated with Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Jim Hall, and Ed Bickert.
After Desmond convinced Brubeck to hire him following his stint with Jack Fina, the two had a contract drafted (of which Brubeck was the sole signatory); the language forbade Brubeck from firing him, ensured Brubeck's status as group leader, and gave Desmond twenty percent of all profits generated from the quartet. The solo on track 12, Advise and Consent (take 8), was recorded at an overdub session on March 19, 1962. Desmond began to study clarinet at the age of twelve, which he continued while at San Francisco Polytechnic High School. There are plenty of Breitenfelds in Germany and Austria to support both sides of the argument. [2] In 1950 Desmond joined the band of Jack Fina and toured with Fina for several months, but he returned to California after hearing Brubeck's trio on the radio and deciding that he should repair his relationship with Brubeck and attempt to join Brubeck's increasingly successful band. Interviewed by Desmond biographer Doug Ramsey, Desmond's first cousin Rick Breitenfeld said that no one in the Breitenfeld family could find evidence of Jewish ancestry or Jewish religious observance, but Paul Desmond and members of his father's family "frequently speculated as to whether or not Sigmund or Hermine Breitenfeld had Jewish backgrounds". Only 8 left in stock - order soon. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Eliot's "This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper"). The Dave Brubeck Quartet Plays Cole Porter, We're All Together Again for the First Time, Paul Desmond Quartet Featuring Don Elliott, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Desmond&oldid=978786032, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Joker (Italy) SM-3804; Blue Vox (Switzerland) B/90174, Dave Brubeck/Paul Desmond/Dave Van Kriedt, Europa Jazz (Italy) EJ-1032; Denon (Japan) 33C38-7681, Columbia C2L-26/C2S-826 [as double LP]; CL-2036/CS-8836 and CL-2037/CS-8837 [as single LPs], "How Long, Baby How Long, Pt. Desmond produced a light, melodic tone on the alto saxophone, trying to sound, he said, "like a dry martini." Accompanying them were Brubeck's sons Chris Brubeck, Dan Brubeck and Darius Brubeck. This item: Desmond Blue by Paul Desmond Audio CD $9.33. Profile: American jazz alto saxophonist and composer (Composed "Take Five" for the Dave Brubeck Quartet) Born : November 25, 1924 in San Francisco, California.
He was known to have several addictions, including Dewar's Scotch whisky and Pall Mall cigarettes.