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Dexter Gordon: L.T.D.
ByIn addition to Gordon’s impressive offerings, the success of the record also belongs to Timmons, who establishes a strong presence during lengthy solos, exhibiting the same sense of structure and playing straight-ahead in a lively, no nonsense manner that belies his reputation as a mere soul-jazz pianist. He frequently threatens to steal the show with clipped, tumbling right hand lines, and then goes in another direction by breaking into blues-based passages that draw a vocal response from the audience.
The only track on the record under ten minutes, Ellington’s “In A Sentimental Mood” brings out the romantic side of both Gordon and Timmons. The tenor saxophonist’s lines gently float through the air like cigarette smoke, yet he still sounds purposeful, especially during the composition’s bridge when he confidently strides forward without altering the music’s tender spirit. Timmons is alternately sprightly and somber, making leaps with clusters of notes then settling in and playing thoughtful variations of the tune.
The recording’s tour-de-force is an ecstatic, up-tempo version of Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt’s “Blues Up And Down.” During the course of 40 choruses, Gordon pulls out all of the stops, relying on the rhythm section to assist him with the right accents on the brief, riff-like interludes that hold his improvisation together. Supported by Gaskin’s steady walking and the clanging pulse of Brice’s ride cymbal, Timmons adroitly mixes stormy, right handed flights with grounded, repetitive patterns executed with both hands. After Gaskin’s bowed solo, Gordon comes back and takes two more choruses before alternating them with Brice’s jittery drumming.
Track Listing
Broadway; Boston Bernie; In A Sentimental Mood; Blues Up And Down.
Personnel
Dexter Gordon
saxophone, tenorDexter Gordon--tenor saxophone; Bobby Timmons--piano; Victor Gaskin--bass; Percy Brice--drums.
Album information
Title: L.T.D. | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Prestige Records
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