Friday, February 4, 2011

GO

I think Jazz classics are here to stay on the Hearse, and the next offering comes courtsey of "The Sophisticated Giant," Dexter Gordon, the hippest Californian to grace Blue Note's illustrious roster. Before a embarking on a vacation to Europe that would last fifteen years, Dexter recorded two records for Blue Note within days of each other, they were GO and A Swingin' Affair, arguably his best work. GO is a flawless album that demonstrates perfectly Gordon's unique playing that is both forceful and smooth. It also doesn't hurt that he is joined by the a rhythm section comprised of some of the genre's best session men, Butch Warren on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and Sonny Clark on piano. GO also features my personal favorite performance of "Love For Sale," the oft covered Cole Porter standard. Dexter himself claimed, up until his death in 1990, that GO was his favorite in his extensive and quality discography. I am inclined to agree, in fact it easily sits high on the list of one of the greatest hard bop records of all time. Hear for yourself.

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16 comments:

  1. The Joshua FieldFebruary 4, 2011 at 1:30 AM

    Jazz and Metal in one place. Does life get any better? Thanks for all the hard work.

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  2. AnthonyFebruary 4, 2011 at 2:03 AM

    Thanks for these posts bro! but I've noticed I've been smoking a lot more weed lately.

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  3. AnonymousFebruary 4, 2011 at 2:29 AM

    I thought by the title that this was going to be about that awful NYHC band, thank goodness it wasn't! Great stuff...

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  4. wheelchairsFebruary 4, 2011 at 4:12 AM

    Superb blog post, I have book marked this internet site so ideally I’ll see much more on this subject in the foreseeable future!

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  5. WainFebruary 4, 2011 at 5:48 AM

    You've outdone yourself again.
    This is my snow day stay at home record.

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  6. Joseph MagnusonFebruary 4, 2011 at 7:20 AM

    I can't believe that this blog just got better! Really, Aesop? These jazz albums have kept me going at the shop, and customers have been going crazy over them, asking which album, artist I'm playing, etc... Thank you very much for these and for the NPR article. I always trust a man with wildly varied taste in music.

    @JosephMagnuson on Twitter

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  7. nazi meth labFebruary 4, 2011 at 1:01 PM

    titties and beer.

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  8. michaelFebruary 4, 2011 at 3:04 PM

    fantastic album. thank you aesop.

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  9. JasonFebruary 4, 2011 at 4:21 PM

    diggin the jazz. And its good, old jazz. You can almost smell the old vinyl. Nice pick.

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  10. Darryl WhalenFebruary 5, 2011 at 8:48 AM

    6 tracks on destruction. 6 tracks on dexter gordon.

    i just went through the tracks , back and forth between each record, starting with destruction. it works.

    thanks for the music

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  11. AnonymousFebruary 5, 2011 at 6:13 PM

    More Jazz!

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  12. UnknownFebruary 6, 2011 at 12:59 AM

    High on my list of tenors! "A Swingin Affair" is a good one too.

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  13. Shelby CobrasFebruary 6, 2011 at 2:12 AM

    Superb blog post, I have book marked this internet site so ideally I’ll see much more on this subject in the foreseeable future!

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  14. mikeFebruary 7, 2011 at 1:36 PM

    Definetely my fave Dexter album, Great stuff!! U got me listening to a lot of jazz I haven't heard in years, Thanks!

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  15. phil vasFebruary 7, 2011 at 7:23 PM

    Fine writing, Aesop. Thanks for the hook up.

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  16. Son of WitzMarch 15, 2011 at 10:22 AM

    Thanks Aesop,
    Dexter Gordon was my entry point into jazz, back in jr. high school, but I only have old tapes. Recently I've been plugging him into Pandora. Never had GO, this is great!

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