Paul Gonsalves

American jazz tenor saxophone player.

Born: 12 July 1920 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Died: 14 May 1974 in London, England, UK (aged 53).

Gonsalves joined Count Basie's band in 1946, was briefly in Dizzy Gillespie's big band of 1949-1950 before joining Duke Ellington to replace Ben Webster.

The long improvation on "Diminuendo And Crescendo in Blue" at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956 marked his breakthrough, and the beginning of a comeback for Ellington's orchestra as a whole. Gonsalves stayed with Ellington for the rest of his career, but also recorded prolifically as a soloist with other groups and as a leader.

As leader of the Paul Gonsalves Quartet, album "Boom-Jackie-Boom-Chick" (1964) is regarded by some as one of the great British jazz albums of the 1960s, where his talented saxophone performance is highly apparent.

He also recorded or featured on many other great releases (including many of friend and colleague Duke Ellington, who's band career he helped revive around 1957), from the early 1950s until his death in 1974 (just nine days before Ellington himself died; who was never told of Gonsalves death).

Father of Brainstorm (5) band member Renell Gonsalves.