Gheorghe Posted March 4, 2022 Report Posted March 4, 2022 After the most interesting discussions about Dexter Gordon on my thread Dexter/Stitt , considering the decline in Dexter´s playing in the late 70´s /80´s here is a very interesting 2 CD set of live music from 1973 in Copenhaga at Montmatre. Those recordings originally were issued as 2 LPs "The Meeting" and "The Source" and there is a bonus track on each CD too. It´s fascinating how great those two giants are playing together . Jackie McLean is my favourite alto player from Birds´ death until Jackie McLean´s death, and we all were big Dexter fans then and spinned the two LPs all the time. Dexter here is fantastic, it´s bop tenor at it´s best and some of the best Dexter from 1945 to that year 1973. You listen to them both and could listen to them for hours and hours..... The rhythm section is superb: Kenny Drew great as ever, Nils Henning really fine, maybe one ore two solos are a bit too long, and Alex Riel must have been one of the very best drummers from Danemarca . The tunes: From the first LP/CD I like especially "On the Trail" and "Rue de la Harpe", and on the second LP/CD it´s vintage bop with Half Nelson, Bird´s rare played "Another Hairdo" (a blues in C), "I can´t get started" with very interesting chord modulations in the A-part, (I know them since we also do it that way on some occasions), and "Dexter Dig´s In" much faster than the original Savoy, and in Bb instead the original Db. Quote
Dan Gould Posted March 7, 2022 Report Posted March 7, 2022 7 hours ago, Gheorghe said: no love for this one ? I really have to revisit and I am not even 100% certain I still have it. There was a time I purchased any Steeplechase Dex I saw, and I know I liked the original two LPs ... then I think I went thru a period where I realized there had been a period where Jackie's style absorbed "new thing" influences which I was never thrilled with. I think at some point I realized Dex with Kenny Drew and no other horn offered a more consistently pleasurable listening experience. Like I said I need to revisit and not sure I can with any ease. Quote
HutchFan Posted March 7, 2022 Report Posted March 7, 2022 I like those two records a lot. They're among the earliest SteepleChase releases, aren't they? Quote
jazzbo Posted March 7, 2022 Report Posted March 7, 2022 (edited) Pulled out my 2 cd set and am listening to disc 1. I like this set. Kenny, NHOP and Alex always deliver. Jackie and Dexter seem to be enjoying themselves. Edited March 7, 2022 by jazzbo Quote
Dan Gould Posted March 7, 2022 Report Posted March 7, 2022 37 minutes ago, HutchFan said: I like those two records a lot. They're among the earliest SteepleChase releases, aren't they? Yes but possibly not earliest ... discogs and allmusic aren't that helpful in terms of timing of releases, Discogs is skipping the Montmartre (Dex in Radioland) LPs and allmusic puts it among the BN recordings, chronologically. I wonder when those Dex recordings were actually released. Quote
JSngry Posted March 7, 2022 Report Posted March 7, 2022 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SteepleChase_Records The first Steeplechase record was: Haven't listened to the two in question here for decades. I do seem to remember one being more friskier than the other onw (records, not people). Back in the day, these all came out on Inner City and that was sweet, didn't have to hassle with trying to find imports in stores. The "news" wasn't about Dexter, Dexter had a steady stream of records on Prestige, but Jackie, who had disappeared for too long. "What's Jackie up to now?" that was the question. Steeplechase gave plenty of answers. Plus they also gave us this incendiary document of a 1966 Left Bank performance that is not for the faint of heart! Jackie had chilled out since then, for neither better nor worse, just...life happening. Quote
felser Posted March 7, 2022 Report Posted March 7, 2022 I find the Dex/McLean a lot friskier than the McLean Montmartre, which was a huge disappointment to me (15 minutes of "Smile" and 19 minutes of "Parker's Moon" from the man who breathed fire on his Blue Note albums).. There were actually two wonderful Left Bank albums, the one shown above and this one. I wouldn't want to be without either of them. Quote
JSngry Posted March 7, 2022 Report Posted March 7, 2022 The blue one is certainly fine, but there's a reason they put the green one out right away, imo. That thing is...talk about breathing fire, on that one, he's breathing and exhaling it! Jackie was, I think, still deciding whether or not he wanted to fully commit to playing again on that first Montmartre album. The ongoing encounters with other players (Dexter, Bartz, and then Rene) were critical in getting his mind made up, or so it seems. Quote
Gheorghe Posted March 8, 2022 Author Report Posted March 8, 2022 At that time I fell so much in love with what Jackie does on that encounter with Dex, that I was looking after similar records, and the "Ghetto Lullaby" from the same period, also live at the Montmatre really amazed me (and my friends). I also remember the green and the blue 1966 live performances "Dr. Jackle" and "Tune Up". I think, "Tune Up" was released a bit later, not in the 70´s, but in the 80´s. Quote
EKE BBB Posted March 8, 2022 Report Posted March 8, 2022 15 hours ago, Dan Gould said: Yes but possibly not earliest ... discogs and allmusic aren't that helpful in terms of timing of releases, Discogs is skipping the Montmartre (Dex in Radioland) LPs and allmusic puts it among the BN recordings, chronologically. I wonder when those Dex recordings were actually released. SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6004 — Cry Me A River (1978) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6008 — Cheese Cake (1979) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6012 — King Neptune (1979) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6015 — I Want More (1980) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6018 — Love For Sale (1982) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6022 — It's You Or No One (1983) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6028 — Billie's Bounce (1983) Quote
Gheorghe Posted March 8, 2022 Author Report Posted March 8, 2022 3 hours ago, EKE BBB said: SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6004 — Cry Me A River (1978) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6008 — Cheese Cake (1979) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6012 — King Neptune (1979) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6015 — I Want More (1980) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6018 — Love For Sale (1982) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6022 — It's You Or No One (1983) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6028 — Billie's Bounce (1983) That means I had only Cheese Cake, Neptune and I want More. I had decided not to buy "Cry me a river" since it was only one half Dexter. Later I listened to the dexter side and like the ballad, but "April" is not really up to Dexter´s standards. After "I Want More" I lost the trace, I didn´t intend to collect them further......, but we played "I want more" with a nice saxophone player, who later became a doctor.... Quote
Dan Gould Posted March 8, 2022 Report Posted March 8, 2022 4 hours ago, EKE BBB said: SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6004 — Cry Me A River (1978) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6008 — Cheese Cake (1979) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6012 — King Neptune (1979) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6015 — I Want More (1980) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6018 — Love For Sale (1982) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6022 — It's You Or No One (1983) SteepleChase LP 12": SCC-6028 — Billie's Bounce (1983) Thank you, Agustín. 24 minutes ago, Gheorghe said: After "I Want More" I lost the trace, I didn´t intend to collect them further......, Were you aware that in the CD era quite a number of other Montmartre shows were issued? 7 or so between 2003-2004 including a lone additional one in 2012, per Discogs. Kenny Drew is on most of them and they were no-brainers to pick up, for me. Quote
Gheorghe Posted March 8, 2022 Author Report Posted March 8, 2022 56 minutes ago, Dan Gould said: Thank you, Agustín. Were you aware that in the CD era quite a number of other Montmartre shows were issued? 7 or so between 2003-2004 including a lone additional one in 2012, per Discogs. Kenny Drew is on most of them and they were no-brainers to pick up, for me. Yes, I was aware of that, they issued a lot of material later. I think I have some, that I got from the widow of a friend and fan. Quote
mhatta Posted March 8, 2022 Report Posted March 8, 2022 SteepleChase's "Dexter in Radioland" series continues after "Billie's Bounce". AFAIK: Vol. 8 Wee Dot (SCCD-36031) Jun. 10, 1965 Vol. 9 Loose Walk (SCCD-36032) Jun. 24, 1965 Vol. 10 Misty (SCCD-36033) Jul. 8, 1965 Vol. 11 Heartaches (SCCD-36034) Aug. 5, 1965 Vol. 12 Ladybird (SCCD-36035) Aug. 19, 1965 Vol. 13 Stella By Starlight (SCCD-36036) Jan. 6, 1966 Vol. 14 Satin Doll (SCCD-36038) Jun. 29, 1967 There are some non-SteepleChase releases from Cafe Montmartre such as the recent "Montmartre 1964" (Storyville). Quote
Gheorghe Posted March 9, 2022 Author Report Posted March 9, 2022 23 hours ago, mhatta said: SteepleChase's "Dexter in Radioland" series continues after "Billie's Bounce". AFAIK: Vol. 8 Wee Dot (SCCD-36031) Jun. 10, 1965 Vol. 9 Loose Walk (SCCD-36032) Jun. 24, 1965 Vol. 10 Misty (SCCD-36033) Jul. 8, 1965 Vol. 11 Heartaches (SCCD-36034) Aug. 5, 1965 Vol. 12 Ladybird (SCCD-36035) Aug. 19, 1965 Vol. 13 Stella By Starlight (SCCD-36036) Jan. 6, 1966 Vol. 14 Satin Doll (SCCD-36038) Jun. 29, 1967 There are some non-SteepleChase releases from Cafe Montmartre such as the recent "Montmartre 1964" (Storyville). The first Non-Steeplechase release I had, and actually the first Dexter LP I had when I was a teenager, along with Dexter´s contribution on Dizzy´s "Blue ´n Boogie" from 1945, was the Black Lion LP from 1967 with Kenny Drew. Nils Hennig and Albert Heath. I like especially the drum sound of Albert Heath. On 8.3.2022 at 0:33 PM, Dan Gould said: Thank you, Agustín. Were you aware that in the CD era quite a number of other Montmartre shows were issued? 7 or so between 2003-2004 including a lone additional one in 2012, per Discogs. Kenny Drew is on most of them and they were no-brainers to pick up, for me. Yes, I was aware of that, they issued a lot of material later. I think I have some, that I got from the widow of a friend and fan. Quote
Dan Gould Posted March 9, 2022 Report Posted March 9, 2022 Pulled out Loose Walk, Heartaches, Satin Doll for this morning's listening. Quote
Peter Friedman Posted March 9, 2022 Report Posted March 9, 2022 I like the 2 Dexter / Jackie albums. Have not listened to them in a long time so need to play them again soon. Quote
JSngry Posted March 10, 2022 Report Posted March 10, 2022 Do we know in what order the tunes were recorded? Because I swear it seemed like Jackie was looser on the second one than on the first, wonder if that was a natural reflection of how the night unfolded. Quote
EKE BBB Posted March 10, 2022 Report Posted March 10, 2022 9 hours ago, JSngry said: Do we know in what order the tunes were recorded? Because I swear it seemed like Jackie was looser on the second one than on the first, wonder if that was a natural reflection of how the night unfolded. According to Thorbjorn Sjogren discography of Dexter Gordon (issued tracks correspond to LP releases; CD selections may differ): July 20, 1973: All clean I can't get started Dexter digs in (unissued) Half Nelson On the trail (unissued) Closing (The theme) (unissued) Star eyes (unissued) Blue Monk (unissued) The theme (unissued) July 21, 1973: There will never be another you (unissued) Sunset (unissued) Rue de la Harpe Dexter digs in Closing (The theme) (unissued) Calling (unissued) Sunset Rue de la Harpe (unissued) Another hair-do On the trail Quote
Peter Friedman Posted March 10, 2022 Report Posted March 10, 2022 8 hours ago, EKE BBB said: According to Thorbjorn Sjogren discography of Dexter Gordon (issued tracks correspond to LP releases; CD selections may differ): July 20, 1973: All clean I can't get started Dexter digs in (unissued) Half Nelson On the trail (unissued) Closing (The theme) (unissued) Star eyes (unissued) Blue Monk (unissued) The theme (unissued) July 21, 1973: There will never be another you (unissued) Sunset (unissued) Rue de la Harpe Dexter digs in Closing (The theme) (unissued) Calling (unissued) Sunset Rue de la Harpe (unissued) Another hair-do On the trail With so many unissued tunes, it looks like a Volume 3 could still be issued? Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted March 10, 2022 Report Posted March 10, 2022 2 minutes ago, Peter Friedman said: With so many unissued tunes, it looks like a Volume 3 could still be issued? The 2 cd set has 5 more tunes. Quote
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