Dexter Gordon thrived on the attention of European jazz fans while living there during the 1960s and early '70s, while he also had a wealth of opportunities to record for labels on the continent. This 1975 session for Steeplechase, one of a dozen he made as a leader for the label in the mid-'70s, finds him in top form, accompanied by pianist Tete Montoliu, along with frequent collaborators Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen on bass and drummer Billy Higgins. Gordon's big tone carries the brisk treatment of Charlie Parker's "Billie's Bounce," though he inserts a few humorous quotes into his solo as well. Two versions of the standard "Easy Living" are played at a loping tempo in a heartfelt manner, though the master is a tad better in its execution. The familiar bop vehicle "Four" (usually credited to Miles Davis, though this CD acknowledges Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson as its more likely composer) explodes in a furious performance. Gordon wrote the Latin-flavored "Catalonian Nights" especially for Montoliu, while the tenorist's "Benji's Bounce" is a lively, thinly disguised reworking of Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-a-Ning" (which is itself based on the changes to "I Got Rhythm"). - Ken Dryden / almusic.com
Tracks
1. Billie's Bounce (Charlie Parker)
2. Easy Living (Ralph Rainger/Leo Robin)
3. Benji's Bounce (Dexter Gordon)
4. Catalonian Nights (Dexter Gordon/Tete Montoliu)
5. Four (Eddie ''Cleanhead'' Vinson)
6. Easy Living (Ralph Rainger/Leo Robin)
BILLY HIGGINS drums
NIELS-HENNING ØRSTED PEDERSEN bass
TETE MONTOLIU piano
DEXTER GORDON tenor saxophone
Recorded September 14, 1975
SteepleChase Records VACZ-124 (Denmark)