Desmond

Al Stevens

Al Stevens

I've been listening to Paul Desmond lately. What wonderful ideas and a great tone through which to play them.

Do any of the younger cats try to play alto like that nowadays?
 
I don't know of anyone who emulates that tone on alto. Most players these days seem to gravitate towards a brighter tone with the typical Meyer or Meyer clone piece or even something brighter. Interestingly enough Kenny Garrett plays a Selmer Soloist and thankfully sounds unique.

I hope that it is just a matter of time until we see more individuality within the jazz community when it comes to tone with the young guys.
 
Desmond was a clarinet player first. I've often thought his sound was created using a small chamber mouthpiece with a hard reed, much like a good clarinetist would use. Last I heard at least one of his set ups was a Gregory 4A-18M mouthpiece with Rico 3 1/2 reeds.
 
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Tone is half of it, and Desmond's is pure and clear. Something to strive for.

The other half is phrasing. The Brubeck stuff aside, Desmond is about the tastiest jazz alto player I've heard, and I've been listening to him off and on since the 1950s. Lots of guys play all over the horn like Parker and Cannonball, but no one today seems to be copping the cool, understated idiom that Desmond owns. He leaves the machine gun in the case. He is all by himself there, and I do not understand why the new guys haven't discovered him. Or, if some players have, why we haven't discovered them.

There's a recording with Desmond and Chet Baker with a rhythm section. A perfect cool jazz combination. The work Desmond did with Jim Hall is along the same lines.
 
Al: I'm more of a Johnny Hodges fan but I understand why anyone would like Desmond. My favorite players are those who don't blow us away with technique, but instead, play melodically. I know guys who say more with three notes than all the fireworks in the world. Those few well-placed notes speak to my musical heart. DAVE
 
Dave Dolson said:
Al: I'm more of a Johnny Hodges fan but I understand why anyone would like Desmond.
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One of those odd coincidences. In high school 50+ years ago, I had just that debate with another student. I was a Hodges fan and he was a Desmond fan. What makes it a coincidence is that two weeks ago I found him online after not having heard from him since we graduated. He is Noel Barrett, and he frequently appears on a PBS cable TV show about antiques. I don't watch such shows so I didn't know about what he is doing now. Someone mentioned his name and it rang a bell so I looked him up.

It's a small world. (But I wouldn't want to paint it.)
 
pete said:
I've heard Desmond's tone described as sounding like a dry martini ....
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Pete,

You beat me to it. I'm pretty sure it was the man himself who said an alto sax should sound like a very dry martini.
 
I also love the quote from Desmond about hearing Konitz and wanting to change his sound.
 
FWIW, I've always been a Desmond fan. I saw him live with the Brubeck quartet at the LA Philharmonic Auditorium in the late 50's - I was 18 at the time - and it was a night I'll never forget. On the same program were Julian Adderly introducing his little brother Nat for the first time, and the Duke Ellington orchestra. Talk about a great night for jazz lovers. But, Paul Desmond was the one who blew me away since his was the alto player template I wanted to emulate for all my alto efforts in those days. Take Five was still getting a lot of play on Top 40 stations at that time, if I remember correctly.

A modern day alto player who reminds me of Desmond is Gary Foster, a (sadly) little known, outside the sax community, studio musician in the LA area who must be in his early 70's by now who produces a beautiful sound from his Yami custom 875Z. And, as most of you know, Lee Konitz is another Desmond-like player with much to be admired amazing talent.
 
Ed Svoboda said:
I also love the quote from Desmond about hearing Konitz and wanting to change his sound.
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Who's the guy that said, "We'd all like to sound like Desmond, if we could" or something like that?

I've mentioned elsewhere that I like very few saxophonists' tone. I've heard some of Desmond's non-Brubeck work and it isn't that great. One of the folks from SOTW pointed me to an album and I had trouble even recognizing it as Desmond.

I'm sure I have it someplace. I'll have to look through my collection.

Desmond's tone in the Dave Brubeck Quartet is probably what everyone thinks of, though.

FWIW, I really don't think that kind of tone could be moved to tenor or baritone. Soprano, perhaps.
 
I hear a consistency in all Desmond's recorded works. Instantly recognizable. His tone is his signature, of course, but I don't think it's the tone as much as it is the phrasing, articulation, dynamics and ideas that set him apart. That's what makes Desmond unique, and I wonder why he isn't more influential on young alto players. Well, maybe I know why, but I wish it wasn't so.
 
pete said:
Who's the guy that said, "We'd all like to sound like Desmond, if we could" or something like that?

I've mentioned elsewhere that I like very few saxophonists' tone. I've heard some of Desmond's non-Brubeck work and it isn't that great. One of the folks from SOTW pointed me to an album and I had trouble even recognizing it as Desmond.

I'm sure I have it someplace. I'll have to look through my collection.

Desmond's tone in the Dave Brubeck Quartet is probably what everyone thinks of, though.

FWIW, I really don't think that kind of tone could be moved to tenor or baritone. Soprano, perhaps.
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Even in some of his weaker solo stuff I can still tell it's him.

In some ways I think of Desmond's tone as similar in many ways to that of Lester Young. He had a light tone that floated effortlessly.

I also think that Mulligan and Desmond shared certain traits in their playing. Particularly that both of them favored the upper register of the instrument. Mulligan isn't quite a dry martini but might be a bourbon with some water. They share a laid back quality to their tone.

I think a lot of what we call tone is an expression of attitude and approach.
 
I heard Larry Elgart play soprano a couple of times, and he reminded me of Desmond on Soprano. No one else has done that yet.

So now we have soprano, alto, tenor and baritone Desmond types. It would be nice to hear that quartet.

Oh, well...
 
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