Pure Desmond

Pure Desmond Artist: Paul Desmond
Label: Sony
Category: Music



Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 074644080629
EAN: 0074644080629
ASIN: B0000026BS


Release Date: 1990-10-25

Related Categories:

Cool Jazz Cool Jazz
Related | Jazz | Styles | Music
General General
Related | Jazz | Styles | Music
General General
Related | Pop | Styles | Music

Listmania:

  1. " After Midnight - Mainstream Jazz"
  2. My favorite CTI records (currently in print)
  3. Favorite Desmond

Tracks:

  1. Squeeze Me
  2. I'm Old Fashioned
  3. Nuages (alternate take)
  4. Why Shouldn't I
  5. Everything I Love
  6. Warm Valley
  7. Till The Clauds Roll By
  8. Mean To Me
  9. Song From M*A*S*H
  10. Wave

Similar Items:

  1. Like Someone in Love
  2. The Paul Desmond Quartet Live
  3. Out of the Past
  4. Take Ten
  5. Bright Size Life

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Desmond Best When Pure & Unadulterated.......2004-04-21

As a huge Desmond fan (well, not so sizeable, but enthusiastic) for many decades, I've concluded that, for me, Desmond is best when he is in a minimal setting with a few capable musicians - this is usually a trio or quartet format without strings, orchestration or overdubs. I find that of the dozens of Desmond recordings I own, the over-produced and over-orchestrated ones get in the way of the true art and essence of Desmond.
The oft quoted "Desmond is (smooth) like a dry martini" has more than one truth to it - both are at their best with only four choice ingredients (gin, vermouth, olive, ice - or alto, bass, drums, guitar or piano). Desmond is so deceptively smooth, adept, and lyrical that he needs to be heard uncluttered and unfettered.
For me, some of Desmond's best recordings are in the quartet format with either Jim Hall or Ed Bickert on guitar. If you can't get the now out of print Mosaic label 4 CD set with Jim Hall (those 4 CDs would be 4 of my 5 desert-island-discs and I listen to a lot of music from Bach to blues), then at least get whatever you can of Desmond w. Hall or Bickert.
There is a saying that "if a man don't like the blues he's got a hole in his soul" - well, if someone can't appreciate Desmond at his best, they've got a void in their psyche - and "Pure Desmond" is one example of Desmond at his best.

5 out of 5 stars Desmond's "mix and match" quartet album.......2002-08-19

After the Dave Brubeck quartet, Paul Desmond recorded primarily in three settings: a guitar based quartet with Jim Hall featuring Connie Kay on drums, on a series of flawed, over-orchestrated albums with Ron Carter on bass and many, many back-up musicians, and finally, in a humble quartet with little known guitarist Ed Bickert. This album is unique because it finds Desmond in the quartet setting that suits him the best, but with a mix of all the different musicians he'd played with: Connie Kay, Ron Carter and Ed Bickert; all together for the first and only time! These are four great musicians and the album does in fact live up to their promise. Fans of any of these musicians would do well to pick up this album as they all get a chance to shine. Kay drums smooth, Carter is one of the greatest bassists ever, and Ed Bickert's guitar is distinctly different from Jim Halls (it's a bit more plucky, in lay-mans terms, but in a good way- it's complimented by Carter's bass and provides great support for Desmond) and Paul Desmond, well, Desmond proves why he's the greatest alto sax player. This is one of the best solo Desmond outtings out there, so don't pass it up.

5 out of 5 stars A signature sound!.......2001-11-02

When you hear Paul Desmond, you know its Paul Desmond. His sound is unique. You won't confuse him with anyone else. This collection is no exception.

5 out of 5 stars Desmond and Bickert, what a team !!.......2000-09-27

I bought this because i like Desmond and had heard some Bickert. I assumed they'd be good together, boy was i wrong....THEY ARE FANTASTIC! When listening to other jazz, at up tempo's, with complex harmony etc sometimes it just seems too much. Because of the speed i just can't catch everything that's happening and get frustrated. This album on the whole has good mid-tempo tunes, an excellent sound mix enabling you to hear all of the individual instruments, and plain good tunes. Desmond has his trademark sound and plays some nice musical ideas. As a guitar player I found Bickert to be amazing. Everybody plays fast, long single note lines these days, but Ed plays chords like nobody else, he kind of sounds like a piano, a bit of Bill Evans maybe ? Together they create amazing music with nice solos where you can hear that they are keeping the melody foremost in their minds as they play. The bottom line is that there is no ego here at all, just a great collaboration by the whole band, the nearest comparison i can think of is the Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker. I'll let someone else have the final words, my wife, who said 'That's great, who is it ?'

You know it makes sense, buy this album !

Music CD:

  1. Swingin' the Blues ~ Gene Harris
  2. The Complete Muse Recordings ~ Dom Um Romao
  3. The Cats ~ John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, Idrees Sulieman
  4. Bebop and Bird, Vol. 1 ~ Charlie Parker
  5. Stranded Depots ~ The Remote Viewers
  6. Duke at His Best ~ Duke Ellington
  7. Made in Coracao ~ Toquinho, Watana
  8. Voice from the Past: Paradigm ~ Gary Peacock
  9. Alive & Swingin' ~ Christian Josi
  10. Ttaango in Nickelsdorf ~ Ganelin Trio

Music CD

Music CD

Music CD

The Ghetto's Been Good to Me ~ YZ

No Compromize ~ Judge D

Language of Cities ~ Maserati

Darkest Days ~ Stabbing Westward

That Did It! ~ The Novells

Build and Structure ~ Safety in Numbers

Best of Harry Nilsson ~ Harry Nilsson

Lil Rachett ~ Lil Rachett

East Coast VS West Coast ~ Various

Bomb Threat 2000 ~ Bombshell