Paul Desmond

As quoted by Desmond.....

"I play a Selmer alto and a Gregory 4A-18M mouthpiece, both circa 1951, and Ricco 3 1\2 reeds."

-- Paul Desmond, January, 1976

As quoted by Desmond.....

"I play a Selmer alto and a Gregory 4A-18M mouthpiece, both circa 1951, and Ricco 3 1\2 reeds."

-- Paul Desmond, January, 1976

As quoted by Desmond.....

"I play a Selmer alto and a Gregory 4A-18M mouthpiece, both circa 1951, and Ricco 3 1\2 reeds."

-- Paul Desmond, January, 1976 Notice: Rico reeds have changed over the years, and a 3.5 today may not be the same as a 3.5 50-60 years ago

At 3:01 in this January 1954 interview on John McLellan's The Top Shelf, Desmond identifies an excerpt of Vingt-cinq exercices journaliers pour le saxophone in one of Charlie Parker's records. Below is a transcript—checked against those of Carl Woideck, Bob Reynolds and Robert O'Meally—of the moment (which begins at 2:03):

Desmond: Another thing that’s been a major factor in your playing is this fantastic technique that nobody’s quite equaled and I always wondered about that, too, whether there was... whether that came behind practicing or whether that was just from playing, whether it evolved gradually.

Parker: Well, um, you make it so hard for me to answer, you know, because I can’t see where there’s anything fantastic about it at all. I put quite a bit of study into the horn, that’s true.

Desmond: Mm-hm.

Parker: In fact, the neighbors threatened to ask my mother to move once when we were living out West, I mean... They said I was driving 'em crazy with the horn. I used to put in at least eleven, from eleven to fifteen hours a day.

Desmond: Yeah that's, that’s what I wondered.

Parker: Well that’s true, yes. I did that for over a period of three or four years.

Desmond: Oh, yeah. I guess that’s the answer.

Parker: That’s the facts, anyway. (chuckles)

Desmond: I heard a record o' yours a couple of months ago that somehow I've missed up to date and I heard a little two-bar quote from the Klosé book that was like an echo from home.

Parker: Ooh?

Desmond: (Scatting) Doot doo-doo-doo dit doot dit doot dit dit-doot-doo dit dit doo...

Parker: Yeah, yeah. Well that was all done with books, you know. Naturally, it wasn’t done with mirrors, this time it was done with books.

Desmond: Now that's, that's very reassuring to hear because somehow I got the idea that you were just sort of born with that technique and you never had to worry too much about... keepin' it working.

McLellan: You know, I’m very glad that he’s bringing up this point because I think a lot of young musicians tend to think that...

Desmond: Yeah, they do. They just go out…

McLellan: ...that it isn’t necessary to do this.

Desmond: ...go out and make those sessions and live the life, but they don’t put in that eleven hours a day with any of the books.

Parker: Oh, definitely, study is absolutely necessary, in all forms. It’s just like any talent that’s born within somebody, it’s just like a good pair of shoes when you put a shine on it, you know? Like, schooling brings out the polish, you know, of any talent that happens anywhere in the world. Einstein had schooling, but he has a definite genius, you know, within himself. Schooling is one of the most wonderful things there’s ever been, you know.