JSngry Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 Yeahyeahyeah dry martini cool Suzy Parker and all that, (buuuurrrrrpppp) but consider this... 5+ minutes of an extremely cohesive thematic improvisation that just when you think he's painted himself into a corner, excuse me, corner, what corner? Math such as this only works if you are brave enough to let it, and the longer you let it work, the braver you have to be, it's so easy to look down for just a second, and then, uh-oh... Also, so glad to have found this clip, un-rechanneled, de-Crowned, whatever. And talking at the end...if this is Fresh Sounds, maybe it's a direct lift from Fantasy, which I've never heard, just heard Crown. Anyway, Paul Desmond could be a really graceful slacker, especially as time went on and he was not disincentivized to play to type. But this shit here is like Anti-Sonny Stitt Gunfighter Reversed Jazz Polarity Neutralizing Ray Energy, the kind of guy who says, ok, so you really do want to fight and the other guy says yeah, and you're such a wimp I'll give you first swing, and then the "wimp" guy just...never...throws...a...punch. Ever (unlike Lee Kontz who would go all Spider-man on your ass and web you down to the ground). And wins the fight, tough guy gets carted off in a mental-physical straightjacket and the Cool Guy goes over to the bar with and has his Suzy Parker to have the dry martini bachelor sex yeahyeahyeayyeah.No escaping that, but as location = context, it is everything. And Brubeck on this one, if he ever had a point to make (and sure he did, let's not kid ourselves), this was it. But you know, gabbagabbahey, cf CT, etc, but Paul Desmond. Just sayin' Quote
Mark Stryker Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 GREAT solo. Paul at his best, sounding more like Paul Desmond than Paul Desmond usually does. Not something I necessarily need a lot of in my life, but something I want when I need it. Thanks for posting. Quote
mjzee Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 I don't think this is from Storyville; looks like it's from this Fantasy release: Quote
colinmce Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 "I met him in Paris ... And suddenly I understood everything, because while I was talking to him I was aware of the fact that he was way over here. I mean, he was not there, in the sense that we talk of there. He had already plotted out five seconds ahead of time what he was gonna do, and you could hear that in his music. It looked like he was a very slow player, but in fact he was making very quick decisions, and because he understood his craft so well his music has this air of easiness about it, as if it's just kind of floating. But, oh, the man is very ahead, a very profound thinker. He was far ahead of what you heard: what you heard had been edited completely, only the essence remained. Desmond understood how to get to the point quicker than most players ever learn. This is a lightning-fast improviser, who understood sound logic and how to prepare the event." -Anthony Braxton Quote
HutchFan Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 Jim - Great writing, as usual. I love your soloing on Desmond's soloing. Colin - Nice quote. Do you know where that's from? An interview? Quote
colinmce Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 Yes, from Graham Lock's Forces In Motion, 1985. IMO one of the essential music books ever. One of the essential human books for that matter! Quote
HutchFan Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 Yes, from Graham Lock's Forces In Motion, 1985. IMO one of the essential music books ever. One of the essential human books for that matter! Good deal. I'm going to get that book. Thanks. Quote
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