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Paul Desmond was born on November the 25th, 1924 - San Francisco, California. He led a remarkable life and was hailed as one of the best Alto Sax players of his time. For seventeen years he was the lead soloist in the most commercially successful jazz band ever: the Dave Brubeck Quartet. He was special as an artist in that he carved his own sound instead of imitating or covering other artists. In a time that Charlie Parker’s bebop style was most popular, Paul Desmond was equally worshipped for his pure and gentle alto sax tone and the “elegant lyricism of his improvisations.” He claimed his tone imitated a “dry martini” and both fans and critics adored it. He won jazz poll after jazz poll, he said “I have won several prizes as the worlds slowest alto player, as well as a special award in 1961 for quietness.” Brubeck and Desmond had very different styles, but they played together exceptionally well. Desmond’s melodic solos contrasted the pol