LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Among the many great sessions produced by the legendary Lionel Hampton in 1977, this work by Dexter Gordon - featuring Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar), Hank Jones (piano), George Duvivier (bass), Oliver Jackson (drums), Candido Camero (congas) and Lionel Hampton (vibes) - is one of the greats. This album masterfully proves that jazz was alive and well in the late 70s, and tracks like “Cutie”, written by Neal Hefti, and the Be-Bop manifesto “Lullaby of Birdland” (a favorite of Count Basie’s big band) are further estimony to this fact. The classic “Seven Come Eleven”, the ballad “I Should Care” and the Latin blues jam finale “Blues For Gates” give Dexter Gordon ample opportunity to show us what he’s made of, highlighting an extraordinary talent for improv that is both versatile and intelligent, and confirming his stature as the unquestioned maestro of the soprano sax.