Genius in one of its purest forms!
Paul Desmond's alto sax was honed to perfection by the time of these recordings – worked out through fame in the Dave Brubeck Quartet years of the late 50s and early 60s, but also relaxed in a confidence that makes these sides completely majestic, and utterly fantastic!
Desmond's tone and approach are languid – but in a way that's incredibly compelling: notes just floating out of the horn, almost effortlessly, seeming not to come from
Desmond himself, but to him, gathered together by his warmth and good wit, honed in further by the spare and gentle guitar work of the great Jim Hall – and heard in the company of Gerry Mulligan on one album too! The package is great – with mini LP-styled cover reproductions of 60s RCA classics that include
Desmond Blue, Take Ten, Bossa Antigua, Glad To Be Unhappy, Easy Living, and Two Of A Mind – with a booklet of notes, too.