Originally from Shreveport, LA, Jordon Dixon is my kind of tenor sax player. He’s got a tone that is built like a ’49 Buick, made to last and filling the room. No tricks, no gimmicks, just a filet mignon beefy sound that is filled with the soul of a Baptist preacher. This album with a core team of him with Allyn Johnson/p-key, Herman Burney/b, Carrol V. Dashiell III/dr and guest JS Williams/tp is a throwback to the days of Tenor Titan albums on Fantasy by the likes of Arnett Cobb and Jimmy Forrest.
His big sound is oozing with blues with Johnson at the keys on an aggressively smoky “Notes From The Nook” while he relaxes like a Barca Lounger for the easy swing of “Way Too Serious” and “Lee Lee Dee.” With Johnson at the piano, Dixon is as warm as an autumn sunset on the ballad “We Kin” and is lush on the dramatic aria during the glorious title track. Burney’s rich bass line guides the way for a lyrical Williams to join in for a languid “Flame and Fiction” and the team gets into a funky foot stomper for “Fake Flowers.” If this team heads to the West Coast, will someone please let me know?