Desmond Blue

Desmond Blue
Desmond Blue
Studio album by Paul Desmond
Released	1962
Recorded	September 13 & 28 and October 2, 1961
Venue	Webster Hall, New York City
Genre	Jazz
Length	48:52
Label	RCA Victor LPM 2438
Producer	George Avakian
Paul Desmond chronology

Desmond Blue is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond featuring performances recorded in 1961 which were released on the RCA Victor label. The album was Desmond's first for the label, and was produced by George Avakian, who had worked with Desmond at Columbia Records (when Desmond was recorded as part of the Dave Brubeck Quartet). Avakian left Columbia in 1958 to join the brand new Warner Bros. Records, where he produced Desmond's previous album, First Place Again. Joining RCA in 1960, Avakian once again recruited Desmond to his label, and he produced all six of the albums Desmond recorded for RCA as a leader. Desmond Blue was also the first Desmond solo album to feature the saxophonist in an orchestral setting. Desmond returned to the orchestral format later in the decade, when he signed with CTI Records and recorded Summertime.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	^[5]

Allmusic awarded the album 4 stars stating "The tone of the album: lush, reflective, thought-provoking, and soul-stirring. This work is quite a plus for any listener and especially those who consider themselves avid fans of Paul Desmond".^[4]

Track listing[]

All compositions by Paul Desmond except where noted.

"My Funny Valentine" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 3:53
"Desmond Blue" – 3:42
"Then I'll Be Tired of You" (Arthur Schwartz, Yip Harburg) – 4:08
"I've Got You Under My Skin" (Cole Porter) – 4:41
"Late Lament" – 4:11
"I Should Care" (Axel Stordahl, Paul Weston, Sammy Cahn) – 3:52
"Like Someone in Love" (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) – 4:13
"Ill Wind" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) – 3:52
"Body and Soul" (Johnny Green, Frank Eyton, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour) – 4:51

Note

Recorded at Webster Hall in New York City on September 13, 1961 (track 1), September 28, 1961 (tracks 5-7) and October 2, 1961 (tracks 2-4, 8 & 9).

Personnel[]

Paul Desmond – alto saxophone
Albert Richman – French horn (tracks 1-4, 8 & 9)
Phil Bodner (tracks 5-7), Robert Doty (track 1), George Marge (track 1), Romeo Penque (tracks 2-9), Stan Webb (tracks 2-4, 8 & 9) – woodwinds
Gloria Agostini (tracks 2-9), Eugene Bianco (track 1) – harp
Jim Hall – guitar
Gene Cherico (track 1), Milt Hinton (tracks 2-9) – bass
Connie Kay (track 1), Bobby Thomas (tracks 2-9) – drums
Unidentified string section conducted by Bob Prince

References[]

^ Paul Desmond Catalog accessed February 29, 2016
^ Paul Desmond Discography Part Three: 1960-1969 Archived 2016-03-24 at the Wayback Machine accessed February 29, 2016
^ Berry, S. Jim Hall discography Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine accessed February 29, 2016
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Haney, Shawn M.. Desmond Blue – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 368. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.

[Desmond_discography-1] Paul Desmond Catalog accessed February 29, 2016

[2] Paul Desmond Discography Part Three: 1960-1969 Archived 2016-03-24 at the Wayback Machine accessed February 29, 2016

[3] Berry, S. Jim Hall discography Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine accessed February 29, 2016

[Allmusic-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b Haney, Shawn M.. Desmond Blue – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved February 29, 2016.

[Penguin-5] Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 368. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.

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