PAUL DESMOND — Easy Living ft. JIM HALL (1966-2000) RM | Serie RCA Victor Gold Series | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

As the Paul Desmond/Jim Hall quartet's recording activities gradually came to a halt by 1965, RCA Victor assembled the remains of a number of their later sessions into one last album. These are anything but leftovers, however -- indeed, they constitute the best Desmond/Hall album since Take Ten, more varied in texture and mood, and by and large more inspired in solo content, than Bossa Antigua and Glad to Be Unhappy. As a near-ideal example of this collaboration at its intuitive peak, "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" opens with Hall paraphrasing the tune, and Desmond comes in on the bridge with a perfectly timed rejoinder that sounds as if he's asking a question. "Here's That Rainy Day" is another apt match of a standard to Desmond's sophisticated personality; he is at his dry, jaunty best on the uptempo "That Old Feeling"; and both have a ball jamming on the blues in Desmond's wry, quick "Blues for Fun." [Some reissues add a pair of outtakes, plus "Rude Old Man."] Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist :
1    When Joanna Loved Me 5:45
Written-By – J. Segal, R. Wells
2    That Old Feeling 5:44
Written-By – L. Brown, S.Fain
3    Polka Dots And Moonbeams 5:49
Written-By – J. V. Heusen, J. Burke
4    Here's That Rainy Day 5:42
Written-By – J. V. Heusen, J. Burke
5    Easy Living 7:05
Written-By – L. Robin, R. Rainger
6    I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face 4:15
Written-By – A. J. Lerner, F. Loewe
7    Bewitched 6:22
Written-By – R. Rogers - L. Hart
8    Blues For Fun 6:22
Written-By – P. Desmond
9    Rude Old Man 5:39
Written-By – E.Wright
10    Polka Dots And Moonbeams (Alternate Take) 6:09
Written-By – J. V. Heusen, J. Burke
11    Bewitched (Alternate Take) 7:46
Written-By – R. Rogers - L. Hart
Credits :
Paul Desmond - Alto Sax
Jim Hall - Guitar
Eugene Wright - Bass (1, 2, 6, 11)
Eugene Cherico - Bass (3, 4, 10)
Percy Heath - Bass (5, 7, 8, 9)
Connie Kay - Drums

CHET BAKER - She Was Too Good To Me (1974-2010) CTI Records 40th Anniversary / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Baker began his comeback after five years of musical inactivity with this excellent CTI date. Highlights include "Autumn Leaves," "Tangerine," and "With a Song in My Heart." Altoist Paul Desmond is a major asset on two songs and the occasional strings give variety to this fine session. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1. Autumn Leaves  7:02
Written-By – Johnny Mercer, Joseph Kosma
2. She Was Too Good to Me 4:40
Written-By – Rodgers & Hart
3. Funk in Deep Freeze 6:06
Written-By – Hank Mobley
4. Tangerine 5:27
Written-By – Johnny Mercer, Victor Schertzinger
5. With a Song in My Heart 4:04
Written-By – Rodgers & Hart
6. What'll I Do? 3:55
Written-By – Irving Berlin
7. It's You or No One 4:28
Written-By – Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn
8. My Future Just Passed 4:46
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Paul Desmond
Arranged By, Conductor – Don Sebesky
Bass – Ron Carter
Cello – George Ricci, Jesse Levy, Warren Lash
Drums – Jack DeJohnette (faixas: 5, 6, 7), Steve Gadd (faixas: 1 to 4, 8)
Electric Piano – Bob James
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Flute [Alto], Oboe [D'amore] – George Marge
Flute, Clarinet – Romeo Penque
Flute, Flute [Alto] – Hubert Laws
Producer – Creed Taylor
Trumpet, Vocals – Chet Baker
Vibraphone – Dave Friedman
Violin – Barry Finclair, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Harold Kohon, Harry Glickman, Herbert Sorkin, Lewis Eley, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman

CHET BAKER - You Can't Go Home Again (1977-2005) RM / APE (image+.cue), lossless

Verve/A&M's reissue of Chet Baker's 1977 album You Can't Go Home Again features the trumpeter/vocalist supported by an all-star band that includes guitarist John Scofield, tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker, and alto saxophonist Paul Desmond in his final recording session. Former Miles Davis sidemen Tony Williams and Ron Carter also add an organic touch to the proceedings and a warm contrast to the electric pianos and Moogs that flow through Don Sebesky's arrangements. Alternate takes of the title track and others including "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You/You've Changed," "The Best Thing for You," and "If You Could See Me Now" make this double-disc set a more complete look at one of Baker's most important latter-day albums. by Heather Phares
Tracklist :
1     Love for Sale 13:03
Cole Porter
2     Un Poco Loco 9:26
Bud Powell
3     You Can't Go Home Again 5:47
Don Sebesky
4     El Morro 14:18
Don Sebesky
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Paul Desmond (faixas: 3)
Arranged By, Conductor – Don Sebesky
Bass – Ron Carter
Bassoon – John Campo (faixas: 4)
Cello – Alan Shulman, Charles McCracken, Jesse Levy
Clavinet – Richie Beirach (faixas: 1)
Drums – Tony Williams
Electric Bass – Alphonso Johnson (faixas: 1, 2,)
Electric Piano – Don Sebesky (faixas: 2, 3), Kenny Barron (faixas: 2), Richie Beirach (faixas: 1, 2, 4)
Flute – Hubert Laws (faixas: 2)
Flute [Bass], Piccolo Flute – Hubert Laws (faixas: 4)
Guitar – John Scofield (faixas: 1, 2, 4)
Percussion – Ralph MacDonald (faixas: 1, 3)
Producer – Don Sebesky
Tenor Saxophone – Michael Brecker (faixas: 1, 2, 4)
Trumpet – Chet Baker
Violin – Charles Libove, David Nadien, Diana Halprin, Harold Kohon, Marvin Morgenstern, Matthew Raimondi, Max Ellen, Paul Gersham, Rochelle Abramson

JIM HALL - Concierto (1975-2003) RM / SACD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Guitarist Jim Hall is the sort of musician who displays such technical expertise, imaginative conception, and elegance of line and phrase that almost any recording of his is worth hearing. Still, Concierto ranks among the best albums of his superb catalog. For starters, the personnel here is a jazz lover's dream come true. Paul Desmond (saxophone), Chet Baker (trumpet), Roland Hanna (piano), Ron Carter (bass), and Steve Gadd (drums) are on board, creating -- along with Hall -- one of the highest profile lineups ever put to tape. Yet Concierto is not about star power and showboating. As subtle, nuanced, and considered as any of Hall's output, the ensemble playing here demonstrates great group sensitivity and interplay, giving precedence to mood and atmosphere over powerhouse soloing. Conductor and arranger Don Sebesky evinces a chamber ambience from the sextet on "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," the smoky "The Answer Is Yes," and the Hall centerpiece "Concierto de Aranjuez." by Anthony Tognazzini
Tracklist:
1    You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To 7:05
Written-By – Cole Porter
2    Two's Blues 3:50
Written-By – Jim Hall
3    The Answer Is Yes 7:35
Written-By – Jane Hall
4    Concierto De Aranjuez 19:20
Written-By – Joaquin Rodrigo
- Bonus Tracks -
5    Rock Skippin' 6:11
Written-By – Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington
6    Unfinished Business (La Paloma Azul) 4:40
Written-By – Carlos Chávez, Johnny Andrews
7    You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (Alternate Take) 7:26
8    The Answer Is Yes (Alternate Take)    5:34
9    Rock Skippin' (Alternate Take)    6:06
Credits:
Adapted By – Don Sebesky (tracks: 4)
Alto Saxophone – Paul Desmond
Arranged By – Don Sebesky
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Steve Gadd
Guitar – Jim Hall
Piano – Roland Hanna
Producer – Creed Taylor
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Trumpet – Chet Baker

THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET - Jazz Impressions of Japan (1964-2001) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Thirteen years into their tenure, the Dave Brubeck Quartet was still able to mine the creative vein for new means of expression. Despite the hits and popularity on college campuses, or perhaps because of it, Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Eugene Wright, and Joe Morello composed a restless band with a distinctive sound. These eight tracks, all based on a tour of Japan the year before, were, in a sense, Brubeck fulfilling a dictum from his teacher, the French composer Darius Milhaud, who exhorted him to "travel the world and keep your ears open." The sketches Brubeck and Desmond created all invoke the East, particularly the folk melodies of Japan directly, while still managing to use the Debussian impressionistic approach to jazz that kept them riding the charts and creating a body of music that, while playing into the exotica craze of the moment, was still jazz composed and played with integrity. The gorgeous modal blues that uses Eastern scale whole tones with Western harmonic notions -- chromatically -- that comprise the melody and solo frameworks for Desmond in "Fujiyama" are a beautiful contrast to the relatively straight-ahead ballad style featured on "Zen Is When," with its 4/4 time sling rhythm and simple melody -- extrapolated by Brubeck in purely Japanese whole tone scale on the harmony. Also, the shimmer and whisper of "The City Is Crying," where Desmond's solo is one of the most beautiful of his career, using arpeggios as half tones to reach down into the middle of his horn's register and play harmonically a counterpoint that is as painterly as it is poignant. On "Osaka Blues," Brubeck once again reaches for an oriental scale to play a modal blues à la Miles Davis with Wynton Kelly; Desmond responds by playing straight post-bop Bluesology with even a squeak or two in his solo. In all, Jazz Impressions of Japan is one of the great forgotten Brubeck records. Its sweetness is tempered with musical adventure and the improvisational experience only a band that had been together 13 years could provide. It's truly wonderful.
(This comment is posted on allmusic by Thom Jurek, a follower of our blog O Púbis da Rosa.)
Note: Dear Thom, infinite joy of being part of the Blog and being able to share your wise comments. Our greatest wish is to continue taking all the petals of our beloved rose! Lakhavinor Artus
Tracklist:
1 Tokyo Traffic 5:54
Dave Brubeck
2 Rising Sun 4:42
Dave Brubeck
3 Toki's Theme from CBS-TV Series, "Mr. Broadway"] 2:10
Dave Brubeck
4 Fujiyama 5:05
Dave Brubeck
5 Zen Is When 2:55
Dave Brubeck / Bud Freeman / Léon Pober
6 The City Is Crying 6:03
Dave Brubeck
7 Osaka Blues 5:11
Dave Brubeck
8 Koto Song 3:01
Dave Brubeck
Credits:
Alto Saxophone – Paul Desmond
Bass – Eugene Wright
Drums – Joe Morello
Piano – Dave Brubeck
Producer – Teo Macero

DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET - My Favorite Things (1965-2014) RM / JAZZ COLLECTION 1000 / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Although recorded in sessions in 1962 and 1965, this set of Richard Rodgers tunes by the Dave Brubeck Quartet has a strong unity about it due to the consistent performances of the veteran group. With altoist Paul Desmond and the pianist-leader contributing some fine solos (and bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello excellent in support), The Rodgers songs are treated with respect and swing. This comparatively gentle version of "My Favorite Things" would never be mistaken for John Coltrane's. by Scott Yanow

"My Favorite Things" is one of Dave Brubeck's "composer albums". Brubeck fans will recall such titles as "Anything Goes" (Cole Porter), and "Angel Eyes" (Matt Denise) here the Dave Brubeck Quartet pays homage to Richard Rogers and the results, while at as satisfying as "Anything Goes", make "My Favorite Things" one of Brubeck's best albums.

We start things off with a fast tempo version of the title track, minus Paul Desmond. Brubeck at times seems as if he's about to go off-time, but never does. Brubeck fans will take note of the fact he has made a career playing around with time signitures. But Brubeck does get some good passages in. I like a lot of the chord changes and Brubeck's right hand does some nifty work.

The next track "Over and Over Again" starts off with Brubeck playing the melody, almost as a ballad and then things pick up as Desmond comes in. Wonderful interplay between Brubeck and Desmond should make you keep coming back to this one.

My favorite track on the album might be "This Can't Be Love". Brubeck plays it as a familar tempo but again gets in a lot of good passages. As does Paul Desmond.

"Circus on Parade" is one the only song on the album I wasn't familar with it. The quartet swings on it from beginning to end and the result is rather pleasing.

"My Romance" and "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" are the same version heard on Brubeck's "Plays West Side Story". But are enjoyable to listen to but I prefer "Girl".

Overall "My Favorite Things" is a very good album that demonstrates with made the quartet so popular. Brubeck and Desmond as usual have wonderful chemistry together and the song selection is a delight. If there is one negative thing to say about the album it is that there aren't enough songs! Where are the recordings of "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered", "Where or When", "Soon (There'll Just Be Two Of Us)", "Lady Is A Tramp" and "Loads of Love"? But we Brubeck fans will take what we can get.

Bottom-line: One of Brubeck's best albums. Desmond and Brubeck are a delight to listen to as is the song selection. Fans of Brubeck should check this out despite it being very rare. by Alex Udvary, 

Tracklist:

1. My Favorite Things  2:57 

Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers

2. Over and Over Again 4:07

Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers

3. Why Can't I? 6:58

Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers

4. Little Girl Blue 5:35

Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers

5. This Can't Be Love 6:57

Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers

6. My Romance 6:55

Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers

7. The Circus on Parade 3:19

Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers

8. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World 5:18

Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers

Time: 0:42:10

Recorded on June 11, 1962 - September 22, 1965.

Credits

Dave Brubeck - piano

Paul Desmond - alto saxophone

Gene Wright - bass

Joe Morello - drums

 

PAUL DESMOND — Take Ten (1963-1999) Serie Classic Edition | APE (image+.cue), lossless

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. There is not a single track here that isn't loaded with ingeniously worked out, always melodic ideas. Richard S. Ginell 
Tracklist:
1 Take Ten 3:11
Paul Desmond
2 El Prince 3:38
Paul Desmond
3 Alone Together 6:52
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz
4 Embarcadero 4:07
Paul Desmond
5 Theme from "Black Orpheus" 4:14
Luiz Bonfá / Luigi Creatore / Antônio Maria / Hugo Peretti
6 Nancy (With the Laughing Face) 6:05
James Van Heusen / Phil Silvers
7 Samba de Orfeu 4:29
Luiz Bonfá
8 The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else) 5:37
Isham Jones / Gus Kahn
- Bonus Tracks -
9 Out Of Nowhere 6:54
Written-By – Edward Heyman, Johnny Green
10 Embarcadero (Alternate Take) 4:53
Written-By – Paul Desmond
11 El Prince (Alternate Take) 5:35
Written-By – Paul Desmond
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Paul Desmond
Bass – Eugene Wright (tracks: 1), Gene Cherico (tracks: 2 to 8, 10, 11), George Duvivier (tracks: 9)
Drums – Connie Kay
Guitar – Jim Hall

THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET - Time Out (1959-1983) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Dave Brubeck's defining masterpiece, Time Out is one of the most rhythmically innovative albums in jazz history, the first to consciously explore time signatures outside of the standard 4/4 beat or 3/4 waltz time. It was a risky move -- Brubeck's record company wasn't keen on releasing such an arty project, and many critics initially roasted him for tampering with jazz's rhythmic foundation. But for once, public taste was more advanced than that of the critics. Buoyed by a hit single in altoist Paul Desmond's ubiquitous "Take Five," Time Out became an unexpectedly huge success, and still ranks as one of the most popular jazz albums ever. That's a testament to Brubeck and Desmond's abilities as composers, because Time Out is full of challenges both subtle and overt -- it's just that they're not jarring. Brubeck's classic "Blue Rondo à la Turk" blends jazz with classical form and Turkish folk rhythms, while "Take Five," despite its overexposure, really is a masterpiece; listen to how well Desmond's solo phrasing fits the 5/4 meter, and how much Joe Morello's drum solo bends time without getting lost. The other selections are richly melodic as well, and even when the meters are even, the group sets up shifting polyrhythmic counterpoints that nod to African and Eastern musics. Some have come to disdain Time Out as its become increasingly synonymous with upscale coffeehouse ambience, but as someone once said of Shakespeare, it's really very good in spite of the people who like it. It doesn't just sound sophisticated -- it really is sophisticated music, which lends itself to cerebral appreciation, yet never stops swinging. Countless other musicians built on its pioneering experiments, yet it's amazingly accessible for all its advanced thinking, a rare feat in any art form. This belongs in even the most rudimentary jazz collection.

Tracklist:

1. Blue Rondo a la Turk

2. Strange Meadow Lark

3. Take Five

4. Three to Get Ready

5. Kathy's Waltz

6. Everybody's Jumpin'

7. Pick Up Sticks

Credits

Dave Brubeck (piano)

Paul Desmond (sax alto)

Eugene Wright (bass)

Joe Morello (drums)

PAUL DESMOND - Summertime (1969-2005) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In the midst of lolling away his time in semi-retirement after the Dave Brubeck Quartet broke up in 1967, Paul Desmond allowed himself to be lured back into the recording studio by producer Creed Taylor, who knew exactly what to do with his idle, but by no means spent, alto player. The result is a beautifully produced, eclectic album of music that revives Desmond's "bossa antigua" idea and sends it in different directions, directly toward Brazil and various Caribbean regions, as well as back to the jazzy States. "Samba With Some Barbecue" is a marvelous bossa nova treatment of Louis Armstrong's New Orleans rouser "Struttin' With Some Barbecue," whose opening bars bear an uncanny resemblance to those of "Samba de Orpheus" (which the erudite Desmond was no doubt aware of). No matter how many times you've heard "Autumn Leaves," Desmond's bossa nova treatment will give you a fresh jolt as he offhandedly tosses off the most exquisitely swinging ruminations; too bad it fades after only three minutes. In a pliable mood, Desmond even consents to record a then-new Beatles tune, "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," samba-style, quoting "Hey Jude" along the way (it's very possible that he was attracted by the main character of the lyric, a fellow named Desmond), and he makes potent music out of movie tunes like "Emily" and even the snazzy "Lady in Cement." Don Sebesky brings in some intelligently crafted arrangements for big band augmented by French horns, Herbie Hancock turns in some often brilliant solo work in several featured spots, Ron Carter is on bass, and Leo Morris and Airto Moreira alternate on drums. Never before had Desmond's alto been recorded so ravishingly -- Rudy Van Gelder's engineering gives it a new golden-mellow glow -- and the original LP had a great, sarcastic cover: gleaming icicles. by Richard S. Ginell

Tracklist

1.Samba with Some Barbecue [4:30]

Don Raye

2.Olividar [5:37]

Don Sebesky

3.Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da [2:16]

John Lennon / Paul McCartney

4.Emily [4:47]

Composed By – Johnny Mandel

Lyrics By – Johnny Mercer

5.Someday My Prince Will Come [3:10]

Frank Churchill, Larry Morey

6.Autumn Leaves [3:03]

Joseph Kosma / Johnny Mercer / Jacques Prévert

7.Where Is Love? [5:34]

Lionel Bart

8.Lady in Cement [3:10]

Hugo Montenegro

9.North by Northeast [4:33]

Paul Desmond

10.Summertime [3:59]

George Gershwin

Lyrics By – DuBose Heyward

Time: 40:44

Credits

Alto Saxophone – Paul Desmond

Bass – Frank Bruno (tracks: 3), Ron Carter

Drums – Airto Moreira (tracks: 1, 8), Leo Morris

Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder

French Horn – Jim Buffington, Ray Alonge, Tony Miranda

Guitar – Bucky Pizzarelli (tracks: 3), Eumir Deodato (tracks: 3), Jay Berliner (tracks: 6, 8,10), Joe Beck (tracks: 1)

Piano – Herbie Hancock

Producer – Creed Taylor