Smooth, swinging bop
07/25/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Mid-1950s session featuring the great Dexter Gordon on tenor, and Lou Levy on piano. Strong bop flavor, with a bit of west coast cool overtone. Worth checking out, particularly for Dexter's performance."
Nice session
Robert T. Boone | Tucson, Az | 04/20/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the 2nd of three recordings Levey did for Bethlehem. The front line is terrific with the rare inclusion of Dexter Gordon playing on the west coast. Nice arrangements, swinging band - one of my favorites."
My First and Still One Of My Favorite Jazz Records
Mike Beegle | Seattle, WA United States | 12/26/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's a little difficult for me to be objective about this record- it was my first "modern jazz" album and caused me to switch from clarinet playing dixieland to tenor sax playing jazz when I was still in high school, about 1957. Everyone on this record is at the top of their form. This is by no means "West Coast Jazz" rather hard driving be bop by the best the west coast had to offer at the time, that is, some of the best white players in jazz at the time plus Dexter and the huge walking bass sound of Leroy. The recording quality is exceptional for the time in spite of a few spots when the recorded sound is over driven and a bit distorted. To me it always added to the excitement and intensity of the record. Conte Condoli sounds beautiful and very soulful on "Ruby My Dear" and everybody grooves hard on the uptempos. The three horn charts are great although no credit is given to the arranger. This is a SUPER record and I recommend it highly. (I've been looking for it in CD format because my LP is scratched a bit and has a skip here and there from being played so many times.)"
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1