Search - Paul Desmond :: Polka Dots & Moonbeams

Polka Dots & Moonbeams
Paul Desmond
Polka Dots & Moonbeams
Genres: Jazz, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (6) - Disc #1

San Francisco-born Paul Desmond studied clarinet as a student but came to fame in the early 1950s as part of Dave Brubeck's band, for his extremely unusual alto saxophone style, a kind of diffident swing that sidestepped t...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Paul Desmond
Title: Polka Dots & Moonbeams
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: RCA
Release Date: 2/11/1992
Genres: Jazz, Pop
Style: Cool Jazz
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 078636106625, 035629036420, 035629063723, 078636106649

Synopsis

Amazon.com
San Francisco-born Paul Desmond studied clarinet as a student but came to fame in the early 1950s as part of Dave Brubeck's band, for his extremely unusual alto saxophone style, a kind of diffident swing that sidestepped the pitched emotionalism of the dominant Charlie Parker-influenced style of the time. If anything, Desmond anticipates the lofty ambitions of Anthony Braxton in his approach. This material, recorded between 1963-'65, features Desmond handling six standards including the title track in a piano-less quartet setting with guitarist Jim Hall, drummer Connie Kay, and bassists Percy Heath, Eugene Wright, and Eugene Cherico. --John Swenson

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CD Reviews

Beautiful and mellow
Erica P. Taggart | Manhattan Beach, CA United States | 06/08/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Paul Desmond is my favorite saxophonist, and this is my favorite album. It is mellow and melodic - a perfect relaxing, nighttime album. It does not have any of the experimentation with meter or various orchestration of his earlier albums with Brubeck or the quartet. It is just Desmond playing simple tunes with long solos. And this version of Bewitched, the last song, always lifts my spirits with its simplicity and happiness."