"A Swingin' Affair" by Dexter Gordon on Blue Note BLP 4133

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Long Tall Dexter in his prime.

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My favorite Long Tall Dexter albums to date are ”One Flight Up”, ”Go” and this one. It sounds so good. The cymbals are very bright and the overall detail is superb. The volume is off the charts on this one as well, so I had to turn it down a bit, and that’s a good thing. Cut very hot I can imagine. This kind of sound on a jazz record just makes the whole experience so much sweeter, and you get really engaged when listening. Compared to when an album is poorly recorded or in not so great shape, the difference is staggering.

Great personell on this one with Dexter joined by Sonny Clark, Butch Warren and Billy Higgins.

I love that Billie Holidays ”Don’t Explain” is featured here cause it’s one of my favorite jazz ballads and Dexter was such a master of playing the ballad. His interpretation is so beautiful, sad, bittersweet and it’s probably my favorite tune on the album. Another one I enjoy a lot is the infectious Butch Warren penned ”The Backbone”.

All in all a lovely album which you should check out if you haven’t already.

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"Go" by Dexter Gordon on Blue Note BLP 4112

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A bonafide classic has finally arrived on the shelf.

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At last this gem is on the shelf. Took forever and a day to secure this one. I’ve had opportunities to acquire it through the years. Several copies have passed by me but I never pulled the trigger. Crazy to think about that now, as I’m listening to this lovely album. What a great session, and of course, such a classic. This is one of those albums that needs to be in a jazz collection. I have plenty of those kind of titles that I haven’t secured yet for one reason or another. Blue Train is one of them. I’ve always looked for a NY23 copy but that is out of reach now price-wise, and I’m not willing to pay that kind of money just to have NY23 on the labels, so a W63 copy will have to do. Hopefully, at some point when the opportunity presents itself, fingers crossed.

So happy to have been able to acquire this copy of “Go” which is in absolutely pristine shape. So in that respect I’m glad I waited this long to add it to the collection. That I waited for this particular copy, cause it’s perfect. I bought this copy from a new contact who contacted me through this blog. Awesome guy and his grading was on point. He has some more great stuff that I will be looking to purchase from him as well.

Love Dexter Gordon and I’m still exploring his stuff. I have an original of “One Flight Up”, which is an amazing album, but there are so many more great titles by him. I’ll be on the lookout for those.

Favorite Dexter album? This title has to be quite high on most peoples list I could imagine. Have your say in the comments folks.

Hope that you are all doing great and that you are enjoying your collections. I’m looking forward to moving now to the new house and setting up the new listening space. Only a few months left. Cheers!

"One Flight Up" by Dexter Gordon on Blue Note 4176

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Another superb Reid Miles cover design. Highly recommended album.

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This is actually my first album with Dexter Gordon as a leader and it’s a great one. Been after a couple of Dexter albums before, “Go” for example, but never pulled the trigger. So I’m happy to have added this title to the collection. Recorded in 1964 in Paris. Gordon lived in Europe for an extended period of time. The album features fellow Americans Donald Byrd on trumpet, Kenny Drew on piano and Art Taylor on drums. The double bass is played by Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and he’s Danish.

The over 18 minute long tune “Tanya” kicks off the album and it’s nothing short of superb. Very bluesy, swaying, and contains a wonderful solo by Gordon. He just plays from the heart and it seems to last forever. Very nice. Byrd then plays an inspiring solo as well. The two other tunes are great too. Gordon was a master when it came to playing the ballad and shows that here on the sweet “Darn That Dream“. Beautiful stuff.

Haven’t focused a lot on Dexter Gordon in the past. I’ve listened a bit to his albums but not much at all. One Flight Up really leaves me with a sense that I want to explore Gordon a lot more in depth. All of his Blue Note releases first and foremost maybe. I’ve listened to some of them and they are very enjoyable.

Question: Maybe you can give me some hot tips on some of your favorite Dexter Gordon albums?

Been on a real Blue Note kick lately and I’m happy to have been able to add several new titles to the collection. Some really good stuff in the 4000 series. And a landmark title in the 1500 series as well. Stay tuned for those. Have several albums from other labels as well that I haven’t posted, and I’ll maybe try and mix them in between all the new Blue Notes.

Summer is a beautiful season here in Sweden and the warmth and sunshine is really making life a bit easier. Vacation time is coming up soon as well so it’s all good. Have a great rest of the week, cheers!