Paul Desmond

小簡介
“酷” 派爵士的傳奇人物Paul Desmond以中音薩克斯風(fēng)聞名於世，他的吹奏理念源自早期的Benny Carter及Pete Brown。Desmond避免使用中音薩克斯風(fēng)的人聲效果，亦甚少引用藍(lán)調(diào)字匯，以吹奏譜出美麗的旋律為主，而這正是“酷”派的原則。Desmond於 1951年自組四重奏，其間推出的一張“Take Five”更被譽(yù)為爵士國度中的一首“國歌”。50年代末期，這支組合完美的結(jié)束，亦將Desmond帶入了Fantasy公司，在此，Desmond與吉他手Jim Hall組成四重奏，成為爵士史上最富旋律感的配搭。Desmond與Gerry Mulligan的雙薩克斯風(fēng)組合，在此時(shí)期亦大放光芒，雖然Desmond并非可以成功地於不同的陣型中表現(xiàn)特出，但重要的是適當(dāng)?shù)慕M合卻有效使得 Desmond的薩克斯風(fēng)發(fā)揮出有史以來最美妙的聲音之一。
by Thom Jurek
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 pianists 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. Desmonds 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.