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(Photos - 1 : Francis Wolff - 4 : David Redfern - 5 : Stuart Nicholson - 10 : Stéphane Bazart)

Dexter Gordon is one of those rare players in jazz where almost everything he recorded is of great interest today - why? Here was the guy who has influenced a whole legion of tenor players, not least John Coltrane in the 1950s, and in the 1960s a young Jan Garbarek. His cogent, often witty, lines were shaped and developed into solos of great internal logic and cohesion and in today’s pattern-based improvisatory culture he has much of value to posthumously pass on to younger players. After moving to Europe in 1962, he became a Copenhagen resident and here was caught mid-tour with a very competent Dutch rhythm section at a live date in Holland on 3 November 1972. High-spots are two staples of his live performance at this time, ‘The Panther’ and the title track. The one thought you are left with after listening to this excellent vinyl album is that Dexter Gordon’s stature in jazz today should really be much bigger than it is. For example, his compelling playing on ‘Fried Bananas’, is something to behold, sweeping the listener on with the sheer bravura of his playing and constant flow of ideas. - Stuart Nicholson

Eddie Harris. Photo by Stuart Nicholson.