His parents and sent to live for years with relatives 3000 miles away.ĭesmond came out of the Army after World War Two to struggle with uncertaintyĪnd indecision as he developed his individuality against the prevailing Troubled mother, as a young boy in San Francisco he was separated from The only son of a doting musical father and an emotionally Gary Giddins, author of Weather Bird: Jazz at the Dawn of its Second Century The telling is lyrical, funny, nostalgic, provocative, and allusive - just like a Paul Desmond solo." "This is the book Doug Ramsey was born to write: a love letter from one friend to another an appreciation by a gifted critic for a great artist a biography of a man who so methodically compartmentalized his music, life, and loves (many loves) that only a dedicated detective could tie up the strands and a history of a recent yet largely vanished musical era. His success as the alto saxophonist with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, decadesīefore he wrote "Take Five," Desmond determined that he wouldīe himself, never a disciple or an imitator, whatever the cost.
Of the most immediately recognizable sounds in all of music. Is the story of a jazz artist who transcended genres to establish one Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond The E-book version is available from Amazon for $15.00. The print version of Take Five is sold out. Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond, by Doug Ramsey, Edited and designed by Malcolm Harris, Parkside Publications