DEXTER GORDON - MILESTONES OF A JAZZ LEGEND (10 CDS)

The American tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon (1923 - 1990) was the first important representative of his instrument on the bebop scene around Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Bud Powell in the 1940s. He began his remarkable career with the orchestra of Lionel Hampton, one of the most popular bands of the time, as a seventeen-year-old, where he played in the saxophone section next to Illinois Jacquet and Marshal Royal.
This was followed by stints with Louis Armstrong and Fletcher Henderson, proving that the transition from swing to bebop was evolutionary in nature. Parker, Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, Miles Davis, Fats Navarro, Art Blakey and, of course, Dexter Gordon were hired by singer Billy Eckstine for his big band, and the duels that Dexter’s rousing tenor sax fought with that of Gene Ammons were one of the band's main attractions, forerunners of Dexter Gordon’s celebrated duets and "chases" with Wardell Gray.

After appearing on albums with Dizzy Gillespie, Gordon made his own recordings for labels such as Savoy and Dial, where he was able to develop his own style, largely influenced by Lester Young, alongside great accompanists. Comparing these recordings with those Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane made nearly a decade later, makes it clear just how dominant Dexter’s influence was.
"The Resurgence of Dexter Gordon" finally ushered in his comeback in 1959. It was followed by other albums of the highest level, as you can hear here.

CD 1

■ Dexter Rides Again
1. Dexter's Riff (Dexter Gordon) 2.47
2. Settin' The Pace - Part 1 & Part 2 (Gordon) 5.55
3. So Easy (Gordon) 3.44
4. Long, Tall, Dexter (Gordon) 3.03
5. Dexter Rides Again (Gordon) 3.18
6. I Can't Escape From You (Robbin, Whiting) 3.18
7. Dexter Digs In (Gordon) 3.00
8. Dexter's Minor Mad (Gordon) 2.45
9. Blow Mr. Dexter (Gordon) 3.00
10. Dexter's Deck (Gordon) 2.54
11. Dexter's Cuttin Out (Gordon) 3.09 Dexter Gordon (ts) Leonard Hawkins (tp: 4 to 7) Leo Parker (brs: 1 to 3) Tadd Dameron (p: 1 to 3) Bud Powell (p: 4 to 7) Sadik Hakim (p: 8 to 11) Curly Russell (b: 1 to 7) Gene Ramey (b: 8 to 11) Art Blakey (drs: 1 to 3) Max Roach (drs: 4 to 7)
Eddie Nicholson (drs: 8 to 11)
Recorded in New York City on December 11, 1947 (1 to 3), January 29, 1946 (4-7)
and October 30, 1945 ((8 to 11)

■ Dexter Gordon
12. Blues Bikini (Gordon) 3.40
13. Lullaby In Rhythm (Goodman, Sampson, Hersh, Profit) 3.05
14. Chromatic Aberration (Gordon) 3.07
15. Mischievous Lady (Gordon) 2.49
16. Ghost Of A Chance (Gideon, Grey, Cliff) 3.05 17. Sweet And Lovely (Arheim, Tobias, Lemare) 2.52
18. Horning In (Gordon) 7.34
Dexter Gordon (ts) Melba Liston (tb: 12 to
15) Teddy Edwards (ts: 16 to 18) Charlie Fox (p:12 to 15) Jimmy Rowles (p: 16 to 18)
Red Callender (b) Chuck Thompson (drs: 12 to 15) Roy Porter (drs: 16 to 18) Recorded in Hollywood, CA on June 5, 1947 (12 to 15) and December 4, 1947 (16
to 18)

Total Time 63.09

CD 2

■ Daddy Plays The Horn
1. Daddy Plays The Horn (Gordon) 9.11
2. Confirmation (C. Parker) 7.49
3. Darn That Dream (Van Heusen, DeLange) 4.18
4. Number Four (Gordon) 4.52
5. Autumn In New York (V. Duke) 6.30
6. You Can Depend On Me (Carpenter, Dunlap, Hines) 9.03

Dexter Gordon (ts) Kenny Drew (p) Leroy Vinnegar (b) Lawrence Marable (drs)
Recorded in Hollywood, CA on September 18, 1955

■ The Chase And Steeplechase
7. The Chase (Gordon) 11.36
8. The Steeplechase (C. Parker) 13.52

Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray (ts) Conte Candoli (tp) Bobby Tucker (p) Don Bagley (b) Chico Hamilton (drs) Recorded live at Pasadena, Civic Auditorium on February 2

Total Time 67.21

CD 3

■ Dexter Blows Hot And Cool
1. Silver Plated (Gordon) 4.06
2. Cry Me A River (A. Hamilton) 3.47
3. Rhythm Mad (Gordon) 4.31
4. Don't Worry About Me (Bloom, Koehler) 3.50
5. I Hear Music (Lane, Loesser) 3.41
6. Bonna Rue (Gordon) 6.58
7. I Should Care (Weston, Cahn) 2.46
8. Blowin' For Dootsie (Gordon) 5.35
9. Tenderly (Gordon) 3.34

Dexter Gordon (ts) Jimmy Robinson (tp) Carl Perkins (p)
Leroy Vinnegar (b) Chuck Thompson (drs)
Recorded November 11 & 12, 1955

■ Jazz Concert West Coast
10. Disorder At The Border (Coleman Hawkins) 19.37
11. Rocks 'N' Shoals (O. Cadena) 18.21

Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray (ts) Howard McGhee (tp:10)
Al Killian (tp:11) Trummie Young (tb) Sonny Criss (as) Barney Kessel (git) Hampton Hawes (p) Harry Babison (b: 10)
Leroy Gray (b: 11) Connie Kay (drs: 10) Ken Kennedy (drs: 11)
Recorded on July 6, 1947

Total Time 76.53

CD 4

■ Stan Levey - This Time The Drum's On Me

1. Diggin' For Diz (G. Handy) 8.36
2. Ruby My Dear (T. Monk) 3.19
3. Tune Up (Miles Davis) 5.58
4. La Chaloupee (From Tales Of Hoffman) (J. Offenbach) 5.23
5. Day In, Day Out (R. Bloom) 6.22
6. Stanley The Steamer (Gordon) 6.47
7. This Time The Drum's On Me (O. Pettiford, M. Roach) 6.25

Dexter Gordon (ts) Conte Candoli (tp) Frank Rosolino (tb) Lou Levy (p) Leroy Vinnegar (b) Stan Levey (dr)
Recorded in Los Angeles on September 27 and 28, 1955

Total Time 42.51

CD 5

■ The Resurgence of Dexter Gordon

1. Home Run (Gordon) 5.07
2. Dolo (C. Coker) 6.17
3. Lovely Lisa (C. Coker) 7.24
4. Affair In Havana (C. Coker) 7.42
5. Jodi (Gordon) 6.39
6. Field Day (C. Coker) 6.46

Dexter Gordon (ts) Martin Banks (tp) Richard Boone (tb) Charles "Dolo" Coker
(p) Charles Green (b) Lawrence Marable (drs)
Recorded in Los Angeles on October 13, 1960

■ West Coast Jazz Concert
7. Blow-Blow-Blow (L. Herman) 13.45
8. Cherry-Koke (L. Herman) 21.31

Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray (ts) Howard McGhee (tp)
Al Killian (tp:) Trummie Young (tb) Sonny Criss (as) Barney Kessel (git) Hampton Hawes (p) Harry Babison (b) Connie Kay (drs: 10)
Recorded on July 6, 1947

Total Time 75.19

CD 6

■ Doin' Allright

1. I Was Doing All Right (G. and I. Gershwin) 9.24
2. You've Changed (Carey, Fisher) 7.30
3. For Regulars Only (D. Gordon) 5.48
4. Society Red (D. Gordon) 12.25
5. It's You Or No One (Styne, Cahn) 6.18

Dexter Gordon (ts) Freddie Hubbard (tp) Horace Parlan (p)
George Tucker (b) Al Harewood (drs) Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on May 6, 1961

■ Dexter Calling
6. Soul Sister (Gordon) 7.45
7. Modal Mood (K. Drew) 5.24
8. I Want More (Gordon) 5.20
9. The End Of A Love Affair (E. C. Redding) 6.54
10. Clear The Dex (K. Drew) 4.54
11. Ernie's Tune (Gordon) 4.17
12. Smile (Chaplin, Parsons, Turner) 3.25

Dexter Gordon (ts) Kenny Drew (p) Paul Chambers (b) Philly Joe Jones (drs) Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on May 9, 1961

Total Time 79.25

CD 7

■ Go!
1. Cheese Cake (Gordon) 6.35
2. I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry (Cahn, Styne) 5.23
3. Second Balcony Jump (Eckstine, Valentine) 7.07
4. Love For Sale (C. Porter) 7.40
5. Where Are You (McHugh, Adamson) 5.21
6. Three O'Clock In The Morning (Robledo, Terriss) 5.41

Dexter Gordon (ts) Sonny Clark (p) Butch Warren (b) Billy Higgins (drs) Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on August 27, 1962

■ A Swingin' Affair
7. Soy Califa (Gordon)

8. Don't Explain (A. Herzog, B. Holiday) 6.04
9. You Stepped Out Of A Dream (G. Kahn, N. H. Brown) 6.34
10. The Backbone (Butch Warren) 6.49
11. Until The Real Thing Comes Along (Nichols, Freeman, Holiner, Cahn, Chaplin) 6.49
12. McSplivens (Gordon) 5.46

Dexter Gordon (ts) Sonny Clark (p) Butch Warren (b) Billy Higgins (drs) Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on August 29, 1962

CD 8

■ Pony Poindexter - Pony's Express
1. Catin Latin (Pony Poindexter) 4.16
2. Salt Peanuts (Kenny Clarke, Dizzy Gillespie) 3.40
3. Skylark (Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer) 3.45
4. Struttin' With Some Barbecue (Lil Hardin Armstrong, Don Raye) 5.34
5. Blue (Gildo Mahones) 5.31
6. "B" Frequency (Teo Macero) 1.41
7. Mickey Mouse March (Jimmie Dodd) 3.07
8. Basin Street Blues (Spencer Williams) 3.45
9. Pony's Express (Pony Poindexter) 2.21
10. Lanyop (Pony Poindexter) 9.40
11. Artistry In Rhythm (Stan Kenton) 2.14

Dexter Gordon (ts: 1, 2, 4, 9, 11) Pony
Poindexter (ss: 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11)
Pony Poindexter, Sonny Red (as: 3, 5, 6,
7, 8, 10),
Eric Dolphy (as: 6, 10) Gene Quill (as: 1,
2, 4, 9, 11), Phil Woods (as: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
7, 8, 9, 11),
Billy Mitchell (ts: 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11),
Clifford Jordan (ts: 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10) Jimmy Heath (ts: 6, 10, 12)Sal Nistico (ts: 3, 5, 7, 8), Pepper Adams (brs)
Guido Mahones (p: 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11)
Tommy Flanagan (p: 3, 5, 7, 8) Ron
Carter (b: 3, 5 to 8, 10, 12),
Bill Yancy (b: 1, 2, 4, 9, 11), Charlie
Persip (drs: 1 to 5, 7 to 9, 11), Elvin
Jones (drs: 6, 10)
Recorded in New York City, in February, April and May, 1962


Total Time 45.37

CD 9

■ Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off
1. Watermelon Man (Herbie Hancock) 7.14
2. Three Bags Full (H. Hancock) 5.31
3. Empty Pockets (H. Hancock) 6.12
4. The Maze (H. Hancock) 6.50
5. Driftin' (H. Hancock) 7.01
6. Alone And I (H. Hancock) 6.29


Herbie Hancock (p) Freddie Hubbard (tp) Dexter Gordon (ts) Butch Warren (b) Billy Higgins (drs)
Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on May 28, 1962


Total Time 39.18

CD 10

■ Dexter Gordon Quintet
1. I've Found A New Baby (Palmer, Williams) 4.41
2. Rosetta (Hines, Woode) 5.08
3. Sweet Lorraine (Burwell, Parish) 4.55
4. Blowed And Gone (Edison) 4.44

Dexter Gordon (ts) Harry Edison (tp) Nat Cole (p) Johnny Miller (b) Clifford "Juicy" Owens (drs)
Recorded in Los Angeles late 1943

■ Billy Eckstine And His Orchestra
5. Blowing The Blues Away (Eckstine, Valentine) 3.09

Billy Eckstine (voc, valve tb) Dizzy Gillespie (tp) Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons (ts) Leo Parker (brs)
Connie Wainwright (git) John Malachi (p) Tommy Potter (b) Art Blakey (drs)
Recorded in NYC on December 5, 1944

■ Dizzy Gillespie Sextet
6. Groovin' High (Gillespie) 2.39
7. Blue `N' Boogie (Gillespie, Paparelli) 3.02

Dizzy Gillespie (tp) Dexter Gordon (ts) Chuck Wayne (git) Frank Paparelli (p) Murray Shipinsky (b) Shelly Manne (drs)
Recorded on NYC on February 9, 1945

■ Billy Eckstine And His Orchestra
8. Lonesome Lover Blues (Eckstine, Valentine) 2.49
9. Last Night (Eckstine) 3.03

Billy Eckstine (voc, valve tb) Fats Navarro, Gail Brockman, Marion Hazell, Shorty McConnell (tp) Budd Johnson, Sonny Stitt (as) Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons (ts) Leo Parker (brs) Connie Wainwright (git) John Malachi (p) Tommy Potter (b) Art Blakey (drs) Recorded in NYC on May 2, 1945

■ Dexter Gordon Jam Session
10. Honeysuckle Rose (Waller, Razaf) 8.00

Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, Don Byas, Herbie Fields (ts) Stuff Smith (viol) Duke Ellington (p) Al Lucas (b) Eddie Nicholson (drs) Recorded in NYC on August 20, 1945

■ Sir Charles Thompson And His All Stars
11. Takin' Off (Thompson) 3.09
12. If I Had You (Shapiro, Campbell, Connelly) 3.04
13. Street Beat (Thompson) 2.34

Sir Charles Thompson (p) Buck Clayton (tp) Charlie Parker (as) Dexter Gordon (ts) Danny Barker (git) Jimmy Butts (b)
J.C. Heard (drs)
Recorded in NYC on September 4, 1945

■ Leo Parker's All Stars
14. Wee Dot (Jonson) 2.44
15. Lion Roars (L. Parker) 2.58

Leo Parker (brs) Joe Newman (tp) J.J. Johnson (tb) Dexter Gordon (ts) Hank Jones (p) Curley Russell (b) Shadow Wilson (drs) Recorded in NYC on December 19, 1947

■ Dexter Gordon And His Boys
16. Dexter's Mood (Gordon, Dameron) 2.54
17. Dextrose (Gordon) 2.51
18. Index (Gordon) 3.06
19. Dextivity (Gordon) 3.02

Dexter Gordon (ts) Fats Navarro (tp) Tadd Dameron (p) Nelson Boyd (b) Art Mardigan (drs)
Recorded in NYC on December 22, 1947