Paul Desmond - The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings [2020] (7 x CDs)

SUNDAY JAZZ

PAUL DESMOND

Paul Desmond - The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings [2020] (7 x CDs)

Issued as a limited, numbered edition by Mosaic Records, this 2020 release gathers the entirety of Desmond’s quartet performances across eleven nights. The lineup is remarkable: Paul Desmond (alto saxophone), Ed Bickert (guitar, except Disc 6), Don Thompson (bass, also serving as recording engineer), and Jerry Fuller (drums). On Disc 6, trombonist Rob McConnell joins, adding a brass counterpoint to Desmond’s feather‑light tone. Thompson’s four‑channel rig preserved the sessions with unusual clarity, and for this set he returned to the original analog tapes to remix them, ensuring audiophile fidelity Mosaic Records.

The repertoire is a collector’s dream: standards like Too Marvelous for Words, Line for Lyons, Emily, Just Squeeze Me, Autumn Leaves, and Desmond’s own immortal Take Five appear in multiple interpretations. Each disc documents the quartet’s evolving interplay, with Desmond’s lyrical phrasing floating over Bickert’s understated guitar voicings and Thompson’s supple bass lines. Fuller’s drumming provides a subtle rhythmic cushion, never intrusive but always propulsive.

Beyond the music, the box set includes an extensive booklet featuring essays by journalist and Desmond biographer Doug Ramsey, plus photographs by Bernie Senensky and Ron Hudson from the Toronto performances and the Monterey Jazz Festival. These contextual materials deepen the sense of historical preservation, situating Desmond’s late‑career artistry within a broader narrative.

For collectors, the significance is twofold, first, this is the most complete documentation of Desmond’s post‑Brubeck years, showing his artistry in intimate club settings rather than concert halls. Second, the Mosaic edition is strictly limited, making it a sought‑after archival artifact. The set underscores Desmond’s legacy not only as the composer of Take Five but as a master of cool jazz whose tone remained velvety and lyrical until the end.

In summary, The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings is both a musical testament and a collector’s cornerstone, preserving Desmond’s final great live statements with meticulous care. (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Paul Desmond - Too Marvelous for Words 8:02

02 Paul Desmond - Line for Lyons 9:04

03 Paul Desmond - Emily 9:37

04 Paul Desmond - It Could Happen to You 7:42

05 Paul Desmond - Just Squeeze Me 9:05

06 Paul Desmond - I Wish I Knew 8:23

07 Paul Desmond - I Should Care 8:41

08 Paul Desmond - Audrey 8:35

CD2

01 Paul Desmond - Just Squeeze Me 8:42

02 Paul Desmond - Meditation 10:55

03 Paul Desmond - Tangerine 9:42

04 Paul Desmond - Darn That Dream 12:12

05 Paul Desmond - Nuages 10:35

06 Paul Desmond - Like Someone in Love 9:49

07 Paul Desmond - Things Ain't What They Used to Be 11:17

CD3

01 Paul Desmond - Line for Lyons 7:39

02 Paul Desmond - Wendy 11:17

03 Paul Desmond - Too Marvelous for Words 6:52

04 Paul Desmond - When Sunny Gets Blue 11:47

05 Paul Desmond - Audrey 9:39

06 Paul Desmond - Darn That Dream 10:56

07 Paul Desmond - Take Five 7:00

CD4

01 Paul Desmond - Tangerine 7:46

02 Paul Desmond - Wave 12:46

03 Paul Desmond - It Could Happen to You 9:47

04 Paul Desmond - Emily 8:53

05 Paul Desmond - Line for Lyons 8:21

06 Paul Desmond - When Sunny Gets Blue 12:41

07 Paul Desmond - Things Ain't What They Used to Be 10:07

CD5

01 Paul Desmond - I've Got You Under My Skin 10:44

02 Paul Desmond - Just Squeeze Me 9:53

03 Paul Desmond - All the Things You Are 9:07

04 Paul Desmond - Autumn Leaves 8:51

05 Paul Desmond - Wave 10:24

06 Paul Desmond - Nuages 9:06

07 Paul Desmond - East of the Sun 6:21

CD6

01 Paul Desmond - Let's Get Away from it All 11:54

02 Paul Desmond - Line for Lyons 12:20

03 Paul Desmond - Just Squeeze Me 11:18

04 Paul Desmond - My Funny Valentine 8:33

05 Paul Desmond - Mean to Me 12:18

06 Paul Desmond - Wendy 11:49

07 Paul Desmond - Things Ain't What They Used to Be 9:36

CD7

01 Paul Desmond - Wendy 7:34

02 Paul Desmond - Wave 11:39

03 Paul Desmond - Things Ain't What They Used to Be 9:08

04 Paul Desmond - Nancy 9:50

05 Paul Desmond - Manha de Carnaval 9:39

06 Paul Desmond - Here's That Rainy Day 7:26

07 Paul Desmond - My Funny Valentine 10:44

08 Paul Desmond - Take Five 7:23

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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