Search - Dexter Gordon :: Stable Mable

One Of The All-Time Greats Does It Again!

John F. Temmerman | Skokie, Il United States | 01/02/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album was recorded by Dexter in 1975, during the later part of his career. I originally bought it because I enjoyed the tunes and because Dexter is my favorite tenor player. Before you Coltrane fans scroll down to the comments, understand that I love Trane, too. In fact, there are not many saxophone players I don't like. It's just that Dexter's sound and ideas really resonate with me and I find great inspiration as a player in them. Dexter's first recorded work was in the 40's. He had a very productive body of recordings since then. He moved to Europe in 1962 and continued to issue recordings throughout his career until his death in 1990. This recording is regarded as one of his better efforts in the 1970s. He is on top of his game here on tenor. His sound is big and dark in the lower register, a little brighter in the upper register. His solos have the exuberant tone found in his best recordings and include the droll quotes (Polka Dots and Moonbeams and Laura, among others) found in much of his work. His evolution as a player is evident, in his use of newer jazz ideas and patterns and in the warming of his tone over time. The tunes are all standards, with the bonus tracks consisting of cuts that were unused on the original LP. There is a nice range of tempos, and the inclusion of So What is interesting, because it was taken at a quick tempo and because it was a song that Trane played. The supporting musicians all comp and solo well, and the intros and "outros" for the tunes show that this was a band that worked together and were attuned to each other. Horace Parlan on piano and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass are well-known, well-regarded players. Tony Inzalaco on drums is lesser known but certainly plays well on this album. There are some cons. First, Dexter's soprano on Duke Ellington's In A Sentimental Mood. While I can hear the warmness in his tone and his sensitivity, he has some intonation problems on soprano that he worked out later in his career. The soprano is an especially difficult instrument to play in tune and this was only his second recording on soprano, as far as I know. His soprano work on Round Midnight and on other later albums is better. Lastly, the bonus tracks are other versions of cuts that were issued on the LP. They're good, but not quite as good as the cuts originally selected. I prefer getting different tunes for bonus cuts when they are available. On balance, this is great playing by a great player. I'm going 4 stars on this, because of the repetition and the soprano cut, but also because there are slightly better albums of his out there. From the 60's, I think his Go album is a classic. Live at Carnegie Hall is also slightly better."