Dexter Gordon

Dexter Gordon - Take The 'A' Train (1967) {Black Lion BLCD760133 rel 1989}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 455 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 161 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 24 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1967, 1989 Black Lion Records / Phonoco | BLCD760133
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Saxophone

During a two-day period (July 20-21, 1967) tenor-saxophonist Dexter Gordon and his quartet (pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Niels Pederson and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath) recorded enough music to fill up three CDs, all of which have been released by the English Black Lion label. Four of the six standards on this hard-swinging set ("But Not for me," "Take the 'A' Train," "Blues Walk" and "Love for Sale") are over ten minutes long while the other two ("For All We Know" and "I Guess I'll Have to Hang My Tears out to Dry" are a little more concise). Throughout, Dexter Gordon is in consistently creative form, making this CD well worth getting by his fans.

Dexter Gordon - Round Midnight (1986) {Columbia–Legacy 507924 2 rel 2002}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 377 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 154 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 13 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1986, 2002 Columbia / Legacy / Sony Music | 507924 2
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Stage & Screen / Saxophone

After seeing "Round Midnight," I knew I had to buy the soundtrack, and if you too have seen the movie, you know what I mean. All the recordings on here were recorded live for the movie, which gives it a great intimate feeling. At the same time, the sound quality on this particular CD is surprisingly good.

Dexter Gordon - The Other Side Of Round Midnight (1986) {Blue Note ‎CDP 7 46397 2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 271 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 123 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 22 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1986 Blue Note ‎| CDP 7 46397 2
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Stage & Screen / Saxophone

Long before it became de rigeur to release multiple soundtracks for a single film, Columbia allowed Blue Note to release The Other Side of Round Midnight under Gordon's name. The additional album offers more music from the film, including Gordon's sole performance on soprano sax, "Tivoli" - incidentally the only track in the score not played by the same musicians seen in the film - and further outtakes that breathe the same heady atmosphere.

Veteran tenor Dexter Gordon and altoist Jackie McLean teamed up for a few club dates in 1973 and the results have been released on two Steeple Chase albums; the other one is The Meeting. Unlike the earlier release which focused on lesser-known material, The Source features the saxophonists on three jazz standards (Miles Davis's "Half Nelson," "I Can't Get Started" and Charlie Parker's "Another Hair-Do") in addition to reviving Dexter Gordon's 1947 composition "Dexter Digs In." The music is a bit loose and long-winded ("Half Nelson" is over 18 minutes long) but recommended to straightahead jazz fans.

As one of the great tenors to emerge from Los Angeles' Central Avenue scene of the 1940s, Dexter Gordon led a colorful and eventful, sometimes tragic life that included three triumphant comebacks in a four-plus-decade career. Gordon was the top tenor saxophonist during the bop era and possessed his own distinctive sound, he created a large body of superior work and could successfully battle nearly anyone at a jam session. His years as a leader and co-leader at Dial, Savoy, and especially Blue Note as with 1961's Doin' Alright, 1962's Go!, and 1963's Our Man in Paris, were enough to make him a legend. Living in Europe for more than a dozen years, he recorded equally fine albums for Prestige, Steeplechase, and other labels, and his return to the U.S. resulted in several classic later-career releases, including 1977's Homecoming: Live at the Village Vanguard and 1979's Sophisticated Giant.

Dexter Gordon - Live At The Montmartre Jazzhus (1967) {3CD Set, Black Lion BL7606-2 rel 1996}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.18 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 516 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 72 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1967, 1996 Black Lion Records | BLCD 07606
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Saxophone

Three Dexter Gordon CD's (which are also available separately) are housed in this particular Black Lion box. The music included on Both Sides Of Midnight, Body And Soul and Take The 'A' Train were performed live during a two-day period at the legendary Copenhagen club Montmartre by the veteran tenor with pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Niels Pederson and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath. The 15 standards (including two versions of "Blues Walk") find Dexter in typically exuberant form, stretching out (only two numbers are under 8 1/2 minutes) and sounding quite relaxed even at the more rapid tempoes. Gordon's many fans will want this music in one form or another.

Although tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon seemed to have been largely forgotten in the U.S. during his long residence in Europe, he was playing in prime form during the period and made occasional trips back to America. On this CD reissue, Gordon teams up with pianist Wynton Kelly (one of his last recordings), bassist Sam Jones and drummer Roy Brooks for an obscure original ("Evergreenish"), "The Jumpin' Blues," the veteran ballad "For Sentimental Reasons" and three songs that were long a part of Gordon's repertoire: "Star Eyes," "Rhythm-A-Ning" and "If You Could See Me Now." Dexter Gordon is in fine form on the excellent straightahead bop set.

Dexter Gordon's return Stateside resulted in the tenor participating in his first studio sessions in nearly a decade. Not only would his April 1969 confab with James Moody (tenor sax), Barry Harris (piano), Buster Williams (bass), and Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums) yield this long player, but its predecessor/companion Tower of Power! as well. Things get off to a hectic start with both Moody and Gordon front and center on Tadd Dameron's "Lady Bird." Things get a bit overwhelming as the two tenors go horn-to-horn with Miles Davis' "Half Nelson" thrown into the mix. Otherwise, it is a fun rendition that finds Gordon quoting Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" within his extended extemporaneous leads. Moody then counters in an exceedingly soulful manner…