Paul Desmond
Paul Desmond (1924-1977) was a U.S jazz saxophonist.

Desmond was bor… Read Full Bio ↴Paul Desmond (1924-1977) was a U.S jazz saxophonist.

Desmond was born Paul Emil Breitenfeld in San Francisco, California on 25th November 1924. He came to prominence with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, which lasted from 1951 until 1967. Desmond wrote their biggest hit, "Take Five".

Desmond's alto saxophone tone and technique owed nothing to the great alto player of the time, Charlie Parker; instead his was a clear, light, floating sound and highly melodic playing style. Much of the success of the classic Brubeck quartet was due to the superposition of his fragile, airy sound over Brubeck's sometimes relatively heavy, polytonal piano work.

Desmond died on 30th May 1977.

Paul Desmond is widely recognized for his genius as a melodic improviser and as the benchmark of cool jazz sax players. His warm, elegant tone was one that he admittedly tried to make sound like a dry martini. He and Art Pepper were virtually the only alto players of their generation not directly influenced by Charlie Parker. Desmond was influenced by Lester Young, but took it further, into melodic and harmonic worlds never before traveled by reedmen -- especially in the upper registers. Desmond is best known for his years with the Dave Brubeck Quartet (1959-1967) and his infamous composition "Take Five." He met Brubeck in the late '40s and played with his Octet. The Quartet formed toward the end of 1950 and took final shape with Eugene Wright and Joe Morello a few years later. Jazz at Oberlin and Take Five were considered essential purchases by college students of the era, but Jazz Impressions of Japan was its most innovative recording. Desmond played his loping, slow, ordered, and intricate solos in direct contrast to the pianist's obsession with large chords, creating a myriad of textures for melodic and rhythmic counterpoint unlike any heard in jazz. His witty quotations from musicals, classical pieces, and folk songs were also a watermark of his artistry. When the Quartet split in 1967, Desmond began an intermittent yet satisfying recording career. It included dates with Gerry Mulligan for Verve, various sessions with Jim Hall, and a concert with the the Modern Jazz Quartet. He played his last gigs with the Brubeck Quartet at reunions before dying of lung cancer. Desmond's recordings for RCA have gotten box-set treatment and Mosaic issued one of the complete sessions with Hall. There are also reissues from A&M and CTI, though recordings on Artist House and Finesse remain regrettably out of print. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
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Paul Desmond Lyrics


83ff307a-19f1-4864-b966-8058376ec216 I may be wrong but I think you're wonderful I may…
A Foggy Day I was a stranger in the city Out of town were…
A Ship Without A Sail I don't know what day it is, Or if it's dark…
All Through The Night The day is my enemy, the night my friend, For I'm…
Autumn Leaves The falling leaves drift by the window The autumn leaves of…
Bewitched She's a fool and don't I know it But a fool…
Blue Moon Blue moon you saw me standing alone Without a dream in…
Blue rondo a' la turk Blue Rondo A La Turk (Round, Round, Round) Round, round, …
Body and Soul My heart is sad and lonely For you I sigh, for…
Bridge Over Troubled Water When you're down and out When you're on the street When even…
East of the Sun East of the sun and west of the moon We'll build…
El Condor Pasa I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail. Yes I would. If…
Eleven Four Waitin’ For the Four-Eleven– Desmond Allen 2009 6/8 Waiti…


Emily Emily, Emily, Emily Has the murmuring sound of may All silve…
Everything Happens To Me Black cats creep across my path Until I'm almost mad I must…
Everything I Love You are to me everything, my life to be everything When…
For All We Know For all we know We may never meet again Before we go Make…
For Emily Whenever I May Find Her What a dream I had Pressed in organdy Clothed in crinoline o…
Glad to Be Unhappy Look at yourself If you had the sense of humor You would…
Here Maybe I should have saved those left over dreams Funny, but…
Hi Lili Hi Lo On every tree there sits a bird, singing a song…
How High the Moon Somewhere there's music How faint the tune Somewhere there's…
I May Be Wrong I may be wrong but I think you're wonderful I may…
I Remember You I'll never smile again Until I smile at you I'll never laugh…
I'm Getting Sentimental over You Never thought I'd fall, But now I hear love call, I'm gett…
I'm Old Fashioned I am not such a clever one About the latest fads I…
I'va Got You Under My Skin I've got you under my skin. I've got you deep in…
Imagination Magic mirror come and search my heart Can you tell me…
Indian Summer Summer You Old Indian Summer You're The Tear That Comes Afte…
I’ll Never Smile Again I'll never smile again Until I smile at you I'll never laugh…
Jeepers Creepers I don't care what the weatherman says When the weatherman sa…
Just Squeeze Me Want you to know I go for your squeezin' Want you…
Laura You know the feeling of something half remembered Of somethi…
Like Someone in Love Lately, I find myself out gazing at stars, Hearing guitars…
Lonesome Road Look down, look down that lonesome road Before you travel on…
Love Walked In Love walked right in and drove the shadows away Love walked…
Lover You went away I let you We broke the ties that bind I…
Mam'selle It was Montmartre It was midnight Come to think of…
Me And My Shadow Shades of night are falling and I'm lonely Standing on the…
Mean To Me You're mean to me Why must you be mean to me Dear,…
My Funny Valentine Your my funny Valentine, sweet comic Valentine, You make me…
My Heart Stood Still I took one look at you That's all I meant to…
My Melancholy Baby Gonna Tell My Baby To Brush Her Hair Words & Music…
Never Smile Again I'll never smile again Until I smile at you I'll never laugh…
One I Love When days are long and nights are lonely And all my…
Over the Rainbow Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high There's a land that…
Polka Dots and Moonbeams A country dance was being held in a garden I felt…
Prince Somewhere waiting for me There is someone I'm longing to see…
Ship Without a Sail I don't know what day it is, Or if it's dark…
Skylark Skylark Have you anything to say to me? Won't you tell me…
So Long Frank Lloyd Wright So long, Frank Lloyd Wright. I can't believe your song is…
Somebody Loves Me When days are long and nights are lonely And all my…
Someday My Prince Will Come Somewhere waiting for me There is someone I'm longing to see…
Squeeze Me Want you to know I go for your squeezin' Want you…
St. Louis Blues I hate to see that evening sun go down I hate…
Star Dust And now the purple dusk of twilight time Steals across the…
Stardust And now the purple dusk of twilight time Steals across the…
Take Five Won't you stop and take A little time out with me Just…
That Old Feeling Last night I started out happy Last night my heart was…
The 59th Street Bridge Song Slow down, you move too fast You got to make the…
The Lonesome Road Look down, look down that lonesome road Before you travel on…
The One I Love When days are long and nights are lonely And all my…
The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else When days are long and nights are lonely And all my…
The Song Is You I hear music when I look at you, A beautiful theme…
The Theme from Black Orpheus Caminar sin ella, Es ir sin rumbo fijo Refugiarse como…
The Trolley Song "Clang, clang, clang" went the trolley "Ding, ding, ding" we…
Theme from "Black Orpheus" Caminar sin ella, Es ir sin rumbo fijo Refugiarse como…
Then I'll Be Tired of You You look at me and wonder, you look at me…
These Foolish Things Oh! Will you never let me be? Oh! Will you never…
Through The Night The day is my enemy, the night my friend, For I'm…
Time After Time Time Is Coming To An End – by Desmond Allen…
Too Marvelous for Words You're just too marvelous, too marvelous for words Like glor…
Trolley Song "Clang, clang, clang" went the trolley "Ding, ding, ding" we…
Was a Sunny Day Was a sunny day Not a cloud was in the sky Not…
Wave So close your eyes, for that's a lovely way to be. Oh…
What Is This Thing Called Love I was a hum-drum person Leading a life apart When love flew…
When Joanna Loved Me Today is just another day, tomorrow is a guess But yesterday…
Where Is Love I was a hum-drum person Leading a life apart When love flew…
Why Shouldn't I Why shouldn't I take a chance when romance passes by? Why…
Will I Know For all we know We may never meet again Before we go Make…
You Go To My Head You go to my head And you linger like a haunting…
You'd Be Nice To Come Home To You'd be so nice to come home to You'd be so…