Paul Desmond

Paul Desmond
Desmond c. 1962
Background information
Birth name	Paul Emil Breitenfeld
Born	(1924-11-25)November 25, 1924 San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died	May 30, 1977(1977-05-30) (aged 52) New York City, U.S.
Genres	Cool jazz West Coast jazz mainstream jazz
Occupations	Musician composer arranger
Instruments	Alto saxophone clarinet
Years active	1940s–1977
Labels	Columbia RCA Victor Horizon CTI
Formerly of	The Dave Brubeck Quartet

Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977)^[1] was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer and proponent of cool jazz. He was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet^[2] and composed the group's biggest hit, "Take Five". The song remains the best-selling jazz song of all time.

In addition to his work with Brubeck, he led several groups and collaborated with Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Jim Hall, and Ed Bickert. After years of chain smoking and poor health, Desmond succumbed to lung cancer in 1977 after a tour with Brubeck.