Paul Desmond Take Ten 1963

Artists collaborate. They work together, they help each other sound better. They produce something greater than the sum of its parts. They expand each other.

There are moments when this occurs in such a profound way, in such a deep, meaningful, transcendent way, that the outcome is fluid perfection.

There are few better examples of this kind of synergistic wedding of like minds than the work of Paul Desmond and Jim Hall. Desmond's alto sax and Hall's guitar breathe the same air. They dance together flawlessly, and without seeming to require any effort.

This pairing, and the quartet in which it worked, with Connie Kay on drums and several different bass players, lasted only from 1963 to 1965 and produced four records in their day. This one, the first, is a fine place to hear what they could do.