The greatest moment of
Paul Gonsalves' musical career occurred at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival when, to bridge the gap between "Diminuendo in Blue" and "Crescendo in Blue,"
Duke Ellington urged him to take a long solo, egging him on through 27 exciting choruses that almost caused a riot. That well-publicized episode resulted in
Ellington having a major "comeback," and
Gonsalves forever earning
Ellington's gratitude.
Gonsalves had already earned a strong reputation during his stints with
Count Basie (1946-1949) and
the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra (1949-1950). Joining
Ellington in 1950,
Gonsalves' warm breathy tone and harmonically advanced solos were a constant fixture for 24 years (except for a brief time in 1953 when he was with
Tommy Dorsey) and he was well-featured up until his death, just ten days before
Ellington passed on. In addition to his countless number of recorded performances with
Ellington,
Gonsalves led dates of his own on an occasional basis, including for Argo, Jazzland, Impulse (highlighted by a combative meeting with
Sonny Stitt), Storyville, Black Lion, and Fantasy. ~ Scott Yanow