Dexter Gordon - One Flight Up
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CD Details
Artist: Dexter GordonEdition: Music CD
Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2004-08-10
Music Label: Blue Note Records
Soundtracks:
- Tanya
- Coppin' The Haven
- Darn That Dream
- Kong Neptune
Music reviews of One Flight Up
Music Review: An Underrated Masterpiece
Rating: 5 Stars
This album should be up there with Kind of Blue, A Love Supreme, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, and other classics on the lists of best jazz albums, despite perhaps not being as innovative as those albums. What was being done here wasn't anything new, it was just a ridiculously good take on the familiar. I, like another reviewer, first heard portions of the haunting "Tanya" on Ken Burns' Jazz series. I was mesmerized by the aching tenor playing over that wonderful riff that refuses to leave my mind. "Tanya" is a song with an unusual form consisting of 40 bars with a Modal section of 32 bars then a swing section of 8. (Modal: 8 bars of Ebm, then 4 of Abm, 4 of Ebm, repeat that, then swing: Eb Db | B Bb | C half-diminshed F7#9 | Bb, repeat, except last chord is an Ebm instead of a Bb) I always wondered who Tanya was that prompted Donald Byrd to write such a classic song for her. Dexter's solo is possibly one of the greatest in jazz history. In a solo that lasts over 6-minutes, Dexter never stops playing in his own beautiful, melodic fashion. Even though it's a modal song, he never falls into the standard Coltrane-inspired runs (as excellent as those can be), instead playing a melodic, stately, and bluesly solo that never loses interest despite it's length. Donald Byrd follows up with an equally good, but slightly shorter solo that also avoids endless Coltrane-like runs, and is even bluesier than Dexter's. I haven't heard much of Byrd's recorded-output, but of what I have heard, nothing has even come close to his work here. Kenny Drew's solo is also fantastic, mostly using that wonderful riff as a starting-off point for a very chordal solo. All three soloists sound as if thought they were aching for the love of an extraordinary woman as they play. Listening to this when I suffered a heartbreak one time was cathartic for me. I also especially love to play this song while driving at night in the city, especially when it's raining. Special mentions go out to Niels Henning Orsted Pederson for supplying a perfect foundation for the soloists, and Art Taylor for his powerful drumming which push the soloists to the heights they reach. As another reviewer stated, it might just be the best work of his career. "Tanya" is one of the greatest jazz compositions ever written and performed, and is easily worth the price of admission.
Next up is "Coppin' the Haven", another modal piece with a swing section written by Kenny Drew. The group gives a fantastic performance that would've been a highlight on most albums, but suffers here because it follows the amazing "Tanya". The modal section of it has more of a funk than straight swing feel. All of the solos are excellent by the same three as on Tanya, but there's less drama in these and more fun. "Darn That Dream" is an excellent ballad on par with those on Coltrane's "Ballads", but in Dexter's own personal style. He plays in the extreme high and low ranges of his instrument in this performance, and his tone is gorgeous in all. Dexter always knew the lyrics to the ballads he played, and his playing perfectly replicates the feeling of the lyrics here. His brief cadenza at the end is absolutely beautiful. Finally, it finishes with Kong Neptune, which, while not quite up to the level of the other three songs, is a fun swinger that Dexter plays a monster bop solo on. It sounds absolutely joyful. I very strongly recommend this album to even the most casual jazz fan.
For those wishing to play Tanya, the form is as follows -
Modal: 8 bars of Ebm, then 4 of Abm, 4 of Ebm, repeat.
Swing: Ebm Db | B Bb | C half-diminshed F7#9 | Bb, repeat, except last chord is an Ebm instead of a Bb.
Description of One Flight Up
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