Customer Reviews

Desmond Blue

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This man is a genius!!! I first listened to Desmond in the Dave Brubeck's legendary Quartet. This album is a gem! His unique style united with Jim Hall's cool guitar will drive a wide musical breeze through your speakers (and they'd better be good). The strings are lush and yet very subtle (if that's possible!!!). Clearly an orchestration made with taste by Mr.Bob Prince. A top album with six extra tracks!!
What a style...

Paul Desmond was probably the greatest jazz alto sax player out there, and he recorded surprisingly little outside of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Consequently, I'm a completist and try to obtain all I can by this artist, who seldom disappoints. Desmond Blue, however, disappoints. It is the first of his five or six albums recorded with Jim Hall in the form of a quartet (the five albums, including this one, are released in the form of the superb RCA box set) and it is by far the worst. What went wrong with this album? Well, the quartet is backed by an over-powering string section. The songs seem orchestrated and downright tacky because of these strings, and they get in the way of Paul Desmond¡¦s sax playing and actually make poor Desmond sound a bit whiney. The result is an album that is actually too annoying for me to really listen to that much. If you can get past the strings, you'll hear some excellent work by Desmond and Jim Hall's beautiful guitar, but thankfully Desmond recorded enough solo material with Hall that you don't have to settle for this. You're much better off with "Take Ten" (the classic Desmond solo album) or "Easy Living" (which I actually prefer to Take Ten). These albums are just the quartet, and they really can't be beat, but this album is only for Desmond completists who love Desmond¡¦s sax playing enough that they are willing to be disappointed.

I have two copies of this LP under two different titles, both released by RCA. The original, titled "Desmond Blue", as here on the CD, I wore out. The second time around, it had been renamed (and repackaged - the cover must have looked too dated by then) "Desmond Gold". I like the arrangements by Bob Prince and I think Desmond is as well suited to a string recording as any saxman can be. I have not heard the 'bonus' tracks contained on this CD. I am rating this 4 stars because I love it - I just can't put it up there with 5 stars, since that, to me, means "greatest ever". How can the previous reviewer, who obviously dislikes the CD, give it 4 stars after thrashing it? If I do not like a recording, I give it 1 star; if I find something redeeming on a recording, I give it 2 stars; if it's good but flawed, I'll go 3 stars; if it is REALLY good, I go 4 stars. The best ever LPs, CDs are reserved for my 5 stars. Am I misinterpreting this system? I sure hope not...

Normally, I don't have much use for records of jazz players with strings. They mostly strike me as needless attempts to somehow "legitimize" the artist as a serious player with a pseudo-symphonic setting, in hopes of getting non-jazz listeners to give him some credit.

This album is a wonderful exception to the usually contrived-sounding "jazzman with strings" album, or attempt at a "mood-music" atmosphere. Rather than sounding superfluous, as strings in jazz usually do, the Bob-Prince-arranged orchestra here seems to wonderfully complement the lyrical Desmond style. The orchestrations, at least on most cuts, actually sound like some creative thought went into them.

For the listener who is uncertain, I recommend starting out by listening to "Like Someone In Love." The orchestra's up-tempo intro raises expectations of something really special, and Desmond's soloing does not disappoint. He states the melody first, with phrasing not heard in any previous version of this Jimmy VanHeusen gem. Guitarist Jim Hall provides a nice interlude in the middle, followed by some more playing by Desmond that makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck whenever I listen to it.

Nearly every other track is nice, but none quite comes up to "Like Someone in Love" for my ears. Still, I'd recommend the album, especially if you like string albums--but even if, like me, you don't usually like them.

With clean, melodic alto saxophone floating lyrically over a string orchestra's backing, "Desmond Blue(Desmond with Strings)is a wonderful showcase for one of the most tasteful instrumentalists of the West Coast "cool" jazz school. The strings never seem obtrusive; instead, the backing seems to accentuate Desmond's solos. He weaves melodically over these standards, lilting over the strings, and trading solos with the always-incredible Jim Hall's. When Hall takes the lead, his guitar work echoes Desmond's understated leads. "I Should Care" and "Late Lament"(one of two Desmond compositions) are two of the strongest offerings.

My introduction to Paul Desmond. Wow! What a hole there's been in my collection. Just love it - that so-cool yet intensely lyrical tone is simply sensational.

I'm not sure why everyone is complaining about this album. It has strings? So what. It doesn't have Brubeck? Good! The point is that its Desmond. Its good Desmond. Don't let the other reviewers fool you. It's not like its hard to press the preview button and figure out for yourself if you like it. I LOVE it.

Paul Desmond steps out from Dave Brubeck's shadow to cast his own shadow in the music world. I imagine his fellow professionals are well aware of his skills, but this album now shines in the world of the music enthusiast. This is definitely a close your eyes, lean back and enjoy album. A warm experience for the listener.

Overall a very satisfying set of pieces done in the fine Desmond manner. One or two pieces are done in a more upbeat style than Desmiond's usual style.

This is one which my dad had on LP, but which got lost in the shuffle, years after my dad passed on. I remembered it, and one day I decided to go looking... assuming I might find it on LP on Ebay. Instead, I found it in CD form, right here.

The recording quality (considering the age, particularly) is wonderful, and the music which I've been remembering for years is now right here on my portable Archos media tablet, playing as I type this! Ahhh....