Please note this is an old page and Fly Global Music has now moved. Please follow this link and search for the entry in the new site.

Dexter Gordon’s tenor sax was more associated with classic jazz labels Savoy Jazz, Blue Note and Prestige in the 60s and 70s that Elektra but even that he was looked upon as an elder statesmen being a major inspiration for upstarts including Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane.

Gordon’s distinctive style included the oft copied habit of quoting themes from other songs in solos (in the opener here, ‘Jumpin’ Blues’ he slips in a bit of the ‘Here Comes The Bride’ theme) but thankfully, that’s the only one I spotted.

Perhaps the he was thinking about Church services as this line-up includes the magic organ of Shirley Scott? She shines on this recording as much as Gordon, (produced by Michael Cuscuna) but there’s also Grover Washington, Jr. on soprano sax (who was then a solo recording star in his own right) plus David Eubanks (bass), Eddie Gladden (drums), Kirk Lightsey (piano).

Whether he knew it or not this his ‘Acid Jazz’ period as the original album was released in 1982 being part of a late-period American renaissance enjoyed by Gordon who had spent 15 years in Europe before the much lauded return to the New York club scene in the mid 1970s.

Even so, cool bossa boogie of ‘Besame Mucho’, the blues of ‘For Soul Sister’ and ‘Sticky Wicket’ need to be brought back and re-assessed with this justified reissued as part of the Warner Jazz Elektra Masters series.

Even if Gordon was approaching his 60th year at the time of the recording and now some 20 years after his passing American Classic is proof that this ‘old man’ was still hip and definitely wasn’t square (and the mid-80s saw him play the staring roll is the French ‘jazz tribute’ film Round Midnight).

And once you’ve got into this one, it’d be worth checking out those early Blue Note’s, the debut Doin’ Allright (with Freddie Hubbard and Horace Parlan), Go! (with Sonny Clark and Billy Higgins), and One Flight Up (with Donald Byrd and Kenny Drew); it’s part of your Jazz Chronicles education.

The CD ends with a short interview with Gordon (“Bebop is the music of the future”) with excellent booklet sleeve notes by leading jazz expert Kevin Le Grand; an excellent re-issue that gets better with every listen (or should that be with age?)

Reviewed: Dexter Gordon - American Classic (Elektra Masters) Cat. No. 8122-799811-7 Release date: 17th May 2010
Tracklisting:
1 Jumpin’ Blues (6:43)
2 Besame Mucho (6:29)
3 For Soul Sister (9:38)
4 Sticky Wicket (7:20)
5 Skylark (12:39)
6 An Interview WIth Dexter Gordon (2:02)

Links:
www.dextergordon.com (Born: February 27, 1923 // Los Angeles, CA, Died: April 26, 1990 // Philadelphia, PA, United States)
5th June 2010 - Simon S, Martin Gordon & Gerry Hectic : Jazz Chronicles @ Sixty Million Postcards, Bournemouth 3 to 8pm www.sixtymillionpostcards.com