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
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Our audio excerpt starts the way the arrangement starts, with a four-measure "question and answer" horn and rhythm section intro. This is a swingin' blues head that has a great two-chorus shout before the return of the melody. The shout chorus is notated in all lead sheets.
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 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.
