Dexter Gordon Doin' Allright CD

Additional Tracks

Personnel: Dexter Gordon (tenor saxophone); Dexter Gordon; George Tucker (bass instrument); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Horace Parlan (piano); Al Harewood (drums).
Audio Remasterer: Rudy Van Gelder.
Liner Note Authors: Ira Gitler; Bob Blumenthal.
Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (05/06/1961).
Photographer: Francis Wolff.
The title of this Blue Note set, Doin' Allright, fit perfectly at the time, for tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon was making the first of three successful comebacks. Largely neglected during the 1950s, Gordon's Blue Note recordings (of which this was the first) led to his rediscovery. The tenor is teamed with the young trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Horace Parlan, bassist George Tucker, and drummer Al Harewood for a strong set of music that is highlighted by "You've Changed" (which would become a permanent part of Gordon's repertoire), "Society Red" (a blues later used in the film Round Midnight), and "It's You or No One." ~ Scott Yanow
Forget the stylized in-session cover art closeup of the "jazz man at work:" eyes clenched shut, lips pursed around a mouthpiece, dim lighting. On the cover of his Blue Note debut Gordon appears perched in a Central Park carriage in a sharp-looking trench coat, one hand on his horn case, the other waving a cigarette, a big grin on his face. Doin' allright, indeed. And compared to some of his labelmates, Gordon was perhaps something of an already-arrived success, having been on the scene for over twenty years by the time of this 1961 recording.
The confidence one would expect therefore, and the sunny disposition implied by the cover, are equally borne out by the music within. Gordon could write, as evidenced by his two fine originals here, "For Regulars Only" and "Society Red," but he enjoyed working with standards as well and made them swing hard. He doubletimes his way through Gershwin's "I Was Doing All Right" with effortless elegance, and coasts over the Styne/Cahn tune "It's You Or No One" with exuberant confidence, buoyed by Al Harewood's cooking cymbal work.
The title of this Blue Note set fit perfectly at the time, for tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon was making the first of three successful comebacks. Largely neglected during the 1950s, Gordon's Blue Note recordings (of which this was the first) led to his rediscovery. The tenor is teamed with the young trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Horace Parlan, bassist George Tucker, and drummer Al Harewood for a strong set of music highlighted by "You've Changed" (which would become a permanent part of Dexter's repertoire), "Society Red" (a blues later used in the film 'Round Midnight), and "It's You or No One." The 2004 Rudy Van Gelder edition features wonderfully remastered sound by Van Gelder, who was the original engineer for the session in 1961. The set features one alternate take of "For Regulars Only," which was not included on the original LP. ~ Scott Yanow