Birth name Paul Gonsalves Years active 1938–1974 Genres Jazz
Swing
Bebop Name Paul Gonsalves | Role Saxophonist Instruments Tenor Saxophone | |
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Born July 12, 1920 ( 1920-07-12 ) Origin Brockton, Massachusetts, US Died May 15, 1974, London, United Kingdom Movies Jazz Icons: Duke Ellington: Live in '58, The Intimate Duke Ellington Albums Ellington at Newport, Cookin', Tell It the Way It Is!, Humming Bird, Love Calls | ||
Occupation(s) Musician – Woodwinds | ||
Duke ellington paul gonsalves crescendo diminuendo in blue
Paul Gonsalves ((1920-07-12)July 12, 1920 – (1974-05-15)May 15, 1974) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist best known for his association with Duke Ellington. At the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, Gonsalves played a 27-chorus solo in the middle of Ellington's "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue", a performance credited with revitalizing Ellington's waning career in the 1950s.
Contents
- Duke ellington paul gonsalves crescendo diminuendo in blue
- A Famous Solo by Paul Gonsalves
- Biography
- As leaderco leader
- As sideman
- References
A Famous Solo by Paul Gonsalves
Biography
Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, to Cape Verdean parents, Gonsalves' first instrument was the guitar, and as a child he was regularly asked to play Cape Verdean folk songs for his family. He grew up in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and played as a member of the Sabby Lewis Orchestra. His first professional engagement in Boston was with the same group on tenor saxophone, in which he played before and after his military service during World War II. Before joining Duke Ellington's orchestra in 1950, he had also played in big bands led by Count Basie (1947–1949) and Dizzy Gillespie (1949–1950).
At the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, Gonsalves' solo in Ellington's song "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" went through 27 choruses; the publicity from this performance is credited with reviving Ellington's career. The performance is captured on the album Ellington at Newport. Gonsalves was a featured soloist in numerous Ellingtonian settings. He received the nickname "The Strolling Violins" from Ellington for playing solos while walking through the crowd.
Gonsalves died in London a few days before Duke Ellington's death, after a lifetime of addiction to alcohol and narcotics. Mercer Ellington refused to tell Duke of the passing of Gonsalves, fearing the shock might further accelerate his father's decline. Ellington and Gonsalves, along with trombonist Tyree Glenn, lay side-by-side in the same New York funeral home for a period of time.
Gonsalves is buried at the Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.
As leader/co-leader
As sideman
With Duke Ellington
With Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
With Johnny Hodges
With John Lewis
With Billy Taylor
With Clark Terry
With Jimmy Woode