Biography of Paul Desmond

Alto sax. No one's done more with the short-breath approach than Paul Desmond. Desmond studied clarinet in high school and college and joined Dave Brubeck's octet in 1948, where he stayed until 1950. He left, and then came back to the regular group from 1951-1967, returning often in the last decade of his life for tours. Desmond was emphatic and appealing in his own way and could swing, despite the shortness of his lines. He was among the top players on alto in the early 50s, using the upper harmonics of the instrument. Desmond, who is a superb imporviser, is a prime example of the "cool" sax approach of Lester Young and Benny Carter. He has a lovely luminous tone. His best recordings are with Gerry Mulligan and Jim Hall. ~ Ron Wynn & Michael Erlewine