Paul Desmond – Pure Desmond
Album review ~allmusic.com
With the Skylark “experiment” behind him, Paul Desmond reverted back to the relaxed quartet format that suited him well in the past. The reason? Through Jim Hall, he found a little-known, splendid guitarist in Toronto named Ed Bickert who became his new gigmate in 1974, and this album was meant to show his discovery off. In fact, it sparked a Desmond renaissance where he regained a good deal of the witty spark and erudite cool of his collaborations with Hall, no matter how unfashionable it was to play this way in 1974. Bickert is an even more reticent player than Hall, softer in touch and temperament, but eminently musical, enough to fire up Desmond’s creativity.
Old Desmond hand Connie Kay lends sympathy and comfort on drums, and Ron Carter is on bass. “Squeeze Me,” “Everything I Love,” and “Till the Clouds Roll By” are the best examples of the empathy at work here but any track will do, including the two outtakes on the first CD release, the “Song from M*A*S*H” (which, come to think of it, always had a Desmond-like wistfulness about it) and Jobim’s “Wave,” which develops a suavely songful quality midway through.
Tracklist:
01. Squeeze Me (4:34)
02. I’m Old Fashioned (4:58)
03. Nuages (alternate take) (5:16)
04. Why Shouldn’t I (3:37)
05. Everything I Love (3:51)
06. Warm Valley (4:29)
07. Till the Clouds Roll By (4:11)
08. Mean to Me (5:49)
09. Song from M.A.S.H. (3:04)
10. Wave (6:17)
Personnel:
Paul Desmond – alto saxophone
Ed Bickert – guitar
Ron Carter – bass
Connie Kay – drums
Additional Info:
Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, September 24-26, 1974
Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
Cover photograph by Pete Turner
Original album design by Bob Ciano
Produced by Didier C. Deutsch
Digitally mastered and engineered by Larry Keyes, CBS Studios; NY
Liner notes by Gene Lees & Didier C. Deutsch
Genre: Mainstream, Cool
Label: Epic/CBS
Year: 1987
Track Previews / Buy Album:
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