|
Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZGONSALVES, Paul(b 12 July '20, Boston MA; d 14 May '74, London) Tenor saxophone, also guitar; aka 'Mex'. Listened to Jimmie Lunceford, especially Duke Ellington records as a boy; played guitar at 16; gigged in Boston on tenor, infl. by Don Byas; with Count Basie '46, Dizzy Gillespie '49--50; joined Duke Ellington '50 and stayed the rest of his life except for a short stay with Tommy Dorsey '53: 'Tommy was a wonderful guy ... but musically it was atrocious' (quoted by Stanley Dance). Regarded at first as an imitator of Ben Webster, but became famous for lovely ballad playing, despite tour de force at Newport '56 (see Ellington entry). Very few own LPs incl. Cookin' '57 on Argo; Ellingtonia Moods And Blues '60 on RCA; Gettin' Together! '60 with Nat Adderley, Mexican Bandit Meets Pittsburgh Pirate '73 with Roy Eldridge, both later on Fantasy; Cleopatra Feelin' Crazy, Salt & Pepper (with Sonny Stitt) and Tell It The Way It Is all on Impulse/Jasmine UK '63; Rare Paul Gonsalves Sextet In Europe 1963 on Jazz Connoisseur label; Buenos Aires '68 on Catalyst (aka Encuentro), others made in London for EMI/Columbia, World Record Club (with Tony Coe and Tubby Hayes), Deram (with Kenny Wheeler) etc. Sessioned with Clark Terry, Dinah Washington, Ray Charles, Billy Taylor etc and with other Ellington sidemen: Inspired Abandon (with Lawrence Brown on Impulse), Just A- Sittin' And A-Rockin' (Ray Nance, Black Lion), also Meets Earl Hines on Black Lion. Solos with Ellington incl. 'Days Of Wine And Roses', 'Chelsea Bridge', 'So Little Time' in mid-'60s; recorded versions of tunes associated with Johnny Hodges: 'Warm Valley', 'Day Dream'; did 'Portrait Of Sidney Bechet' on Duke's New Orleans Suite LP '70 in sad circumstances: Hodges was to play it, but died two days earlier. He was often unreliable (drugs and drink); an incident in '73 was typical: having missed a concert the night before, he sheepishly entered the room during an Ellington master class at U of Wisconsin: they played a duet; Duke forgave him yet again. He died ten days before Ellington; Duke wasn't told. |