Paul Desmond Biography

[garthsj]

The much awaited biography of PAUL DESMOND by Doug Ramsey is now up for ordering. Doug is a fine writer, and he has spent a long time researching this book, so it is high on my acquisitions list.

Here is the basic information:

http://www.parksidepublications.com/takefive.html

[BruceH]

I don't know, though...the infamous Gary Giddins recommends it. Does this mean the book is complete trash??????

[JSngry]

Desmond was romantically involved with Gloria Steinem?

Who knew?

[jlhoots]

U.S. price I see listed is $45. Anybody going to do better than that?

[Dave James]

This is one I'm going to have to get. A lot more going on with this guy than just the music. $45 is a bit steep though. I did a quick search on Amazon and B&N and there's nothing posted on either of those websites.

Up over and out.

[Michel_M]

News from that book ? Someone read it ? Still not on Amazon site ... And for Canadian buyer 70.00$US (87.00$CAN) . Ouch

[MartyJazz]

Well, I'd like to get it too but $45 (!!), whew.

Gloria Steinem, who knew? Wonder what other revelations there are.

In any event, Desmond himself spoke of writing an autobiography (working title: "How Many of You Are There in the Quartet?") so this is most welcome.

Interestingly, he is hardly ever mentioned as one of the great alto sax players, but I'm sure for many of us here, he gets quite a bit of play whether on the turntable or on the CD changer.

Another point of interest is that Desmond once conducted an interview of Charlie Parker, somthing I've got to fish out one day from my tape archives.

Edited February 23, 2005 by MartyJazz

[Jazz Kat]

I don't know, though...the infamous Gary Giddins recommends it. Does this mean the book is complete trash??????

Dave Brubeck seemed to like it.

Or did he just say it was a good idea.

[desertblues]

Thanks for the heads-up on this! Even at 45 bucks I'm gonna get this - sounds like the quality of the book itself is the reason for the steep price.

[Michel_M]

desertblues,

I would be very interested in your comments if you read that book. Keep us informed.

Thanks.

[marcello]

I just ordeded it from Barnes & Noble. Total cost was $37.02 with member discount.

[Michel_M]

Marcello,

Thanks for the tip. Just did the same . $45 with shipping instead of $70 ...

[Michel_M]

Did someone received that book (from the publisher or elsewhere) ? How is is ?Two times Barnes & Nobles send me a message that the delivery is postponed . Now due April 29 ....

[jlhoots]

The Barnes & Noble site now says that new copies are not available.

Amazon lists it as shipping in 1-3 weeks at the same price ($45 US) as on the publishers (Parkside) site.

Booksamillion doesn't list it at all.

Will watch & wait but if no one discounts it, I'll eventually get it from the publisher.

[neveronfriday]

I'd love to have both the Desmond and the Defranco, but not at those shipping rates. Out of necessity, I often order books from the States, but the postage/s&h charged by the publishers is often totally outrageous. I know packages to Europe aren't cheap, but $25 - $40 depending on where/whom you order from simply means that they have no interest in doing business on a global scale.

So, thanks, but no thanks.

I'll pick the books up second hand somewhere, if they should become available, from someone who calculates rates realistically. I know of at least two (small) publishing houses who have, for many years, supplied me with many more books at a fraction of the cost Parkside ( ) and others are asking.

[desertblues]

I got my copy yesterday, ordered from the publisher a couple weeks ago (they told me at that time the books were still enroute from the printer (in Singapore). I have not seen a jazz bio like this - it was quite obviously a labor of love. This is a beautifully bound large volume printed on heavy paper with tons of photos of Desmond, his family and friends, and most of the musicians he played with from highschool until the end of his career. It is an incredibly well-researched biography as well as a collection of reminiscences by his closest friends. Ramsey unearthed a treasure trove of items from Paul Desmond's personal files. Many of his letters, drawings and various documents are reproduced, as well as transcriptions of some of his most famous solos. Also included is a complete discography of his recordings as leader & sideman (including imports). Thus far I have only read a couple of chapters, but I think it's safe to say this one was worth the wait (and the price)!

B-)

[neveronfriday]

I got my copy yesterday, ordered from the publisher a couple weeks ago (they told me at that time the books were still enroute from the printer (in Singapore). I have not seen a jazz bio like this - it was quite obviously a labor of love. This is a beautifully bound large volume printed on heavy paper with tons of photos of Desmond, his family and friends, and most of the musicians he played with from highschool until the end of his career. It is an incredibly well-researched biography as well as a collection of reminiscences by his closest friends. Ramsey unearthed a treasure trove of items from Paul Desmond's personal files. Many of his letters, drawings and various documents are reproduced, as well as transcriptions of some of his most famous solos. Also included is a complete discography of his recordings as leader & sideman (including imports). Thus far I have only read a couple of chapters, but I think it's safe to say this one was worth the wait (and the price)!

B-)

*growl*

Don't make it sound that good ...

[desertblues]

*growl*

Don't make it sound that good ... 

I hear ya! But it is that good, IMHO. Also, I have a feeling that most readers with enough interest in Desmond to shell out the 45 bucks are going to consider this one a keeper - of course you could always wait for the inevitable review copies to hit Amazon...

[marcello]

This note from the jazz-west coast newsgroup:

I just finished my first time through this wonderful

biography, and it won't be my last. It's impossible to say

enough good things about this book, Doug's writing, or the

work that went into producing it.

Paul Desmond has been one of my very favorite musicians

since the first time I heard him as a teenager in the 50's,

and my appreciation has only deepened since then. In his

playing, I heard much of the man that Doug allows us to

know in these pages.

Doug's research is extensive, and it's clear that many of

Paul's friends and family opened up to him. None of this is

surprising -- Doug had been close to Paul, to Brubeck, and

to many of Paul's friends since the 50's, and Doug's been a

top flight writer and journalist for all of those

intervening years.

In the book, we are treated to a nice sampling of Paul's

writing, much of it in the form of letters to friends and

family, but also things he writes to himself. We gain a

good understanding of how he grew up, the influence of his

father, a composer and arranger, how he got started in both

music and writing, how he paid his dues. We get to realize

the breadth of Paul's interest in the world around him,

and, eventually, his view of it.

We are exposed to generous and thoughtful analysis of some

performances illustrating his musical development, both by

Doug and by master musicians Doug recruited for the task.

We read interviews and analysis of Paul the man, his music,

and his musicianship from many of the great musicians of

his time. Doug doesn't have to tell us how great Paul was

-- he quotes musicians like John Handy and Bobby Shew

saying so to their college classes, and he quotes Bird's

appreciation of the alto player of his generation who

played the least like him.

On the other hand, this is far from a "puff piece" --

Ramsey is more than willing to expose Paul's faults and

insecurities, but he also is able to put them in

perspective.

Having long been a fan of Doug's writing, I was thrilled to

hear he had decided to write about his friend, knew it was

going to be a great document. Almost the only thing that

surprised me was how MUCH he was able to accomplish in so

short a time.

This book is a "must read" for anyone interested in Paul,

in what being a jazz musician is all about, and even as a

study of the time in which Paul lived. It's also quite

pleasurable writing -- lively, great images, great pacing,

and wonderful wordsmithing. And not only are there words --

the book has hundreds of great photographs, including my

personal favorite, a shot in the studio of Paul obviously

having fun at the piano and grinning from ear to ear. That

photo alone is worth the price of the book!

Not surprisingly, I find much in common between Paul and

another of my heroes, Lester Young. I've read three books

about Prez, and I feel I could still read another one to

learn more about the man and his music. I won't have the

problem with Paul -- Doug Ramsey got it right the first

time.

Jim Brown

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Uh oh - flip that photo! What would Ouzer say?!

Mike

[marcello]

I would rather use Lou's photo, if I could find it.

Not to hijack the thread but I can't resist, so please forgive me in advance:

Lou Ouzer, 88,

a master of black and

white portraiture

Lou Ouzer, best known for his black

and white portraits especially those

of musicians, died on February 16 at

age 88.

A jazz concert was held at the

Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New

York, on February 19 and Ouzer’s pho-

tographs were projected on a screen above

the Eastman New Jazz Ensemble. Each

musical piece was introduced by Tom

Hampson, the voice of radio station

WXXI’s program Mostly Jazz. Hampson

gave an account of the times, the musi-

cians, the music and the photographs of

greats such as Duke Ellington, Dizzy

Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan, Paul Desmond

and many other jazz notables.

[jlhoots]

Bought it directly from the publisher.

Gorgeous book indeed.

[etherbored]

let me make clear something that i didn't understand previously: this is a 370 + page coffee table book, not a standard hard cover bio by any means...

the $45.- cover is completely justified.

-e-

[Roger Hiles]

Found a review of this in (of all places) Forbes.com's CEO Network:

Book Review

Better Than A Dry Martini

Richard Hyfler, 06.21.05, 12:46 PM ET

In 1953 Iola Brubeck wrote to more than 100 colleges and universities enclosing reviews of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, a struggling outfit led by her pianist husband. The promotion paid off. Albums like Jazz at Oberlin and Jazz at the College of the Pacific, recorded live before enthusiastic audiences, made the group one of the most popular in the country, and within a few years Brubeck would appear on the cover of Time magazine.

In 1959 the quartet recorded an album featuring a song in 5/4, a time signature not commonly used in jazz. The co-author of that enduring hit, "Take Five," was the band's alto sax player, Paul Desmond, who is now the subject of a lavish, beautifully produced, large-format biography by Doug Ramsey called Take Five (Parkside Publications, $44.95).

Throughout his career, Desmond was a fount of melody. His trademark sound and laid-back swing--he said he wanted to sound like a dry martini--hinted at the influence of tenor saxophone master Lester Young, a tendency shared by many white saxophonists of the time. Desmond thrived at medium tempos, separating him from the mass of saxophonists ripping through bebop chord changes in the wake of Charlie Parker. Even Parker was a fan, and Desmond topped magazine polls at a time when that counted for something. Ramsey's book avoids most of the negative press criticism of Brubeck (and of Desmond), but behind the praise for Desmond there was often the suggestion that he was too good for Brubeck, an altogether less subtle musician.

But Desmond fell for Brubeck early and hard. Though they met in 1944 while in the Army, it wasn't until 1946 that they played music together. "The musical rapport," Desmond said, "was very evident and kind of scary." Over the next few years, Desmond endeavored to perform with Brubeck as often as possible, sitting in often without pay, and eventually became a member of his working band. They separated over a dispute about a job that left Brubeck and his family in poverty. Brubeck determined never to work with Desmond again.

The musical analysis in the book is limited--mostly annotated transcriptions of some Desmond solos by other musicians--but for the general reader there are scores of photos and the liberal use of Desmond's lifelong correspondence with his father, Emil Breitenfeld, an organist and arranger in San Francisco responsible for much of his son's musical education.

A 1949 letter draws a picture of the 24-year-old Desmond on the road with a mediocre dance band and in the throes of a crisis of confidence as he works his way to the East Coast. He's insecure about his tone and his improvisational skills, worried about his place in a musical world dominated by Parker and bebop.

"The closer I get to NY," he wrote, "the more uncertain I get." Brubeck, he realizes, is his answer. A subsequent letter, written on the way home, describes "Operation Paradise," including his playing goals ("Emotion, honest and simple") and mechanical goals ("Pretty, but strong, sound. Volume with dignity to match Dave's"). The ultimate goal was to get back with Brubeck, which he did, playing in his regular quartet until 1967.

Off the bandstand, Desmond was never without female companionship, when he wanted it. Unfortunately, he was often attracted to the wives of his friends. He was known as a great wit, though sometimes at the expense of unfortunate strippers or lounge pianists. He may be the only jazz musician to have had a piece published in Punch, the legendary British magazine. It was a fragment of the book he threatened to write about life on the road, called "How Many of You Are There in the Quartet?" He was picky about his drugs: He never messed with heroin, had no interest in marijuana, and made his way through the Army on Benzedrine and through the rest of his life on Dewar's scotch and cigarettes, plus the occasional acid trip at New York's Museum of Modern Art.

After his final run with Brubeck, Desmond took it easy. He lived well and played sporadically, and finally succumbed to lung cancer at 52, surprised to find that it was lungs and not his liver that gave out first. His last concert was with the Brubeck family's group, and he needed a transfusion to get there. Away from Brubeck he rarely played any of the pianist's countless compositions. Perhaps he understood the value of a good accompanist: Brubeck made him sound better, much better than the "sound of a dry martini."

[BruceH]

It was also reviewed in the Wall Street Journal.