McSplivens – Dexter Gordon
A hard swinging blues head with a fun question-and-answer intro.
- Recording: Dexter Gordon - A Swingin' Affair
- Recorded on: August 29, 1962
- Label: Blue Note (BLP 4133)
- Concert Key: B-flat
- Style: Swing (medium)
- Tenor Sax - Dexter Gordon
- Piano - Sonny Clark
- Bass - Butch Warren
- Drums - Billy Higgins
Don Sickler: "Dexter started out the session that day in 1962 with this swinger. Two days before, on August 27, 1962, the same quartet recorded Dexter's classic "Go!" album for Blue Note.
"Dexter certainly recorded with one of Blue Note's classic rhythm sections. This rhythm section started recording as a unit on October 26, 1961, on Jackie McLean's "A Fickle Sonance" album, following that up a couple of weeks later with Sonny Clark's "Leapin' and Lopin''" session. On June 14, 1962, they were again together to record Jackie McLean's "Hipnosis" session, and four days later did Don Wilkerson's "Preach Brother!" session.
"Drummer Billy Higgins, who recorded with so many great rhythm section players, told me he always felt this was a very special rhythm section. The last two recordings that rhythm section made together are Dexter's classics "Go!" and "A Swingin' Affair."
To hear drummer Billy Higgins talking with engineer Rudy Van Gelder and Don Sickler about Dexter Gordon with reference to this particular date, go to our YouTube channel.
Dexter Gordon
February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990
Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon was born in Los Angeles, CA. In his last year of high school, he received a call from alto saxophonist Marshall Royal asking him to join the Lionel Hampton big band. This led to Dexter's first recording, with the Hampton band, on December 21, 1941. In 1944, after a few weeks with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra and working and recording with Louis Armstrong's orchestra, Dexter joined Billy Eckstine and recorded with Eckstine's legendary band of soon-to-be jazz superstars that included Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Leo Parker, Art Blakey, Sarah Vaughan, arranger Tadd Dameron and others, on September 5, 1944. Read more...