Paul Gonsalves
Encyclopedia
Paul Gonsalves, 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
". That performance is credited with revitalizing Ellington's waning career in the 50's.
, Massachusetts
to Cape Verde
an 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 with the big bands of 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" contained 27 choruses; the publicity from which is credited with reviving Ellington's career. This 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. 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.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
tenor saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
best known for his association with Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
. At the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival
Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
, Gonsalves played a 27-chorus solo in the middle of Ellington's "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue
Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue
"Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" is a big band jazz composition written in 1937 by Duke Ellington. In its early form, the two individual pieces, "Diminuendo in Blue" and "Crescendo in Blue," were recorded on both sides of a 78 rpm record....
". That performance is credited with revitalizing Ellington's waning career in the 50's.
Biography
Born in BrocktonBrockton, Massachusetts
Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 93,810 in the 2010 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
to Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
an parents, Gonsalves' first instrument was the guitar, and as a child he was regularly asked to play Cape Verdean
Cape Verdean
Cape Verdean may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to the country of Cape Verde* A person from Cape Verde, or of Cape Verdean descent. For information about the Cape Verdean people, see Demographics of Cape Verde and Culture of Cape Verde. For specific persons, see List of Cape Verdeans.*...
folk songs for his family. He grew up in New Bedford
New Bedford
-Places:*New Bedford, Illinois*New Bedford, Massachusetts, the most populous New Bedford**New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park*New Bedford, New Jersey *New Bedford, Ohio*New Bedford, Pennsylvania...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and played as a member of the Sabby Lewis
Sabby Lewis
Sabby Lewis was a piano player and band leader.-Biography:He started taking piano lessons when he was 5, and organized his first band in Boston in 1936....
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
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Before joining Duke Ellington's orchestra in 1950, he had also played with the big bands of Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
(1947–1949) and Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
(1949–1950).
At the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival
Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
, Gonsalves' solo in Ellington's song "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" contained 27 choruses; the publicity from which is credited with reviving Ellington's career. This performance is captured on the album Ellington at Newport
Ellington at Newport
Ellington at Newport is a 1956 jazz live album by Duke Ellington and his band, recording their historic 1956 concert at the Newport Jazz Festival, a concert which revitalized Ellington's flagging career. Jazz promoter George Wein describes the 1956 concert as "the greatest performance of...
. 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
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
a few days before Duke Ellington's death. Mercer Ellington
Mercer Ellington
Mercer Kennedy Ellington was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger.Ellington was born in Washington, DC, the son of famous composer, pianist, and bandleader Duke 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
Tyree Glenn
Evan Tyree Glenn was an American trombone player.-Biography:...
, lay side-by-side in the same New York funeral home for a period of time.
As leader
- Cookin'Cookin' (Paul Gonsalves)-Track listing:# "Festival"# "Clark's Bars"# "Daddy-O's Patio"# "Blues"# "Impeccable"# "Paul's Idea"# "Phat Bach"# "Milli Terry"# "Funky"# "Girl I Call Baby"-Performers:*Paul Gonsalves - Tenor saxophone*Clark Terry - Trumpet*William Jones - Piano...
(1957, ArgoArgo RecordsArgo Records was started in December of 1955 to accommodate some of the rapidly growing recording activity at Chess Records. Originally the label was called Marterry, but bandleader Ralph Marterie objected, and within a couple of months the imprint was renamed Argo.Initially, Argo offered a...
) - Diminuendo, Crescendo and BluesDiminuendo, Crescendo and Blues (Paul Gonsalves)Diminuendo, Crescendo and Blues is an album recorded in 1958 by the C Jam All-Stars led by Paul Gonsalves.-Track listing:#"Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue"#"I Cover the Waterfront"#"C Jam Blues"#"Evad"...
(1958, RCA VictorRCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
) - Ellingtonia Moods and BluesEllingtonia Moods and Blues (Paul Gonsalves)Ellingtonia Moods and Blues is an album recorded in 1960 led by Paul Gonsalves.-Track listing:#"It's Something That You Ought to Know" #"Chocataw"#"The Line-up"#"Way, Way Back"#"Day Dream"#"I'm Beginning to See the Light"#"D.A...
(1960, RCA VictorRCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
) - Gettin' Together!Gettin' Together (Paul Gonsalves)-Track listing:#"Yesterdays" - 3.32#"J. And B. Blues"#"I Surrender, Dear"#"Hard Groove"#"Low Gravy"#"I Cover the Waterfront"#"Gettin' Together"#"Walkin"'-Performers:*Paul Gonsalves - Tenor Saxophone*Nat Adderley - Cornet...
(1961, Jazzland Records) - Tenor StuffTenor Stuff (Paul Gonsalves)Tenor Stuff is an album recorded in 1961 by Paul Gonsalves and Harold Ashby.-Track listing:#"You Came Along from Out of Nowhere"#"Swallowing the Blues"#"London Broil"#"Midnight Sun"#"Squeeze Me"#"Jeeps Blues"#"You Can Depend on Me"-Performers:...
(1961, Columbia Lansdowne JazzColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
) - with Harold AshbyHarold AshbyHarold Ashby was a jazz tenor saxophonist. He is perhaps known for his work with Duke Ellington's band and stylistic similarities with Ben Webster.He worked as a freelance musician after leaving the Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1975, and took part in various reunions of... - Tell It the Way It Is!Tell It the Way It Is! (Paul Gonsalves)Tell It the Way It Is! is an album recorded in 1963 by Paul Gonsalves.Former Duke Ellington band members Gonsalves, Johnny Hodges and Ray Nance teamed up with Swedish trumpeter Rolf Ericson and pianist Walter Bishop Jr...
(1963, ImpulseImpulse! RecordsImpulse! Records was an American jazz record label, originally established in 1960 by producer Creed Taylor as a subsidiary of ABC-Paramount Records, based in New York City...
) - Cleopatra - Feelin' JazzyCleopatra - Feelin' Jazzy (Paul Gonsalves)-Track listing:#Caesar and Cleopatra Theme#Antony and Cleopatra Theme#Bluz for Liz#Cleo's Blues#Action in Alexandria#Cleo's Asp#Cleopatra's Lament'#Second Chance -Performers:...
(1963, ImpulseImpulse! RecordsImpulse! Records was an American jazz record label, originally established in 1960 by producer Creed Taylor as a subsidiary of ABC-Paramount Records, based in New York City...
) - Salt and PepperSalt and Pepper (Paul Gonsalves)Salt and Pepper is an album by Sonny Stitt and Paul Gonsalves released in 1963 on Impulse!. It was Stitt's second and last effort for the label, after Now!, recorded and released the same year.-Track listing:#"Salt and Pepper" - 7:52#"S'posin" - 6:21...
(1963, ImpulseImpulse! RecordsImpulse! Records was an American jazz record label, originally established in 1960 by producer Creed Taylor as a subsidiary of ABC-Paramount Records, based in New York City...
) - with Sonny StittSonny StittEdward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime... - Rare Paul Gonsalves Sextet in Europe (1963, Jazz Connoisseur)
- Boom-Jackie-Boom-ChickBoom-Jackie-Boom-Chick (Paul Gonsalves)Boom-Jackie-Boom-Chick is an album recorded in 1964 by Paul Gonsalves.-Track listing:#Boom Jackie Boom Chick#I Should Care#Village Blues#If I Should Loose You#Poor Butterfly#Blue P.G.#You Are Too Beautiful#Taboo...
(1964, VocalionVocalion RecordsVocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
) - Just Friends (1965, Columbia EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
) - with Tubby HayesTubby HayesEdward Brian "Tubby" Hayes was an English jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his tenor saxophone playing in groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and with trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest British jazz instrumentalists.- Early life :Hayes was born... - Change of Setting (1965, World Record ClubWorld Record ClubThe World Record Club Ltd. was the name of a company in the United Kingdom which issued long-playing records and reel to reel tapes, mainly of classical music and jazz, through a membership mail-order system during the 1950s and 1960s....
) - with Tubby HayesTubby HayesEdward Brian "Tubby" Hayes was an English jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his tenor saxophone playing in groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and with trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest British jazz instrumentalists.- Early life :Hayes was born... - Jazz Till Midnight (1967, StoryvilleStoryville RecordsStoryville Records is a large international record label based in Copenhagen, Denmark, specializing in jazz and blues music. Besides its original material, Storyville Records has licensed and reissued many vintage jazz recordings that previously appeared on such labels as Paramount Records,...
) - Love Calls (1967, RCARCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
) - with Eddie Lockjaw Davis - EncuentroEncuentro (Paul Gonsalves)Encuentro is an album recorded in Argentina in 1968 by Paul Gonsalves.-Track listing:#Perdido#I Cover The Waterfront#Blues For B. A.#St...
(1968, Fresh SoundFresh SoundFresh Sound, or Fresh Sound New Talent, is a Spanish jazz label based in Barcelona, specializing in American jazz music.Fresh Sound was founded in 1983 as a reissue label for 1950s jazz...
) - With the Swingers and the Four Bones (1969, Riviera)
- Humming BirdHumming Bird (Paul Gonsalves)Humming Bird is an album recorded in 1970 by Paul Gonsalves.-Track listing:#"Humming Bird"#"Body and Soul"#"What Is There To Stay"#"It's the Talk of the Town"#"All The Things You Are"#"Sticks"#"X. O...
(1970, DeramDeram RecordsDeram Records was a subsidiary record label established in 1966 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom. At this time U.K. Decca was a completely different company than the Decca label in the United States, which was then owned by MCA Inc. Deram recordings were also distributed in the U.S. through...
) - Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin' (1970, Black LionBlack Lion RecordsBlack Lion Records was a jazz record label based in London, England.Black Lion was founded by Alan Bates in 1968. The label had two series of releases, one for British jazz musicians and one for international musicians...
) - Paul Gonsalves and his All Stars (1970, Riviera)
- Paul Gonsalves Meets Earl Hines (1970, Black LionBlack Lion RecordsBlack Lion Records was a jazz record label based in London, England.Black Lion was founded by Alan Bates in 1968. The label had two series of releases, one for British jazz musicians and one for international musicians...
) - Mexican Bandit Meets Pittsburgh Pirate (1973, FantasyFantasy RecordsFantasy Records is a United States-based record label that was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record-pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label...
) - Paul Gonsalves Paul Quinichette (1974)