''Take Ten'' is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonist

Paul Desmond Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer, best known for his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for composing that group's biggest hit, " Take Five". He ...

featuring performances recorded in 1963 which were released on the

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Ar ...

label with cover art by

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

. Paul Desmond Catalog
accessed February 29, 2016Berry, S

accessed February 29, 2016

Background

''Take Ten'' was the first small-group jazz album Desmond released as a solo artist under a contract with RCA records. His initial RCA releases were an album featuring him alongside a string orchestra (1961's

Desmond Blue ''Desmond Blue'' is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond released in 1962 and was his first LP for RCA Victor. The album was produced by George Avakian, who had worked with Desmond at Columbia Records (when Desmond was re ...

), and a small-group session co-lead with Gerry Mulligan (1962's

Two of a Mind ''Two of a Mind'' is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonists Paul Desmond and Gerry Mulligan featuring performances recorded in 1962 which were released on the RCA Victor label.

). With ''Take Ten'', Desmond continued a partnership with guitarist Jim Hall that had begun with the 1959 quartet album

First Place Again ''First Place Again'' is the second album led by American jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond. The album was recorded in September 1959 and released on the Warner Bros. label.

for Warner Bros. records. In the time between the earlier quartet record with Hall and ''Take Ten'', Desmond (as part of

The Dave Brubeck Quartet David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

) had a huge popular hit in 1961 with his composition "

Take Five "Take Five" is a jazz standard composed by saxophonist Paul Desmond and originally recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet for their album ''Time Out'' at Columbia Records' 30th Street Studios in New York City on July 1, 1959. Two years later it b ...

". "Take Five" was recorded in 1959 for the Brubeck Quartet's

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

album, but only became a hit after the 1961

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

release. ''Take Ten's'' title track was a 5/4 jazz composition similar to "Take Five" in terms of rhythm, chord structure, and melody. The ''Take Ten'' album also reflected the popularity of another early-1960s

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

U.S. jazz hit, 1962's "Desafinado" recording by jazz saxophonist

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre o ...

. "Desafinado" marked the beginning of the bossa nova craze in North America. The Dave Brubeck Quartet (featuring Desmond) recorded

Bossa Nova U.S.A. '' Bossa Nova U.S.A. '' is a studio album released by the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1963 by Columbia originally in the United States as LP record CS 8798 (stereo) and CL 1998 (mono) and in England as SBPG 62127. It was also released by CBS in Aust ...

in the fall of 1962, following the popularity of "Desafinado". ''Take Ten'' was Desmond's first solo album to incorporate bossa nova. Desmond continued to explore bossa nova in his next album, 1964's

Bossa Antigua ''Bossa Antigua'' is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond featuring performances recorded in 1964 which were released on the RCA Victor label.

Reception

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

awarded the album 4½ stars stating "There is not a single track here that isn't loaded with ingeniously worked out, always melodic ideas".

Track listing

All compositions by Paul Desmond except where noted. # "Take Ten" – 3:11 # "El Prince" – 3:38 # "

Alone Together Alone Together may refer to: Music Albums * ''Alone Together'' (Benny Carter album), 1956 * ''Alone Together'' (Tony Bennett album), 1961 * ''Alone Together'' (Dave Mason album), 1970 * ''Alone Together'' (Ron Carter and Jim Hall album), 1972 ...

" (

Arthur Schwartz Arthur Schwartz (November 25, 1900 – September 3, 1984) was an American composer and film producer, widely noted for his songwriting collaborations with Howard Dietz. Biography Early life Schwartz was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on Nov ...

Howard Dietz Howard Dietz (September 8, 1896 – July 30, 1983) was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist, best remembered for his songwriting collaboration with Arthur Schwartz. Biography Dietz was born in New York City. He attended Columbia Co ...

) – 6:52 # "Embarcadero" – 4:07 # " Theme from "Black Orpheus"" (

Luiz Bonfá Luiz Floriano Bonfá (17 October 1922 – 12 January 2001) was a Brazilian guitarist and composer. He was best known for the music he composed for the film ''Black Orpheus''. Biography Luiz Floriano Bonfá was born on October 17, 1922, in R ...

Antônio Maria Antônio Maria de Araújo Morais, known as Antônio Maria (17 March 1921—15 October 1964), was a Brazilian writer of pop music lyrics as well as radio sports commentator, poet, composer, and chronicler.Luiz Artur Ferraretto, ''E o rádio? : no ...

) – 4:14 # "

Nancy (with the Laughing Face) "Nancy (with the Laughing Face)" is a song composed in 1942 by Jimmy Van Heusen, with lyrics by Phil Silvers, called, originally, "Bessie (With The Laughing Face)". It was originally recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1944. Many, perhaps most, people—i ...

" (

Jimmy Van Heusen James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Life and car ...

Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly sixty years. Silvers achieved major popu ...

) – 6:05 # "Samba de Orfeu" (Bonfá, Maria) – 4:29 # "

The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else) "The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)" is a popular song composed by Isham Jones with lyrics by Gus Kahn. The song was recorded by Isham Jones' Orchestra on December 21, 1923, at Brunswick Studios in New York City, and published on January ...

" (

Isham Jones Isham Edgar Jones (January 31, 1894 – October 19, 1956) was an American bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter. Career Jones was born in Coalton, Ohio, United States, to a musical and mining family. His father, Richard Isham Jone ...

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including "Pretty Baby", " Ain't We Got Fun?", " Carolina in the Morning", " Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Go ...

) – 5:37 :''CD 2000 reissue only'': #

"Out of Nowhere" – 6:54 # "Embarcadero" (Alternate Take) – 4:53 # "El Prince" (Alternate Take) - 5:35 Note *Recorded at Webster Hall in New York City on June 5, 1963 (track 8), June 10, 1963 (tracks 5 & 7). June 12, 1963 (tracks 2 & 3), June 14, 1963 (tracks 4 & 6) and June 25, 1963 (track 1).

Personnel

– alto saxophone * Jim Hall –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

Gene Cherico Eugene Valentino Cherico (April 15, 1935, Buffalo, New York – August 12, 1994, Santa Monica, California) was an American jazz double-bassist. Cherico played drums as a child and played in a special services band in the Army, but injured his ha ...

(tracks 2-8, 10, 11),

Eugene Wright Eugene Joseph Wright (May 29, 1923 – December 30, 2020) was an American jazz bassist who was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Career Wright was a cornetist at high school and led the 16-piece band Dukes of Swing in his 20s. He was large ...

(track 1),

George Duvivier George Duvivier (August 17, 1920 – July 11, 1985) was an American jazz double-bassist. Biography Duvivier was born in New York City, the son of Leon V. Duvivier and Ismay Blakely Duvivier. He attended the Conservatory of Music and Art, where ...

(track 9) –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

Connie Kay Conrad Henry Kirnon (April 27, 1927 – November 30, 1994) known professionally as Connie Kay, was an American jazz and R&B drummer, who was a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Self-taught on drums, he began performing in Los Angeles in the mid ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

References

{{Authority control Paul Desmond albums 1963 albums RCA Records albums Albums produced by George Avakian