Dexter Gordon - Copenhaga Coda

[Gheorghe]

Hello friends !

I know there is a thread about that album on "New Releases" but since finally I had the time to listen to the album I thought to review it and recommend it for listening.

First I was sceptic, since that period (early 1983) was the end of Dexter´s active playing career (with the exception of his film presence in 1985 and a handful of selected gigs as "Mr. Round Midnight", which were not recorded for CD. 

Their was a general report about his weak performances and how he had slowed down, and honestly, the set I saw in Vienna just a few days before or after the recording of this CD was one of the saddest memories I have in jazz. 

But, as an alcool-adicted bop veteran his situation might have been similar to the situation of the last performances of Bud Powell after his comeback to NY.
All books about him describe that "depending on what day or in which set you caught him, he would sound wonderful or really sad". This is also documented in tape recordings from Birdland 1964, where he sometimes is great and daring, and others where he practically was unable to play. I think at that point of advanced alcoolism the artist may still give a great performance if he somehow could have been kept away from booze, at least before and during the concert. 
 

And.....my impression is, that this recording of Dexter in Copenhaga 1983 is just wonderful, I was just mesmerized when I heard it. 
It´s the most beautiful version of "More than you know" I ever heard, and his playing on the faster tracks is strong and sure and not even as much behind the beat as it was sometimes. His sound is great as ever and his inspiration the same, his talent to quote from other songs, his wonderful ability to build up the tension from the start of his solo to the end of it and so on.

Dexter had lived almost 15 years in Europe, mostly in Copenhaga, Danemarca and his live and studio recordings mostly for Steeplechase are well documented. But what they miss, is a really good NY-ish rhyhtm section. Listening to NHOP on many occasions between 1964-76 can become tedious sometimes. He is ok while just walking, but his solos are just tehnical exercises with many clichés like those double grips with glissando, and even if he walks it does not have the pulsation which this wonderful bassist David Eubanks has. You don´t have to overdo it and get so much solo spot like NHOP did. 
 

I also heard on many occasions the first NY quartet with George Cables, Rufus Reid and Eddie Gladden. George Cables is a fine player, one of the finest of the post war generation, but maybe on ballads he always got into a certain schema which is not always the essence of the ballad. I like Kirk Lightsey better, especially on ballads. 

Eddie Gladden anyway is one of the best drummers you can think about. 

So, my opinion is, that 40,50 years ago American rhythm sections were much better than ours. You got to have that NY impulse in it, at least that´s how I feel it. 
Now in the 2020´s we have very very fine drummers and bassists here in Europe too, who really got it. 

A special thing is the including of "Hanky Pranky". I must admit I didn´t know it until I heard it here, since I´m not a big collector and have a few albums from each period, maybe the old Savoy and Spotlite things, 2 or 3 from the BN era and some live sets from the 60´s/70´s on Steeplechase.
 

Listen to that "Blue March" beat , that Messengers Beat done by Eubanks. He is wonderful, he plays the bass in that more percussive way that I like so much, not that too long tone, you can´t do that if you play a soft "dooom dooom dooom dooom" on the bass, it got to be cut shorter "doop doop doop" to be a rhytmic element. 

So, this might have been one of the last occasions to hear Dexter in top form. Highly recommended  by me ! 

[Dan Gould]

Thanks for the reminder about this one and it's nice to hear from someone who agrees that Cables' gets away from "the essence of a ballad".  My criticism is a little more direct than that but we are on the same wavelength. 

[Gheorghe]

18 hours ago, Dan Gould said:

Thanks for the reminder about this one and it's nice to hear from someone who agrees that Cables' gets away from "the essence of a ballad".  My criticism is a little more direct than that but we are on the same wavelength. 

But the point should also be Dexter himself. Yesterday I listened again to that record and again I say it´s some of the best latterday-Dexter I ever heard, if not the best. 

Cables, well with the exception of his f.....ing up Dexter´s ballad featurs (mostly "More than you Know" and "As Time Goes By"), I might say he is really a grooving and swinging pianist and his solo on "Moment´s Notice" from a private recording from Vanguard that I heard, is amazing, like his own "I Told You So". 

The best Cables I heard myself was a Dizzy All Star Quintet" (Diz with Harold Land, George Cables, Herbie Lewis and Louis Hayes), and it started with a trio tune, "I Mean You", which he just had recorded for Timeless (the album "Four Seasons", Cables with Hutcherson, again Herbie Lewis, and Philly J.J. ). 

Dexter´s alcool abuse may have deteriorated after his comeback in the States (like 12 years earlier Bud Powell´s !), but he had better rhythm sections. Now Europe has fantastic bassists and drummers, but back in the 70´s it was still hard to find a bassist or drummer who could be equal to N.Y. rhythm sections.

As I said, I have a special scepticism with the "eternal" Nils Hennig Osted Pederson, he had a hell of a technique, but to sound and the beat cannot equal to let´s say Buster Williams, Stafford James,  John Heard, and here David Eubanks. 

And drummers, it was also very difficult to find good drummers in Europe. I can imagine how Americans in Europe, though enjoying a more comfortable live, were longing to return to the States because after some times it must have become boring to not have good rhythm sections..... well, Alex Riel in Danemarca, or Tony Crombie in Anglia was fine..., but Eddie Gladden is top.