Search - Paul Desmond :: Paul Desmond Quartet Live

Another A&M Treasure Unearthed by Verve -- finally

J. B Brent | Oak Ridge, Tennessee USA | 01/02/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At long last the Verve label, in a series we hope will continue for a long time, has reissued PAUL DESMOND QUARTET LIVE. This album of live performances recorded in Toronto, Canada, was originally released as a double record set by A&M/Horizon (SP 850/Horizon 10) in 1976. The other players were Ed Bickert (guitar), Jerry Fuller (drums) and Don Thompson (acoustic bass). Smooth and heavenly renditions of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Wave" and Luis Bonfa's "Manha De Carnival" are particularly nice. This reissue was held up momentarily by the legalities of adding the final bonus track. Other live recordings from Desmond's post-Brubeck solo days are said to exist. Perhaps these will be offered in the future. Meanwhile, buy this one and support the Verve/A&M reissue effort, which has been a tremendous public service to all jazz fans."

Don't just "Take Five", take 79 instead...

William E. Adams | Midland, Texas USA | 10/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is 79 minutes of very lovely, mostly mellow jazz from the excellent sax player and composer Paul Desmond, recorded live less than two years before his death from lung cancer. He is well supported here by guitar, bass and drums. His elongated version of his own famous "Take Five" comes out quite different than it was on the Dave Brubeck Quartet's "Time Out" recording which made the song and Desmond famous. This was originally issued as a double-LP in 1975, eight years after Brubeck's quartet disbanded. Here, Desmond is the leader, and there is no piano. His saxophone and Ed Bickert's guitar both offer many, many minutes of beauty, and the bass of Don Thompson and drums of Jerry Fuller get a little attention as well. This music is closer to "smooth jazz" than to the energetic deliveries of Coltrane or Rollins, yet it is never boring, never pedestrian enough to qualify as "background" music. You really can't help but like this a lot. It's the kind of album you want if you have a 90-minute drive to make on a crisp autumn day, alone (or two 45-minute segments for the round trip!) It also would set a great romantic mood if you were cooking for your loved one and hoped for cuddling after dessert. The extensive and fascinating liner notes are an added bonus, and tell the owner quite a bit about the kind of mind Paul Desmond had...witty and likeable."

This is a Great Example of "Cool" Jazz

Jazz Hermit | Tucson, AZ United States | 11/16/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jazz can mean many things and the definitions vary from person to person. This recording is one of my favorite examples of the "Cool Jazz" that happened in the fifties and sixties.



Preserving the genre into the mid 1970s Paul Desmond stands out as a brilliant leader able to present a beautifully finished product in this classic setting. Recorded in a club setting you can hear the occasional clinking of glassware in the background although crowd noise is never a problem. The effect is to make one wish they had been there experiencing this performance in person. Thankfully the recording does a wonderful job of preserving the overall effect of this jazz master's later years.



Ed Bickert's guitar work is outstanding, an example few well known jazz guitarists can even approach. His harmonic content and control is nothing short of incredible. His solos tend to be chord based and unique to him.



In my humble opinion this is jazz at its best, mellow, warm and unobtrusive yet never boring. If you love cool jazz you will very likely love this recording."