If you want to know what a bebop tenor sounds like, start with the guy who invented it. Dexter Gordon took the linear ideas and legato delivery of Lester Young and melded it with the big tone of Coleman Hawkins to essentially create the language of the bebop tenor sax. This 4 disc set has 8 essential albums that show the trajectory of not only Dexter Gordon, but of jazz itself, as it features him at the height of his powers.
He finally recovered from his drug problems and incarceration and hit the ground running on his collection of Blue Note albums from 1960-64
The earliest recordings here are with bebop pioneers Leo Parker/bs, Tadd Dameron-Bud Powell/p, Max Roach-Art Blakey/dr, Gene Ramey-Curley Russell/b for festive and frenetic pieces like “Dexter’s Riff”, “Long Tall Dexter” and “Blow Mr. Dexter”. In 1947, Gordon was teamed up with fellow tenor saxist Warell Greay for a studio take of “The Chase” which eventually turned into a marathon blowing session at Gene Norman’s Just Jazz concerts. The marathon piece, coupled with “The Steeplechase” is the Quntessential “tenor battle” and is not to be missed.
In 1960 Gordon bounces back first with Martin Banks/tp, Richard Boone/tb, Charles Coker/dr, Charles Green/b Rene Thomas/g and Larance Marable/dr and composer Dolo Coker/p for some of the latter’s compositions in “Dolo” and “Affair In Havana”.Soon after, Gordon hit his stride with a series of albums for Blue Note Records, starting with a teaming with Freddie Hubbard that included classics “I Was Doing All Right”, an aria of “You’ve Changed” and totally hip “Society Red”. Next was an outing with Paul Chambers/b, Kenny Drew/p and P hilly Joe Jones/dr for some muscle flexing on ”Soul Sister” and “Landslide”. Gordon kicks it up a notch in 1962 by bringing in a team of Billy Higgins/dr, Butch Warren/b and Sonny Clark for a pair of absolutely classic albums, with nary a difference of quality. Gordon sears through”You Stepped Out Of A Dream” and agonizes on “Don’t Explain” while he flexes like he’s at muscle beach on “Second Balcony Jump” before sounding like Pagliacci on “I Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry” and “Where Are You?”
In 1963, Gordon goes to Paris and teams up with Bud Powell/p, Kenny Clarke/dr and Piere Michelot/b and sticks to bebop standards with a big and bold “Scrapple From The Apple” and A Night In Tunisia” and swinging on a star for a big bicep’d “Broadway”. Last is a 1964 recording with Donalyd Byrd/tp, Kenny Drews/p, Hiels-Henning Orsted Pederson/b and Art Taylor/dr, and the team stretches out like they were playing in a concert for a marathon of “Tanya” as well as “Coppin’ The Haven” and a laconic “Darn That Dream”. Few tenor saxists could swing as hard or deliver a ballad with such pathos, and he had a sound that was as visceral as the human heart can bear, as he bares his soul in both genres.
Yes, people make a big deal out of Coltrane these days, but let me advise you: this is the place to start for modern tenor sax, and you may never want to move beyond.