Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond

by Doug Ramsey, Malcolm Harris (Editor)

Extensive biography of jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond, one of the major jazz figures of all time, written by noted jazz critic Doug Ramsey. Large format (10x11"), hard bound with dust jacket, 372 pages, 190 photos, matte paper; complete with discography of all Desmond recordings.

Genres: Music, Biography, Jazz, History

370 pages, Unknown Binding

First published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[R. David Gustafson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading for jazz fans

A well written biography of Paul Desmond, one of the great jazz voices of all time. I have followed the career of Desmond since I first saw him at Beloit College in 1954. This book made Desmond come alive to me and makes me believe that Desmond was a personal friend.

[Ned Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an alto saxophonist for 20+ years, I've been agog at the sound achieved by Paul Desmond for decades. now. His technique -- flawless. I knew him mainly through is work with Dave Brubeck and that had been my touchstone in assuring I had plenty of Desmond in my music library. This book helped me find even more and gave me a sense of whether or not it could be slotted along the continuum of his best stuff. Discovering his last work with his Canadian quartet was perhaps the most rewarding discovery. Learning more about his life and dedication to music was what I sought. Learning of his alcoholism and cigarette addiction, saddened. At least it wasn't the cliche'd heroin addiction, I suppose. The story of his Audrey Hepburn jones is worth the price of admission. The Kindle formatting of this book is more than a little confusing, but knowing it was published as a table-top book helps the reader puzzle it out. From what I know and can tell, this is well-researched and sufficiently deep, but not stultifyingly so. Very satisfying; glad I found it. Highly recommended.

[Ken Dryden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read numerous jazz biographies and Doug Ramsey's portrait of his friend Paul Desmond is among the very best. Ramsey was a veteran television journalist as well as being a prolific jazz journalist for decades. The print version of this book has been unavailable for several years, so expect to pay a hefty price for it if you can locate a copy.

[Jim Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of jazz, especially for Desmond and Brubeck Quartet fans. Author Doug Tamsey brings to light many interesting facts about this unique and wonderful artist.

[Steve Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up the alto sax after a 22 year break and became fascinated with jazz alto players from the 30s-60s. Paul Desmond has one of the most unique voices on the instrument, and reading this book was a fantastic deep dive into all things Paul Desmond. There's lots of great source material from Desmond's letters and writings. This is a musician that I wish I could sit down and have a few cocktails with at a dark and quiet NYC watering hole. Really glad I found this book. It kept me inspired while transcribing one of his solos.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, the perfect biography of a musician should include plenty of illustrations, musical scores, interviews with acquaintances, a deep discography, notes, and an index. This volume includes all of these, and was written about one of the most gifted, funny and mysterious jazz musicians. I wanted more when I finished, but I suspect the author has been so thorough in his research that there isn't much more that could be included. Mr. Ramsey: maybe you'd consider writing a similar volume about the late jazz guitarist Jim Hall?

[John Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, lavishly illustrated in-depth biography of a great jazz saxophonist. Only kvetch is for Ramsey's penchant for reproducing many of Desmonds letters in toto--and these suckers were long! A bit of overkill, but thankfully he did reporduce Desomnd's only published piece of writing, the hilarious "How Jazz Came to Orange County." That's one that I didn't skin over....

[F.C. Etier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watch for my review at:

http://technorati.com/entertainment/m...

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intimate portrait of the musician and private man. Ramsey has done his homework to uncover the truths about the secretive Desmond.