Blogfinger Jazz Corner: Bringing the Ultimate Sound to Ocean Grove. August 6, 2023 by Blogfinger PAUL DESMOND (1924-1977) was a great jazz alto sax player who came out of the West Coast cool jazz scene. He was most famous for playing with the Dave Brubeck quartet. Desmond had a unique tone. It was very light, minimalist, and melodic. As an alto sax player myself, I always admired him. He played a Selmer (French) alto like mine, so I felt a sort of kinship and always tried to emulate his sound.