Dexter
Gordon’s 1962 Blue Note record Go! is
the kind of record that you can give to your friends who say they don’t
understand jazz and they will love it. Like Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, or Song for My Father by Horace Silver it crosses genre lines and
rises into classic territory. It has an energy and a quality to it that make it
special. It features Dexter Gordon on the saxophone, Billy Higgins on the
drums, Sonny Clark on piano, and Butch Warren on bass.
The
first track "Cheese
Cake" is a great example of some of the aspects that make this
session so special. Billy Higgins is an expert of propulsion, knowing exactly
when to switch between nudging with the hi-hat and snare into high gear with
the ride cymbal. Sonny Clark provides great harmonic support on the piano with
precise and short clustered chord voicings. When Sonny’s solo come around he
switches to a single note style that weaves in and out of the changes. Dexter
confidently plays the melody and the first solo displaying the sureness and
swagger that makes this this record famous. As if the first solo was not enough
after Sonny Clark takes his piano solo Dexter comes back for more. His ideas
are exact and followed thru logically. Throughout, his improvisations are
enabled by flawless technique and a bold tone. He seems to be creating and not
just striving to recreate a previous great performance, open to new ideas and
genuinely improvising at a master level.
In the
next song, "I
Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry," Dexter explores the sentiment
of a ballad without becoming sappy or flashy. The melody is straightforward and
heartfelt. Even during the improvisation the melody is never very far away. The
ballad seems to be an emotional vehicle, a way to convey feelings and mood rather
than a technical showcase. Butch Warren provides excellent harmonic support
while Billy Higgins showcases the lost art of drum brushwork. Once again Sonny
Clark gives great support for Mr. Gordon until he is called upon to briefly
solo over the bridge of the tune.
"Second Balcony Jump"
is another midtempo number that starts out in a half time feel by the
rhythm section during the melody and then opens up to a 4/4 feel as the soloists
start to play. This provides an excellent springboard for the energy when
Dexter gets to his solo, moving from a laid back feel to a hard swinging
affair. Dexter is surely at his most impressive on this solo. He could be
blazing thru hard bop licks, laying on repeated note motifs, or inserting familiar
quotes (in this case “Mona Lisa”), and seem at home in his playing style. His solo
is followed up by Sonny Clark, and then he trades solo ideas with the able
Billy Higgins. The amazing thing about Higgins' drumming is how appropriate
everything is to the music. His technique is able, but never overtly flashy.
His choices always just feel correct for the music.
Higgins
opens the next tune "Love For Sale" with a punchy yet relaxed pseudo-Latin
feel. Sonny Clark provides a warm chordal bed for Dexter Gordon to play the
melody. The rhythm switches from Latin to straight ahead swing at the bridge
providing contrast and energy. In segues such as this you can hear the
singularity and purpose that infuses this session. All the transitions are
crisp and precise. The group is stylistically united and provides one of the
prime examples of what would become known as the Blue Note sound. Dexter plays
a blistering solo! He is followed by Sonny Clark on piano, and this is one of
his high points on the record as well. Butch Warren ventures his walking bass
lines into the higher register to compliment and intensify Clark's solo, while
Billy Higgins never fails to keep a steady sense of swing and bounce to the
song. That ride cymbal is pure magic, being the engine that that keeps the
entire train running.
"Where Are You"
is a great interpretation of a jazz ballad. It is unadorned and pure without being
overly sweet or sentimental. The solos are relatively short and elegant. It is
on a song like this that a listener can hear the magic of the engineer Rudy Van
Gelder. Everything has its own sonic space and separation. You can hear the
definition and pitch of all the instruments, including the texture of the
drums, cymbals, and brushes. He is a fifth member of the band. Rudy Van Gelder
records the sounds and captures them on the record for Blue Note, defining the Blue
Note sound as much as any of their instrumental artists.
"Three O’Clock in the
Morning" starts off with the familiar piano introduction of "If I Were a Bell"
from Miles Davis’ arrangement recorded on the Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet record, but then gives way to
the song "Three
O’Clock in the Morning" - a clever bit of arranging to draw your
focus one way before having it redirected back to the material at hand. Once
again the rhythm section starts out in half time before perfectly stepping on
the gas in unison to support Dexter. The easy swinging solo allows the listener
to savor Dexter’s superb note choice and motivic development. Sonny Clark
follows with a blues-influenced solo that leads back to Dexter taking a brief
solo statement. This leads to the melody and the band plays the song out ending
on the "If I
Were a Bell" intro.
On the
record Go! all the stars are
aligning. Dexter and his band are at peak form, playing great songs while
informing and crafting a stylistic language. Dexter himself is technically
proficient but not playing so much that it is not musical or catchy, which has
always been a barrier to jazz for some. Finally you have one of the best
engineers of the century, Rudy Van Gelder, capturing the sounds for
preservation in an artful and distinctive manner that deserves its own
recognition, but that is for a different space. It all combines to make one the
best Blue Note classics and a record I Would Love To Turn You On to.
-
Doug Anderson
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