Speaking Of Desmond
Saxophonist, bandleader, arranger, composer and educator Bill Kirchner (pictured left) sent a message today about making members of a new generation aware of Paul Desmond:
This morning in my New School Jazz History class, I was discussing Herbie
Hancock. All of the students had heard “Maiden Voyage,†my planned selection. So on a whim, I went to YouTube and got upDesmond’s “Feelin’ Groovy†from his Paul Simon album. It has a wonderful Herbie solo and, of course, an equally wonderful one by Desmond (pictured right). All of the hipsters in the class, none of whom had heard this album, were enthralled. This album deserves more attention than it has received. In its own way, it’s a timeless classic. It’s too bad that Desmond, Herbie, and Ron Carter never did a live gig together.
To hear the track, go here.
As you no doubt noticed,  with “Feelin’ Groovy,” you get two Desmonds for the price of one. Thanks to Bill for reminding us of the album. And thanks to A&M, or whoever owns the rights these days, for keeping it available,  even though they wouldn’t let us embed it here.Â
Lisa Hilton
Coincidentally, as I was later auditioning recently-arrived recordings for possible review, up popped a track from pianist Lisa Hilton’s Oasis CD. It has some of the same insouciant spirit as much of Desmond’s 1969 Simon and Garfunkel album. The track is titled “Lazy Daisy.†It turned out that the entire album had a bit of that feeling, which is abetted by the bass playing of Luques Curtis and the drumming of Mark Whitfield, Jr. Only the title track is available by way of an advance internet promotional video, but it will give you the idea.
The swimmer in the video is not identified. Do you suppose?…
At any rate, Ms. Hilton’s Oasis is due for release in a week or so.
Clare Fischer
Unrelatedly, Clare Fischer’s magnificent arrangement of “America The Beautiful†from his 1967 Songs For Rainy Day Lovers keeps invading my inner mind. I’m not complaining. If you haven’t heard it in a while, maybe it’s time you did. You can listen to it here and if you need a copy of the album, you’ll find it  here. It was my intention to embed the music but, as record companies do more and more often these days, Columbia seems to have prevented bloggers from displaying even its 50-year-old wares on the web.Â
More listening in brief to come. Soon.