Paul Desmond on CBC-TV, 1976; GLAD TO BE UNHAPPY the album
Takes the interlocutors two minutes of bibble to get to the Desmond interview. Recorded not long before his death in 1977.
1965 album: Glad to Be Unhappy
Desmond, alto sax; Jim Hall, guitar; Gene Wright, bass (long-term Toshiko Akiyoshi and, later, Frank Sinatra bassist Gene Cherico subs on "Poor Butterfly"); Connie Kay, drums. One of several Desmond/Hall albums, and the DBQ bassist and MJQ percussionist making for an excellent rhythm section.
Tracks:1 Glad To Be Unhappy 00:002 Poor Butterfly 05:463 Stranger In Town 13:064 A Taste Of Honey 19:345 Any Other Time 24:046 Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo 29:307 Angel Eyes 34:148 By The River Sainte Marie 40:379 All Across The City 46:5410 All Through The Night 51:28Credits:Alto Saxophone – Paul DesmondDrum – Connie KayGuitar – Jim HallBass – Eugene Wright (tracks: Except # 2), Gene Cherico (tracks: Only on # 2)
Recorded in RCA Victor's Studio "A" and Webster Hall, New York City, 1963-1964
Yeah, I am, as well, as you might gather (I hope you've heard, here or elsewhere, the interview Desmond did with Charlie Parker, those monsters of the alto). And GLAD, at least, is wildly out of print in the US, with even the used copies going for Way too much, so, even though it isn't the best Desmond/Hall album, it's nice to have some access to it. Thank you, Sergio...
Really nice. I like Desmond's stuff a lot and have some on CD, though not this one. No, he won't bend your mind with innovation and reach, but it's so mellow and integrated a sound.
Actually, his innovations were pretty solid, and he's one of the least hidebound of improvisors...I haven't heard him play the same solo on different recordings so far. He and Parker really were the brackets for what you could do on alto in the '50s...Desmond extending what Lester Young had done on tenor, most obviously. I will say that in most of the sessions as a "leader," he doesn't challenge himself as much as he does as a band member or "sideman"...
4 comments:
Great to see this as I'm a huge fan (and of Brubeck too) - thanks todd.
Yeah, I am, as well, as you might gather (I hope you've heard, here or elsewhere, the interview Desmond did with Charlie Parker, those monsters of the alto). And GLAD, at least, is wildly out of print in the US, with even the used copies going for Way too much, so, even though it isn't the best Desmond/Hall album, it's nice to have some access to it. Thank you, Sergio...
Really nice. I like Desmond's stuff a lot and have some on CD, though not this one. No, he won't bend your mind with innovation and reach, but it's so mellow and integrated a sound.
Actually, his innovations were pretty solid, and he's one of the least hidebound of improvisors...I haven't heard him play the same solo on different recordings so far. He and Parker really were the brackets for what you could do on alto in the '50s...Desmond extending what Lester Young had done on tenor, most obviously. I will say that in most of the sessions as a "leader," he doesn't challenge himself as much as he does as a band member or "sideman"...
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