PAUL DESMOND QUINTET & QUARTET - Desmond: Here I Am
Fresh Sound Records FSR CD 873
Tracks 1-5 Dick Collins tpt, Paul Desmond alt, Dave Van Kriedt ten, Bob Bates bs, Joe Dodge drs, Tracks 6-9 Paul Desmond alt, Barney Kessell gtr, Bob Bates bs, Joe Dodge drs, The Bob Bates Singers with Gloria Wood (plus Jack Weeks trom, on tk 9), Tracks10-17 Don Elliott tpt & mellophone, Paul Desmond alt, Norman Bates bs, Joe Dodge drs.
This album is a re - issue of two recordings from the Fantasy label in 1954 & 1956. The first eight tracks are from the ten inch "Desmond" recorded in Hollywood, and the subsequent nine are taken from a San Francisco session originally titled "Paul Desmond Quartet Featuring Don Elliott".
All the recordings here find Desmond at his serene and melodic best and in a class well above most of his recording compatriots. The numbers on the first Hollywood quintet session are all written by tenor man Dave Van Kriedt who studied with Brubeck under Darius Milhaud. He also led an octet with Desmond and Brubeck as early as 1946, promoted the band and lays claim to making them famous in the first place. "Misty Window" is the standout contribution to this date. Tracks featuring The Bill Bates Singers with Gloria Wood are perhaps best forgotten, although the sheer quality of the leader's alto never falters.
For the San Francisco recording Down Beat Poll Winner (miscellaneous instruments) Don Elliott joins the fray during some tracks on mellophone and trumpet. Elliott's own "A Watchman's Carroll", Dennis Adair's "Let's Get Away From It All" along with the Gerry Mulligan classic "Line For Lyons" top the bill. Overall this well produced re-issue reminds us of the unique sound and incredible inventiveness that Paul Desmond processed. It also begs the question, how much of an even greater impact could he have made if he had not spent so much of his time with the Brubeck quartet.
Reviewed by Jim Burlong
Fresh Sound Records FSR CD 873
Tracks 1-5 Dick Collins tpt, Paul Desmond alt, Dave Van Kriedt ten, Bob Bates bs, Joe Dodge drs, Tracks 6-9 Paul Desmond alt, Barney Kessell gtr, Bob Bates bs, Joe Dodge drs, The Bob Bates Singers with Gloria Wood (plus Jack Weeks trom, on tk 9), Tracks10-17 Don Elliott tpt & mellophone, Paul Desmond alt, Norman Bates bs, Joe Dodge drs.
This album is a re - issue of two recordings from the Fantasy label in 1954 & 1956. The first eight tracks are from the ten inch "Desmond" recorded in Hollywood, and the subsequent nine are taken from a San Francisco session originally titled "Paul Desmond Quartet Featuring Don Elliott".
All the recordings here find Desmond at his serene and melodic best and in a class well above most of his recording compatriots. The numbers on the first Hollywood quintet session are all written by tenor man Dave Van Kriedt who studied with Brubeck under Darius Milhaud. He also led an octet with Desmond and Brubeck as early as 1946, promoted the band and lays claim to making them famous in the first place. "Misty Window" is the standout contribution to this date. Tracks featuring The Bill Bates Singers with Gloria Wood are perhaps best forgotten, although the sheer quality of the leader's alto never falters.
For the San Francisco recording Down Beat Poll Winner (miscellaneous instruments) Don Elliott joins the fray during some tracks on mellophone and trumpet. Elliott's own "A Watchman's Carroll", Dennis Adair's "Let's Get Away From It All" along with the Gerry Mulligan classic "Line For Lyons" top the bill. Overall this well produced re-issue reminds us of the unique sound and incredible inventiveness that Paul Desmond processed. It also begs the question, how much of an even greater impact could he have made if he had not spent so much of his time with the Brubeck quartet.
Reviewed by Jim Burlong
