The German jazz quartet Pure Desmond was formed in 2002 with the aim of bringing the original sound of 1960s cool jazz (as exemplified by the legendary Paul Desmond) into the modern era through their own instrumental compositions and adaptations of well-known classics.

With a "less is more" ethos that leads them to focus on song melodies, the interaction between the musicians is natural and casual, resulting in an imaginative dynamic inherent in all three of their albums released to date.

This quartet consists of Lorenz Hargassner (alto sax), Johann Weiß (guitar), Christian Flohr (bass) and Sebastian Deufel (drums). The band has toured Europe, Russia and Asia.

In 2018, the group founded their own label, Major Music, and released the CD 'Audrey', which told the love story of Paul Desmond and Audrey Hepburn. Their new CD tackles themes of the world's most beloved and well-known secret agent, James Bond aka 007. The quote “I think I had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to sound like a dry martini” by saxophonist Paul Desmond (of the Dave Brubeck quartet) inspired them to follow and further develop that musical style.

The eleven film themes here were given an instrumental jazzy approach, which perfectly matched the glamor of those films. The world famous 'The James Bond Theme' from 'Dr. No' opens, followed by 'From Russia with Love' that floats on a light-footed samba. 'We Have all the Time in the World' was sung by Louis Armstrong at the time, and is the next track.

Madonna's ‘Die Another Day’ sounds almost unrecognizable, after which ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ sounds a bit faster than the original. Gladys Knight's 'Licence To Kill' gets a bit more up-tempo, followed by 'Nobody Does It Better' from 'The Spy Who Loved Me', on a cool bossa nova beat.

'You Know My Name' from 'Casino Royale' follows, while 'Tomorrow Never Dies' has been transformed into a jazz ballad. 'No Time To Die' is another ballad and 'You Only Live Twice' is the soft, romantic closing track.

A nice alternative for those who want to listen to the well-known film themes in a different, jazzy way!



 
   
  

 

Tracks:


1 The James Bond Theme
2 From Russia with Love
3 We Have all the Time in the World
4 Die Another Day
5 Diamonds Are Forever
6 Licence To Kill
7 Nobody Does It Better
8 You Know My Name
9 Tomorrow Never Dies
10 No Time To Die
11 You Only Live Twice




Pure Desmond

 


Copied with the permission of the author from culturmania.