Over the weekend, a friend of mine was in town. He's a pianist and we talked about playing jazz and trying to be independent musicians, etc. (he was actually stopping through New York on his first union gig--a two week tour of Taiwan). I pulled out "Our Man In Paris" by Dexter Gordon and we listened to it for a bit. I've transcribed all of Dexter's playing, wrote some of it down, so we were ...
While many people love Dexter Gordon's "Ballads" album, this is it for me. I transcribed every note he plays, and he just tears up every song. Kenny Clarke plays off Gordon like they share a brain, and while this was towards the end of Bud Powell's career, he still plays a mean comping role.On several tunes, including the opener "Scrapple From The Apple," Gordon begins his solo by repeating j...
Dexter Gordon was one of the top ballad players of the '60s. Having already made his name in the bebop era and as an expatriate in Europe, Gordon returned to the States to record a series of fine Blue Note discs during the first half of the decade. This edition of the label's Ballads series features Gordon at his peak and in the company of some of hard bop's best players. Gordon delivers his al...
Dexter Gordon had such a colorful and eventful life (with three separate comebacks) that his story would make a great Hollywood movie. The top tenor saxophonist to emerge during the bop era and possessor of his own distinctive sound, Gordon sometimes was longwinded and quoted excessively from other songs, but he created a large body of superior work and could battle nearly anyone successfully at a
Dexter Gordon had such a colorful and eventful life (with three separate comebacks) that his story would make a great Hollywood movie. The top tenor saxophonist to emerge during the bop era and possessor of his own distinctive sound, Gordon sometimes was longwinded and quoted excessively from other songs, but he created a large body of superior work and could battle nearly anyone successfully a...
Saxophonist Dexter Gordon played with jumping energy when he was a young man. He became a majestic performer as he aged. 1963 was a wonderful year in which to make Dexter's acquaintance. He moved to Europe, settled in Copenhagen, and played all over the continent. Before the move, he could hardly work in the US.He recorded the "Our Man In Paris" album with Kenny Clarke and Bud Powell, one of ...