Live at The Village Vanguard

Dexter Gordon - Homecoming: Live at the Village Vanguard (1977) {2CD Set, Columbia C2K 46824 rel 1990}
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© 1977, 1990 Columbia / CBS Records | C2K 46824
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

The acclaim that met Dexter Gordon when he returned to the United States after 14 years in Europe was completely unexpected. Not only did the jazz critics praise the great tenor but there were literally lines of young fans waiting to see his performances. This double CD, recorded during his historic first American tour, improved on the original double LP with the inclusion of previously unreleased versions of "Fried Bananas" and "Body and Soul." Gordon – in a quintet with trumpeter Woody Shaw, pianist Ronnie Mathews, bassist Stafford James, and drummer Louis Hayes – frequently sounds exuberant on these lengthy performances; eight of the ten songs are at least 11 minutes long. The excitement of the period can definitely be felt in this excellent music.

Put the force of McCoy Tyner, the superhuman keyboard agility of Art Tatum, and the delicacy of Erroll Garner into a 6-foot-4 Cuban-born frame, and you'll get Jesus "Chucho" Valdes, one of the greatest piano players on the planet. For three decades, Valdes led the Cuban superband Irakere, with Paquito D'Rivera and Arturo Sandoval. But in the last few years, Valdes has been spotlighting his pianistic prowess in small combos such as the quartet he led during a spirited stint at the legendary Village Vanguard in 1999. Backed by a young group of Cuban musicians–drummer Raul Pineda Roque, percussionist Roberto Vizcaino Guillot, and bassist Franciso Rubio Pampin–Valdes turns the piano into a hurricane of melody, harmony and rhythm.

The second recording by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra is the equal of the first. Most memorable here are "Little Pixie," Fats Waller's "Willow Tree," and particularly, the spirited "Don't Git Sassy." With arrangements by Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer and Garnett Brown, and an all-star cast that includes trumpeters Snooky Young, Marvin Stamm and Richard Gene Williams, valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, the reeds of Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, Joe Farrell, Eddie Daniels and Pepper Adams (all of whom solo), pianist Roland Hanna and bassist Richard Davis, among others, this was one of the great big bands.