Bickert proves himself Desmond’s peer, applying his flawless tone and chordings to rich, surprising harmonies on “Emily” (three times) and a March 29 performance of Jobim’s “Meditation”-which also proves a tour de force for Thompson, who then outdoes himself on October 30’s “Let’s Get Away From It All.” This last is from the McConnell dates, which might well be the most vital of the bunch. (Valve trombonist Rob McConnell sits in for two nights in October.) The saxophonist is at the top of his game, effortlessly swinging on two versions of “Tangerine,” four of “Line for Lyons,” and two remarkable workouts of his most evergreen “Take Five” that Desmond stretches into long meditations with a Middle Eastern flavor. During both Bourbon Street residencies, Desmond leads the same locally staffed quartet: Thompson, guitarist Ed Bickert, and drummer Jerry Fuller. To be clear, the music on The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings is superb. It’s one of several facets to this collection that make no sense.
On the first page of the set’s notes, we are informed that Toronto bassist and recording engineer Don Thompson recorded Desmond’s quartet in March, October, and November, yet the last month is absent from this “complete” package. It comprises seven discs of live recordings from iconic alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and his quartet across 11 nights at Toronto’s Bourbon Street: four in March 1975 and seven in October. Every Mosaic Records release is for the niche jazz obsessive, but The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings is both more niche and more obsessive than most.
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