PURE DESMOND is a German jazz quartet – sax man Lorenz Hargassner, guitarist Johann Weir, bassist Christian Flohr and drummer Sebastian Deufel. Jazz anoraks will have guessed by now that the band take their inspiration (and indeed name) from garlanded US sax man Paul Desmond. They’ll tell you that Desmond was a key part of the Dave Brubeck Quartet (indeed he wrote ‘Take Five’) while in his own right he released a slew of acclaimed albums including the 1974 CTI release, ‘Pure Desmond’ . The German band (formed in 2002) have a mission statement which (amongst other things) aims to recreate the sound of 60s cool jazz as exemplified by Paul Desmond. See if they’ve achieved that by investigating their latest long player, ‘Pure Desmond Plays James Bond Songs’.
The album is an 11 tracker and the tunes are all very familiar – classic Band themes. However, the Desmond quartet offer fresh perspectives without sacrificing any of the wonderful melodic elements that make the Bond themes so memorable. In essence that was what Paul Desmond’s work was all about – the integrity of the melody. Best example of this “respectful fresh perspective” is the take on ‘From Russia With Love’ which is given an airy samba treatment. Then there’s ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’’ which becomes a moody ballad. The original Bond theme (from ‘Dr No’) is quite transformed, almost unrecognizable till the familiar riff kicks in… ditto ‘You Only Live Twice’ (and has there ever been a sweeter Bond motif than the one here?)
‘Pure Desmond Plays James Bond Songs’ is out March 3rd via Major Music and you can catch the band on tour with the following upcoming dates…
ON TOUR IN THE UK MARCH 2023
02.03.23 MANCHESTER Matt & Phred’s
03.03.23 LONDON TBC
04.03.23 NOTTINGHAM Peggy’s Skylight
05.03.23 BATH Komedia
