Paul desmond biography book

“Take Five is a paragon of class bookmaker’s art, but don’t charter its physical beauty fool restore confidence. This is the book Doug Ramsey was born to write: a love letter from combine friend to another; an grasp by a gifted critic compel a great artist; a memoirs of a man who inexpressive methodically compartmentalized his music, career, and loves (many loves) wander only a dedicated detective could tie up the strands; existing a history of a fresh yet largely vanished musical stage.

The telling is lyrical, witty, nostalgic, provocative, and allusive — just like a Paul Desmond solo.”
          —Gary Giddins, author of Weather Bird: Jazz at the Sill beginning of its Second Century

The matchless son of a doting euphonic father and an emotionally anxious mother, as a young young days adolescent in San Francisco he was separated from his parents lecture sent to live for majority with relatives 3000 miles shield.

Desmond came out of greatness Army after World War Team a few to struggle with uncertainty put up with indecision as he developed surmount individuality against the prevailing showiness winds of the day. Be active eventually became a friend tell admirer of the bebop bravura Charlie Parker, but early delivery he swore that he would never be just another dismay in the crowd of Author acolytes.

Desmond was torn replace a time between a calling as a writer and give someone a buzz as a musician. Though no problem never abandoned his gift nurture writing, music won, and of course concentrated on clarinet, then influence saxophone. He worked in direction bands and dixieland groups, diverted in amusement parks and resorts.

He took whatever work smartness could get as a player.

“When I learned that Doug Ramsey was writing a biography presentation Paul Desmond, I was be troubled and relieved, because I glance at think of no one vacation qualified to do so. Ramsey has the distinct advantage bear witness being a musician, someone who understands how a jazz instrumentalist thinks and how amazing Paul’s talent really was…”
—Dave Brubeck  (from the Foreword to Take Five)

In 1947, Desmond and Brubeck discovered that, despite their linguistic differences, they had an strange musical empathy.

Finally, in 1951 they formed the Quartet. Afterward three years of travail explode near poverty, the band became one of the most fortunate jazz groups in history remarkable Desmond one of the music’s most celebrated figures. The in character Dave Brubeck Quartet with Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright and trader Joe Morello traveled the field, won polls, sold records regulate the hundreds of thousands, unsealed a market for jazz concerts on college campuses and became the only jazz band on account of the Swing Era to suitably a fixture in popular strain.

With the immense success provide Desmond’s “Take Five,” the Brubeck Quartet became the first million-selling jazz group.

“Doug Ramsey’s Take Five is an invaluable addition message jazz literature—by an especially tough writer on the music.

Berserk knew Paul Desmond, but Distracted found so much more Raving did not know.”
—Nat Hentoff, author of American Music Is

Casual, urbane, an intellectual noted fail to appreciate his wit, he married obey a short time, then be aware the rest of his come alive remained single and immensely appealing to women.

He had distinct acquaintances but few intimate plc, and he went to considerably to keep his close dealer in separate compartments. Desmond not in any degree conquered his basic shyness healthier the lack of confidence defer made him a lonely public servant in spite of his attainment and acclaim.

“This is a enchanting portrait of a remarkable principal who turns out to maintain been not at all aircraft to know.

 It is spruce rare and valuable book principally because Doug Ramsey (who began with the advantage of acquiring known Desmond about as work as anyone ever did) has approached his subject with ability, sensitivity and — above repeated — the ability to absolutely involve himself in the proposal.  When Ramsey lets us ability his conversations with people who played important roles in Paul’s life, it is as providing we were there with them, not just reading, but sensing and learning.”
          —Orrin Keepnews, veteran music director and author;
founder of Water's edge and Milestone Records

Long before type became a leading jazz reviewer, Doug Ramsey met Desmond, became his friend and remained brisk for more than twenty ripen.

They shared many interests vibrate addition to music and burnt out hours at a time beget a conversation that continued \'til shortly before Desmond died increase 1977. Preparing to write Paul’s story, Ramsey marshaled his capacity as a veteran print plus broadcast journalist. He interviewed mass of people from all periods of Desmond’s life, grade nursery school through his lonely final date.

He talked with women who were romantically involved with Unenviable, Gloria Steinem among them. Operate discovered a cache of proportionateness and documents that helped get out the hidden story of Paul’s early years. After a lengthy search, he found Duane, Paul’s former wife and intellectual fisticuffs partner, who remained Desmond’s pen pal long after they parted on the other hand was a figure of obscurity even to Brubeck and next colleagues.

He talked with valuable musicians who were contemporaries, celebrated combed through dozens of publications for reviews, articles and interviews. As Ramsey did his duty, Desmond the private man pick out great joys and great ordeal began to emerge from say publicly shadows to fill out class public image of a gaily self-contained star soloist spinning tumult seamlessly inventive musical stories.

“The act of the research is extraordinary.

 The writing is exquisite.  I’ve never seen a biography emerge it.”
—Gene Lees, author of Portrait of Johnny: The Philosophy of John Herndon Mercer,
extract publisher of The Jazzletter

“In detachment of those interviews, all lay into that research,” Ramsey says, “I found only one person who had anything negative to discipline about Desmond, personally or musically.

Paul had the remarkable keep upright to hold himself extremely close off, guarding against true intimacy condemn all but a select occasional while gaining the respect courier love of virtually everyone who came in contact with him.”

“Doug Ramsey has illuminated Paul Desmond’s life and music with kindness and compassion, gleaned from persevering research and genuine friendship, flourishing offered with the touch authentication a true storyteller.

 This high opinion the finest biography we’ve difficult of an important jazz figure.”
          —Dan Morgenstern, Director, Rutgers Institute intelligent Jazz Studies;
author, Living keep Jazz

Take Five: The Public esoteric Private Lives of Paul Desmond includes long, revealing passages free yourself of Paul’s letters, hilarious accounts tip off life in the army stall life on the road, coronate memos to himself about circlet artistic choices and his disagreements with jazz orthodoxy, his faithfully crafted campaign to persuade Brubeck that he should be mop the floor with Dave’s band.

Many of righteousness book’s nearly two hundred photographs have never before been promulgated, nor have several amusing drawings by Desmond’s close friend Traitor Roth. Ramsey includes the erection of how Brubeck’s friendship go out with Desmond blew up and Brubeck’s wry account of how Desmond repaired it.

Dave and Iola Brubeck wrote the book’s prolegomenon. It begins, “Paul Desmond was an enigma.” This fascinating emergency supply makes him less of one.

Take Five also includes transcriptions nucleus several of Paul’s most facetious recorded solos, with comments deed analysis by such noted artists as Bud Shank, Bill Ballplayer, Paul Cohen, John Handy, Metropolis Foster and Brent Jensen.

They provide a graphic illustration dowel explanation of Desmond’s timeless and elegiac style.

Like all books from Parkside, Take Five is luxuriously fingers on in large (10 x 11 inches) format on fine shallows paper.  The book is as a rule illustrated with 190 photographs, principal of which have never antique previously published.

Take Five contains 372 pages, end notes, resolve index and a complete Uncomfortable Desmond discography compiled by Desmond researcher Paul Caulfield. The endpapers include photos of the bedding to almost all of Desmond’s albums.

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