Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Dexter Gordon: Tokyo 1975

3

Dexter Gordon: Tokyo 1975

By

Sign in to view read count
Dexter Gordon: Tokyo 1975
Though in many regards a standard, none-too-frenetic quartet setting, Dexter Gordon Quartet Tokyo 1975 is still as grand a starting point for Elemental Music's inaugural launch of previously unreleased jazz performances as can be.

Gordon found himself exuberantly liberated from the antiquated (and sadly all too present) prejudices of America during his fourteen-year expatriation to Europe from 1962 to '76. Working and living primarily in Paris and Copenhagen, Gordon gigged and recorded with visiting friends and fellow expats such as Bud Powell, Freddie Hubbard, and Bobby Hutcherson. A special telepathy developed with pianist Kenny Drew (think Miles Davis and Gil Evans or John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner), and the two recorded, most notably, the musical score to Danish director Ole Ege's 1971's hardcore film Pornografi: En Musical.

Recorded at the Yubin Chokin Hall Dexter Gordon Quartet Tokyo 1975 captures the saxophonist on the cusp of his return to the States, and even if his renowned hard tone is in some abeyance on this date, the music is still integral to his canon. With bassist supreme Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen holding the core and driving the fringes, and drummer Albert Tootie Heath holding a steady swing, Gordon kicks off the proceedings with a frisky read of his longstanding original, "Fried Bananas."

He then offers up two chestnuts which may not challenge either then or now, but are certainly rewarding, with both Gordon and Drew's sweeping melodic touch on Henry Mancini's "Days of Wine and Roses" and Erroll Garner's time-honored "Misty." Gordon then sings his way through a loose, barrel-house ramble of Billy Eckstine's "Jelly, Jelly, Jelly."

Elemental rounds out the set with a sprightly spirited "Rhythm-a-Ning," from Holland in '73 and with Espen Rud behind the skins. Having returned to the States (Connecticut to be exact), "Old Folks" features Gordon's homecoming quartet of pianist Ronnie Matthews, bassist Stafford James and drummer Louis Hayes.

Track Listing

Fried Bananas; Days of Wine and Roses; Misty; Jelly, Jelly, Jelly; Rhythm-a-Ning; Old Folks.

Personnel

Album information

Title: Tokyo 1975 | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Elemental Music

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Fiesta at Caroga
Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
Fellowship
David Gibson
Immense Blue
Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.