CareerĪfter World War II, Desmond started working outside Palo Alto, California, at the Band Box in Redwood City. He spent three years in the military, but his unit was never called to combat. In his first year Desmond was drafted into the United States Army and joined the Army band while stationed in San Francisco. It was not until he became a freshman at San Francisco State College that he picked up the alto saxophone. As co-editor of his high school newspaper, he helped secure an interview with Bob Hope during his visit to San Francisco. Paul was not only a gifted musician, but a talented writer who took an early interest in show business.
ĭesmond began to study clarinet at the age of twelve, which he continued while at San Francisco Polytechnic High School. Desmond began playing violin at an early age, though his father forbade him to play it. During childhood he spent years living with relatives in New York City due to problems at home. His mother was emotionally unstable throughout his upbringing.
#Paul desmond dave brubeck take five movie#
His father was a pianist, organist, and composer, who accompanied silent films in movie theaters and arranged for music companies. His father was from a Jewish family from Bohemia and Austria, and his mother was Catholic throughout his life, Desmond was unsure of his father's background. After years of chain smoking and poor health, Desmond succumbed to lung cancer in 1977 after a tour with Brubeck.ĭesmond was born Paul Emil Breitenfeld in San Francisco, California, in 1924, the son of Shirley (née King) and Emil Aron Breitenfeld. In addition to his work with Brubeck, he led several groups and collaborated with Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Jim Hall, and Ed Bickert. He was one of the most popular musicians to come out of the cool jazz scene. There is not a single track here that isn't loaded with ingeniously worked out, always melodic ideas.Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld, Novem– May 30, 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer, best known for his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for composing that group's biggest hit, "Take Five". Two of the best examples are his own tunes, the samba-like "El Prince" (named after arranger Bob Prince), an infectious number with on-the-wing solo flights that you can't get out of your head, and the haunting "Embarcadero." Hall now gets plenty of room to stretch out, supported by Kay's gently dropped bombs, and he is the perfect understated swinging foil for the wistful altoist. It was here that Desmond also unveiled a spin-off of the then-red-hot bossa nova groove that he called "bossa antigua" (a sardonic play-on-words meaning "old thing"), which laid the ground for Desmond's next album and a few more later in the decade. Hence "Take Ten," a worthy sequel with a solo that has a Middle-Eastern feeling akin to Desmond's famous extemporaneous excursion with Brubeck in "Le Souk" back in 1954. Everyone wanted Desmond to come up with a sequel to the monster hit "Take Five" and so he did, reworking the tune and playfully designating the meter as 10/8. Now listeners enter the heart of the Paul Desmond/ Jim Hall sessions, a great quartet date with Gene Cherico manning the bass ( Gene Wright deputizes on the title track) and MJQ drummer Connie Kay displaying other sides of his personality.
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