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Title: DEXTER SWINGS, PLAYS BALLADS, BLOWS BEAUTIFULLY
Review: Dexter Gordon was GIANT of a tenor sax player (both literally and figuratively, he stood about 6'5"!). And this is one of his best recordings. Around this time of his career he and John Coltrane drew a lot of inspiration from each other, at times they sound very much alike. Maybe I'm spoiled, but I grew up on jazz and have been listening to it for almost forty years. And any of the old Blue Note records from the early 60's are always among my favorites. But getting back to Dexter, he could really swing and also play a ballad beautifully (listen to "Until The Real Thing Comes Along", WOW!). He was also one of the finest bebop sax players around. Great accompaniment by Sonny Clarke on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. If you want to hear a great jazz album, this is it.
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