The Complete Prestige Recordings

Dexter Gordon

The Complete Prestige Recordings MP3 11PRCD 4442 25

TWO Formats Available

  • $139.98
  • $84.98
    new!

Dexter Gordon was the first great, and widely influential, bebop tenor man. Six feet five inches tall, with the looks and bearing of a Hollywood leading man, Gordon himself eventually became a movie star, of sorts, thanks to his Oscar-nominated turn in 1986’s ‘Round Midnight. But it was as a musician that “Long Tall Dexter” gave the world nearly five towering decades of profound, personality-laden performances. Initially inspired by Lester Young, Gordon combined Pres’s cool, Swing Era-based approach with the new harmonic and rhythmic breakthroughs of bebop avatar Charlie Parker, forging an appealingly individual, perpetually swinging sound.

Gordon (1923-1990) was a Los Angeles doctor’s son who paid his dues in full, and then some; he spent much of the 1950s in the California penal system, having been convicted on narcotics violations. Soon after his release in 1960, Gordon moved to Europe (he was based mostly in Copenhagen ) until returning to the States full-time in the mid-1970s. Gordon’s discography, among the most extensive and estimable in jazz; was marked by lengthy affiliations with four labels: Blue Note in the 1960s; the Danish recording company SteepleChase in the ‘70s; and, after coming home to stay in 1976, Columbia . The fourth label graced by Gordon was Prestige, one of the most important modern jazz independents. Between 1965 and 1973 he appeared on some 15 Prestige albums. Now, for the first time, they’re collected in the exceptional boxed set, The Complete Prestige Recordings.

Here is Dexter dealing in the studio and live, from the top to the bottom of his horn; of the 88 prime cuts herein, 17 are previously unissued. All the elements of his definitive style are front and center: the virile tone, suggesting a sizzling, juicy Porterhouse steak with all the trimmings, washed down by a 1982 Petrus; the deftly Lestorian, behind-the-beat phrasing; the multiple witty quotations, drawing on everything from “La Marseillaise” to “A Night in Tunisia” to “I’m Popeye the Sailor Man;” and the tough-tender way with a ballad, summoning images of Bogie and Bergman on the tarmac in Casablanca. The set also contains an exuberant 1950 live jam with fellow ace tenor Wardell Gray, as well as the six 1960 selections originally heard on the Jazzland LP The Resurgence of Dexter Gordon, which marked his return to the scene after a five-year absence.

Backed by a series of invaluable rhythm sections, Gordon sets the pace somewhere between bebop and hard bop, essaying standards, modern jazz staples, blues and the odd contemporary pop tune (e.g., “Those Were the Days”). He also finds himself in pitched battles with fellow top-drawer tenor men Booker Ervin, James Moody, and Gene Ammons, his old section mate and friendly rival from their days in Billy Eckstine’s groundbreaking band of the 1940s. With splendidly detailed annotation by critic Ted Panken, Dexter Gordon: The Complete Prestige Recordings sheds new light on a somewhat overlooked phase of a remarkable career.

Although it’s been said, many times, many ways: “Blow, Mr. Dexter!”

Find out more about Dexter Gordon

MORE RELEASES FROM DEXTER GORDON

XXL Live At The Left Bank More Info

Dexter Gordon

XXL: Live At The Left Bank

with Bobby Timmons, Victor Gaskin, Percy Brice Recorded in performance for the Left Bank Jazz Society at the Famous Ballroom… More
The Art Of The Ballad PRCD 11009 2 More Info

Dexter Gordon

The Art Of The Ballad

with Roy Brooks, Kenny Clarke, Stanley Clarke, Bob Cranshaw, Alan Dawson, Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris, Hampton Hawes, Louis Hayes, Albert… More
Blue Dex Dexter Gordon Plays The Blues More Info

Dexter Gordon

Blue Dex: Dexter Gordon Plays The …

Blues may be synonymous with sadness in most dictionaries, but in the blues playing of Dexter Gordon there's a pronounced ebullience. The bebop… More
Generation More Info

Dexter Gordon

Generation

Dexter Gordon and Freddie Hubbard made a number of great sessions together, and this 1972 babe is no exception… More
Ca Purange More Info

Dexter Gordon

Ca' Purange

At one time Dexter Gordon was THE bebopping tenor until “personal” problems sidetracked him. This 1972… More
Tangerine More Info

Dexter Gordon

Tangerine

Dexter Gordon's 15-year residency in Copenhagen was punctuated with frequent trips back to the United States. When he came home in the 1970s… More
The Jumpin Blues More Info

Dexter Gordon

The Jumpin' Blues

During his years as a Prestige recording artist (1969-1973), Dexter Gordon made it a point to record with several of the greatest pianists in… More
The Panther More Info

Dexter Gordon

The Panther!

The excitement Dexter Gordon generated during his triumphal 1976 "return" to the American jazz scene was absent during the annual visits… More
More Power More Info

Dexter Gordon

More Power!

While unacknowledged, there was a Prestige style in the late Sixties, which placed bebop veterans and simpatico younger players in the presence of… More
The Tower Of Power More Info

Dexter Gordon

The Tower Of Power

Back in the Sixties Dexter Gordon (1923-1990) was living in Copenhagen and visiting the United States on an intermittent basis. He hadn't been… More
The Resurgence Of Dexter Gordon More Info

Dexter Gordon

The Resurgence Of Dexter Gordon

A play and an alto saxophonist pulled Dexter Gordon out of West Coast obscurity in 1960 and helped revive the bebop pioneer's career. The play was… More

JAZZ ESSENTIALS

See All

Out There Rudy Van Gelder Remaster MORE INFO

Eric Dolphy

Out There [Rudy Van Gelder …

Soultrane Rudy Van Gelder Remaster MORE INFO

John Coltrane

Soultrane [Rudy Van Gelder …

Fearless Leader MORE INFO

John Coltrane

Fearless Leader

In New York Keepnews Collection MORE INFO

Cannonball Adderley Sextet

In New York [Keepnews …