Customer Reviews

Go

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Who are the people writing these reviews? Boring, follows the melody too much, diet-jazz.... This is what passes for listening in the USA? No wonder George W. Bush got elected!! This is without debate one of the finest jazz/bop/saxophone records ever committed to vinyl (now plastic in CD format). If you cannot hear the greatness in this music then you are either deaf or in spiritual denial. "Cheese Cake" alone is worth the price of admission. "Love for Sale" is equally wonderful. In fact every track is a classic. Dexter can burn like a super nova or glow like a coal fire. Who among the modern players has that ability? Perhaps Sanborn, perhaps Brecker but Dexter stands as a giant among sax players and this record is one of his supreme moments. Hear it and weep...then buy it without reservation.

I have been a Dexter Gordon fan for years & I can say without reservation that this CD represents his greatest work. Some reviewer named Nichomachus called this CD boring & some other negative "observations" not worth mentioning. I would say that this guy is either just putting us on, or is just plain stupid when it comes to appreciating the very best that bebop has to offer. This recording had me hooked from the outset with "Cheese Cake." As a professional jazz musician myself (guitar) I make it a point to listen to other instruments as well. No one can play a ballad like Dexter, with the exception of Miles, Baker & Getz & a few more. Dex has a big, fat sound from his tenor, & here his up tempo stuff like "Second Balcony Jump" (which could be refering to Chet Bakers' suicide) is as good as I've ever heard him.His work on "Love for Sale" is exquisite, & his rhythm section is worth mentioning as well. I particularly like Sonny Clark on piano throughout this recording. I give it 5 stars with no hesitation.

When it comes to 'bop', I can be very picky - especially with the saxmen. "Our Man In Paris", I do not like. This one, however - "GO!" - with Sonny Clarke, Billy Higgins, and Butch Warren starts out smokin' with "Cheese Cake", then shows Dexter's grasp of great ballad playing, grooves with (my second favorite cut) "Second Balcony Jump", and moves to a standard (my favorite track) "Love For Sale"...man, Dexter really shows me something on this one. I read a review where it was said that Dex was boring here and sticking too much to the melody. I guess I'm a 180 degree turn from that...to me, melody is damn near EVERYTHING (and harmony, and rhythm..) I wonder if that person would dislike Trane's "Ballads"? No, for me Dexter is doing it right on this one...and his 'over-allusions" to other tunes is hilarious. Sonny Clarke plays off Dexter well, and Billy Higgins is great...always listening. Unfortunately, for me, my CD is not the 'Remastered' version, and Butch is hard to hear. I'll bet the 'Remaster' kills... This is a really good one.

This is the recording that changed me from a jazz dilettante into a full-blown fan. It's still one of my all-time favorites. If you've never bought a jazz cd before, I would recommend this as your first; and if you've already started a jazz collection, it's not complete without "Go!"

Dexter Gordon is certainly one of the masters of bop, but noone has ever made that complex genre sound more accessible than Dex does here.

While much of Gordon's work (like "Go!"'s sister recording, "A Swingin' Affair,") may seem more adventurous or complex, the song choices and arrangements here on "Go!" are gorgeous in their (relative) simplicity. The sound is lush, the playing is first rate top-to-bottom, and the band is clearly having fun. Not to mention that the first cut, "Cheesecake," is an absolute classic.

Dextor Gordon and company really have it together on this album. Sonny Clark lays some nice notes on the keys. Butch Warren and Billy Higgins form a rock solid bass and drum foundation. This album definately has a great "feel" to it. Dextor Gordon's sax just flows with wonderful ease. These musicians had it together on this date and it shows. Go is a classic 60's blue note album. It's a good one for one starting a collection. By the way, the Rudy Van Gelder edition sounds simply spectacular! Remember, this was recorded back in '62. So go out and get this album! At [the price], you can't go wrong!

Talk about leaving America on a high note. This magnificent session kicks off in high style as bassist Butch Warren's intro for "Cheese Cake" opens the door into a room filled with the sheer beauty of Dexter's horn. It's a place you don't want to leave. The theme is an addictive confection, the pauses full of anticipation, and the solos, including Sonny Clark's on piano, all cool bubbling up and spilling over, pure ebullience on the boil.

The album features two moving ballads that slow things down at just the right time, but perhaps the highlight of the whole session is Cole Porter's "Love For Sale". It opens with a Latin feel before Dexter gives the melody a spine tingling treatment. Somehow the playful big man even manages to insert the Mexican hat dance in his final solo. The tune truly affirms the power of jazz to capture unbridled joy. What other recommendation do you need?

Talk about leaving America on a high note. This magnificent session kicks off in style as bassist Butch Warren's intro for "Cheese Cake" opens the door into a room filled with Dexter's horn. It's a place you don't want to leave. The theme is an addictive confection, the pauses full of anticipation, and all the solos, including Sonny Clark's on piano, steam with cool.

The album also features two moving ballads that slow things down at just the right time. The highlight of the whole session, however, is Cole Porter's "Love For Sale", with its Latin intro and Dexter's spine tingling treatment of the irrepressible melody; the big man even manages to insert the Mexican hat dance along the way. Jazz as unbridled joy - what more do you need?

Dexter Gordon was, in my opinion, the most under-rated of the great bop saxophonists. This album proves that and more. A must for any collection, the range Dex shows off on this album is incredible. From the ballad "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears out to Dry" to "Second Balcony Jump" to "Cheesecake" this album swings and sobs. My recommendation to bop fans is to buy every Dex album you can afford, starting with this one...

This is a good Dexter Gordon album but I prefer Dexter Calling and Our Man in Paris, which are also available on CD. He has a big tone but his style always sounded a bit old-fashioned to me, although not as corny as Sonny Rollins can sound.

I bought GO a couple of months ago, listened to it, loved it. I listened to it again recently and loved it even more. It's puzzling to me when I see "essential" jazz recording lists, GO rarely appears. Well, it makes my essential list and has easily pushed it's way into my top 10. From the exultant opening blow of "Cheese Cake" to the stunning ballad "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry" you realize you are hearing a musician "in the zone" who has complete command of his talent and is evoking it here at will. As the liner notes state, "Dexter soars like a condor over the Andes, with grandeur and great staying power." This also contains my favorite recording of "Love For Sale." There is not a wasted note on this album. It's like witnessing a baseball pitcher throwing a perfect game.