Dexter Gordon

[poetrylover3]

IMO, Long Tall Dexter is/was the consumate bebop tenor-fleet, melodic, inventive, instantly identifiable from the first notes, master of a broad palette of color and mood.

The clutch of 60s Blue Note Recordings alone would have secured his reputation as a musician of legendary gifts. For me "Doin' Allright" & "A Swingin' Affair" & "Our Man In Paris" are the most perfectly realized sessions of this era. From the "Doin' Allright" session I return to the Gershwin tune & Dexter's own "I Want More" most frequently. " A Swinign' Affair" is a blast from from first note to last. "Our Man In Paris"'s renditions of "Scrapple from the Apple", "Willow Weep For Me", and ESPECIALLY "Broadway" rank among the finest readings of these vehicles ever waxed.

Of the Columbia sessions, I spin "Manhattan Symphonie" & "Homecoming" most often.

Dexter was blessed to record with Freddie Hubbard & Woody Shaw both. Dexter's "Generations" & "Tangerine" are unjustly neglected gems.

I haven't even discussed the early Dexter Savoy recordings -both with and without Wardell Gray. These can be found in various anthologies including " Bopland" & the ProperBox set "Settin' THe Pace". BTW: Savoy 60th Anniversary: "Timeless" makes a fine addition to anyone's bebop collection.

[Admin]

Great post. Dexter Gordon was definitely a leader in the Bop movement. Influenced by Lester Young, Dexter went on to influence Coltrane and later be influenced by Trane.

Thanks for the post.

[muddylives]

I use to catch Dexter live at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco every time he came to town in the 1970s. It was really beautiful. Some of those concerts are captured on 3 discs that were released most recently as a Mosaic Select from Mosaic records.

[tom1960]

This could be easily placed in the Favorite Box Sets Thread: