An email from a UK friend was the first thing I read when I turned the machine on this morning. I think we feel these particular things more because these few, unique people were such a seminal influence at a critical time in our lives – musical or otherwise. I felt the same when Humphrey Lyttelton went. I had read about it and was suitably sad – then I ran into the jazz critic of the local paper (about my age) at the local pub and we were both standing at the bar blubbing – very un-English!
Sad news – he seemed immortal - and I suppose ethereally he is.
When I first heard him in the early 60s, with Take Five etc., he was pretty universally reviled by the jazz establishment – didn’t swing, too commercial, gimmicky but weird time. Then he committed the cardinal sin of being the first jazz man on the cover of Time. I guess longevity brings forgiveness – certainly I hope it will in my case! - as it did with Stephane Grappelli.
Possibly because of that critical drubbing, I was never a big fan then – I was more into Horace Silver and Cannonball Adderley – but since I’ve come to the music much more, partly of course because of Desmond.
One point not mentioned in any of the obits I’ve read is that he was part native American (as we must write in these PC times) on his father’s side (his mother's family was from Cornwall UK) - I’m sure there’s a PhD waiting for a thesis on the influence of Native Americans in jazz.
If my favourite tenor sound is the great Ben Webster, then for alto it’s a close run thing between Johnnie Hodges and Paul Desmond – a bit of a contrast you would agree. Desmond once said he was trying to sound like a dry martini – I’m more at the Tetley’s ale end of the sound/booze spectrum but I’ll keep trying. I spoke to a musician who had worked with Desmond when he toured Australia after the Quartet days and he told me that Desmond played the hardest reeds he could find and there was a constant spray from around the mouthpiece. Backing Desmond must have been like being in the front row at a Sir Les Patterson show.
I’m sure many of you have seen the attached but just in case . . . .