MUSICIAN

Paul Desmond

1924 - 1977

Photo of Paul Desmond

Icon of person Paul Desmond

Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer and proponent of cool jazz. He was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet and composed the group's biggest hit, "Take Five". The song remains the best-selling jazz song of all time. In addition to his work with Brubeck, he led several groups and collaborated with Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Jim Hall, and Ed Bickert. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Paul Desmond is the 460th most popular musician (down from 330th in 2019), the 2,694th most popular biography from United States (down from 1,846th in 2019) and the 136th most popular American Musician.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Paul Desmond by language

Loading...

Among MUSICIANS

Among musicians, Paul Desmond ranks 460 out of 3,175Before him are Carl Tausig, Scott McKenzie, David Crosby, Maurice André, Theodor Leschetizky, and Alan Menken. After him are Alexander Siloti, Milton Nascimento, Buddy Rich, The Game, Avril Lavigne, and Menahem Pressler.

Most Popular Musicians in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1924, Paul Desmond ranks 119Before him are Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, 16th Karmapa, Jean Girault, Jozef Tomko, Shirley Chisholm, Marina Berti, and Neville Marriner. After him are Raymond Barre, Rik Van Steenbergen, Hidemaro Watanabe, Priscilla Pointer, Motoo Kimura, and Machiko Kyō. Among people deceased in 1977, Paul Desmond ranks 69Before him are Eduard Roschmann, Marien Ngouabi, Tom Pryce, Takeo Kurita, Carlos Pace, and Edmund Veesenmayer. After him are Bruno Streckenbach, Prince Charles of Luxembourg, Jean Duvieusart, Nathan Homer Knorr, Zózimo, and John Edensor Littlewood.

Others Born in 1924

Go to all Rankings

Others Deceased in 1977

Go to all Rankings

In United States

Among people born in United States, Paul Desmond ranks 2,694 out of 20,380Before him are Sinbad (1956), Michael Walzer (1935), John Schneider (1960), Harry Connick Jr. (1967), William Petersen (1953), and Cus D'Amato (1908). After him are J. Allen Hynek (1910), Dean Smith (1931), Chazz Palminteri (1952), Stella Adler (1901), Arthur D. Levinson (1950), and Reinhold Niebuhr (1892).

Among MUSICIANS In United States

Among musicians born in United States, Paul Desmond ranks 136Before him are Floyd Westerman (1936), Robert Trujillo (1964), Billy Gibbons (1949), Scott McKenzie (1939), David Crosby (1941), and Alan Menken (1949). After him are Buddy Rich (1917), The Game (1979), Bo Diddley (1928), Bobby McFerrin (1950), Tito Jackson (1953), and Dexter Gordon (1923).