Dexter Gordon - Go (6 tracks) +Album Reviews

Dexter Goes For It

Jack Baker | LeRoy,IL | 03/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dexter Gordon recorded Go! in 1962, mere days before departing for an extended stay in Europe. He is joined on this classic session by Sonny Clark on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. The liner notes state that this was one of Dexter's favorite sessions, a "classic", as he puts it. It's easy to see why, as this album cooks from start to finish. The interplay between the four musicians is fantastic and Dexter sounds simply amazing. There's no other tenor who sounds like he does. His tone is simply astonishing in its depth. The album opens with the Gordon original "Cheesecake" , a rollicking number that lets both Gordon and Clarke show off their chops. "Second Balcony Jump" is bop in the same vein, fresh and fun. The ballads all stand out here, with Gordon's version of "Love for Sale" a real treat. The album closes with a delightful version of "Three O'Clock in the Morning" where Dexter even throws in a bit of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". The Van Gelder remaster sounds incredible, very clear. A few days later, Blue Note would usher these same musicians back into the studio, the session producing A Swingin' Affair. If you enjoy Go!, I highly encourage you to check out that album as well, which to my mind is a subtle improvement over this session. That's no knock on Go!, which is an essential addition to any jazz collection."

A must have classic

Tim Withee | Los Angeles, CA | 08/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, I'm not going to be able to add much to the great reviews for GO! other than in my opinion, this was Gordon's best album. His playing is beautiful, passionate, his tone big and powerful, he's playing behind the beat (as always) and full of good humor -- I mean, the "Take me out to the ballgame" lick on "3 O'Clock in the Morning," and his takeoff from that line is almost worth the price of the CD in itself.

This is a recording that grows on you the more you play it. You get to appreciate the infinite subtlety of Gordon's playing the more you listen. He wasn't all that understated, it's just that he was just plain brilliant. GO! highlights that brilliance forever.

If you're new to jazz and the great tenormen, this side is one of those "gold standard" recordings you have to have. Not because those of us who dig it say so, it's because it's very likely you'll love this CD as you play it time and time again.

5 Stars.

"

One of the best of its era...

William E. Adams | Midland, Texas USA | 06/25/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is my first Dexter CD, and I have wanted it for several years. The 38 minutes on here are well-spent, and they impress more with each listen. Still, there are CD's from the same period by John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Paul Desmond, Stan Getz, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, and Art Pepper in my collection that I like just as much if not a little more. "Go!" is often considered to be Dexter's best, and perhaps it is in the top 25 saxophone releases of the early '60's, but that was an era of jazz giants on that family of instruments, so the competition is fierce for the "very best albums" list. My favorite of the six tracks on here would be "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" a lovely ballad seldom given a jazz instrumental treatment. Dexter's friends on this disc, Sonny Clark on the piano, Butch Warren on bass and Billy Higgins on drums really add a lot to the enjoyment here."

Hercules On The Move!

Wayne Dawson | New Zealand | 10/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The timing of Dexter's return was auspicious in more ways then one; with Ike Quebec and Alfred Lion wanting the champ in their corner at Blue Note and Dexter himself eager to make up for lost years banged up in jail during the fifties, now was the time to blow his mark on the developments of Harold Land, Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. With Blue Note's wicked in house rhythm section of Sonny Clark (piano), Billy Higgins (drums) and Butch Warren (bass) ready and waiting, Go was the first quartet recording with Dexter the only horn and there couldn't have been a better platform for this titan to launch off.

Cheesecake tears straight up the guts of it, Dexter's sound continuing to fatten out with each cascading chorus, his Conn tenor responding beautifully to such a large mouth piece and reed, the booming virtuosity a challenge to any would be imitator's stamina!

After such a tour de force, the big dripping ballad of I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry is the perfect track to follow; easing everybody up, laying everybody out with that ravishing tone and vibrato.

Love For Sale is another formidable swinger with Sonny Clark's minimalism touching all the right notes and Billy driving all the way.

Three In the Morning is a cute and light way to wrap up a seriously heavy gig where Dexter's humour is equal to Sonny Rollins sardonic display of musical quotes.

Go is a veritable case history of jazz development throughout the 40's and 50's, Dexter's phrasing rich in bop and rock `n' roll phonetics with the blues always present. Back from the wilderness, his earlier conception of style and sound an influence on younger players like Coltrane, but now showing all the added experience and weight of an older man, Dex was out and he sure knew how to shout about it!

"

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