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In case you didn’t know, the tenor sax did not begin with John Coltrane and end with Michael Brecker. There is a vast history of this horn that is not only presently underappreciated and ignored, but it’s ignorance is leading to an entire generation of saxists that think cacophony and screaming denotes playing the sax. In actuality, there is a Holy Trinity who laid down the foundation of jazz sax playing, namely Coleman Hawkins (who invented the genre with sophisticated harmonics), Lester Young (who’s linear cool and breathy tone inspired a gazillion boppers) and Ben Webster (who’s big fat tone eventually created the R&B genre and Texas Tenor style). These three boxed sets are by the gents who first played in the wake of the Jazz Mt Rushmore, creating a swinging yet bopping style that needs to be re-discovered and imbibed.
Arguably the first bebopping tenor, Dexter Gordon had a multi-layered career. This 12 disc collection finds him in his early rambunctious big toned bopping days, then dropping out for “personal” reasons before returning to Blue Note Records with a vengeance, cleaned out and rejuvenated, putting out a series of classic sessions.
The early fifties find Long Tall Dexter in big and bold form, bopping with confidence on pieces like “Dexter Digs In”, “Daddy Plays The Horn” and “Dexter Rides Again”. A head to head tenor meeting with fellow neo-bopper Wardell Gray in front of an enthusiastic crowd resulted in the classic “Chase” and “The Steeplechase” while another live “jam” in Los Angeles resulted in the electrifying “Disorder At The Border” and “The Hunt” which as Gordon throwing out riffs like they were penny candy.
After detoxing, Gordon signed with Blue Note for his renaissance of albums Doin’ Alright, Dexter Calling, Go! and A Swingin’ Affair. The first one, with a glorious Freddie Hubbard, included a glorious “You’ve Changed” and “Society Red”. Gordon’s big tone fills the room on “Smile” and the Desert Island Disc Go!, every song is a textbook lesson on how to bop like a man, from the tasty “Cheese Cake” to agonizing “I Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry” and the muscular “Second Balcony Jump” , with the followup featuring “Soy Califa” not far behind. No one, and I mean NO ONE, had a sound as big as Dexter Gordon. You can feel it.
Teddy Edwards was a contemporary of Gordon, and did many a jam session in LA with him and Gray. These four discs cover the waterfront of his output from 1947-1962 as both leader and sideman.
His earliest works have him in a bopping 1947 quintet session that produced one of his classic pieces “Blues In Teddy’s Flat” while the next year, an LA-based session resulted in boppers like “Bird Legs”, “Billies Bounce” and a lovely and lithe “Body and Soul”. Fast forward ten years, and he’s teamed with pianist Les McCann for vintage bop on “Frankly Speaking” and “Lover Come Back To Me. His best known composition, “Sunset Eyes”, is the title of his grooving 1960 session with fellow Angelenos Billy Higgins/dr, Leroy Vinnegar/p, Joe Castro and Ronnie Ball, while the followup is just as strong, featuring Edwards throwing out more licks than a Tootsie Roll pop on “Blues in G” and grooving high on “The Sermon” and “Scrapple From The Apple” . Next year, 1961 has him still in LA with pianist Phineas Newborn in a quartet setting that results in the soulful “Good Gravy” and a hard hitting “On Green Dolphin Street”. A reunion with 40s bopper Howard McGhee along with a hip rhythm section mixing standards like “Misty” with originals such as “Together Again”. A timeless tenor.
Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis honed his skills in the more swing style of Ben Webster, with a tone as thick as the San Francisco fog. After leaving his stint with Count Basie, he went out on his own and released a slew of classic albums on Prestige, all which are included here. 1958 has him in a classic sax/organ combo with Shirley Scott, blowing smoke rings on “Have Horn, Will Blow” and “In The Kitchen”. Again with Scott, we get an album that features a bel canto “I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart” and sly “Too Close For Comfort”. Davish did a trio of Cookbooks, again with Scott in a mellow tone on the churchy “The Rev” and greasy “The Skillet” for one album and bringing in Jerome Richardson’s woodwinds on “Heat ‘n’ Serve” and the cooking “Simmerin’”. Davis and Scott go to orbit on a relentless “Intermission Riff” and bounce through “Our Delight”. Percussionists Ray Baretto and Luis Perez add salsa to the next release, with tasty treats on ”That Old Black Magic’ and “Last Train From Overbrook”
A summit meeting with tenor saxists Buddy Tate, Coleman Hawkins and Arnett Cobb is heavenly sent with everyone getting a chance to shine in a velvety front line and fun soloing on “Lester Leaps In” and “Foot Pattin’”. Also of unique interest is the last album here, which as Davis in a 13 piece big band arranged by Oliver Nelson and includes ringers like Eric Dolphy and Clark Terry. Lockjaw is jaw dropping on “You Are Too Beautiful” and shows how to run like a locomotive on “Trane Whistle”. THIS IS A TENOR SAX!