Customer Reviews

Our Man In Paris

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Here is a very very essential album.One of Blue Note's most essential records.Paris,May 23,1963: Dexter Gordon,ts,Bud Powell,p,Kenny Clarke,dms and top french jazz bass player,Pierre Michelot,the only survivor of this outstanding quartet;or Dex meets the "Three Bosses",as the Bud/Klook/Michelot trio was called.Initially,Dexter should have recorded with Kenny Drew a set of tunes of his own;but it was decided to hire Bud,who was living in Paris the last years of his very short life,and logically,Michelot and Clarke followed.The bunch of new tunes written by Dex were forgotten,and everybody chose to play standards.Bud,among several troubles,could hardly learn new things at this time;but he was a giant when he was asked to play his repertoire,and the proof is here.Put together one of the most magnificent disciples of both Pres and Bird,the most awesome pianist with Hines and Tatum,and the father of modern jazz drumming,son of Jo Jones,add one of the best french musicians on bass,and you'll get some sublime music.Here may be Dexter Gordon's most magnificent album;his Lesterian roots meet some Golson and even Rollins' and Coltrane's influences ("Night in Tunisia");
his swing is purely incredible;Kenny Clarke's drumming is simply out of this world,so simple and yet so hardly swinging;maybe the most essential jazz drumming with Jo Jones' and Sam Woodyard's.And Pierre Michelot's bass support is really a very great one.
What about the tunes ? Here are essential versions of Bird's "scrapple from the apple",Dizzy's "Night in Tunisia",here is a sublime version of the incredible Ann Ronnell's evergreen,"willow weep for me",including superb solos by Bud and Pierre,here is the old "Broadway",in which Bud salutes Basie (the final notes),here are wonderful ballads,"stairway to the stars","our love is here to stay",and finally here is a trio track by the "Three Bosses","like someone in love",one of Bud's favorites.
Listening again to this album,it seems almost incredible to me to think that this music was recorded 40 years ago.It sounds more and more younger than most of today's jazz records.Here is not only Dexter's best effort,here is one of the most essential records of the history of jazz; a mixture of classical,Kansas City oriented music (Dexter's blowing will reminds you of Lester,Hershell Evans,Illinois Jacquet,Buddy Tate) and post-bop music (shades of Golson,Trane);Kenny Clarke,one of the monuments of jazz drumming with the Father,Jo Jones,and the disciples,Woodyard,Haynes,Blakey,Elvin J.,Butler,Lenny McBrowne,Roy Brooks,Ed Thigpen,Roach,etc,Kenny Clarke is at his most magnificent playing.Here is a gem in Blue Note's amazing catalog.Something you have to listen to !!!

At first, Dexter Gordon's "Our Man in Paris" seems an unlikely choice for the RVG series, because Rudy Van Gelder didn't record it in the first place. Unlike most Blue Note albums which were recorded in Van Gelder's studios, first in Hackensack then Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, this one was recorded in Paris (5/23/63) by Claude Ermelin, as Dexter Gordon two years earlier had traded in his New York address for France. Maybe Mr. Van Gelder thought that through remastering, he could fix the minor sound deficiencies that had plagued an otherwise perfect album. Well, the new issue does sound fantastic! This date, featuring fellow expatriates Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke, along with Pierre Michelot, was originally supposed to feature Kenny Drew on piano, and a program of all new material penned by Gordon. Powell was called in at the last minute, but he wanted to only record standards on such short notice. In classic jazz fashion, a potential disaster turned into one of the most magical performances in the Blue Note catalog. Welcome back from Paris Dex, and Rudy thanks for adding your two francs.

This session is a meeting between three of the most influential musicians of the forties (Dexter, Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke as "Americans in Paris"), completed by the great french bassist Pierre Michelot. At this really happy date the musicians decided to play tunes, that go back to the time, when those guys first gigged and recorded together, like Parker's "Scrapple from the Apple". But especially about Dexter's playing it can be said, that he had modified his style during the sixties, absorbing ideas from musicians, who originally had been influenced by him (listen to some very Coltrane-ish licks on "Night in Tunisia"). Actually, Dexter once stated, that he was thrilled by that kind of mutual exchange of ideas: First he had been a main source of influence for the early John Coltrane and later, especially during the time of this recordings (1963), Dexter further developed his style using some of Coltrane's ideas. Besides the above mentioned faster tunes, I expecially like "Willow Weep for Me" with it's nice intro and that kind of blues-feeling and of course the beautiful ballad "Stairway to the Stars". Bud Powell, almost at the end of his career, still plays very inspired. Expecially during those years in Paris, Bud was at his best on encounters with other great Americans, who visited Europe or temporarly lived there.

I've been a Dexter Gordon fan for years & have many of his albums. One of the things you can say about him is that he has his own voice. Like Getz, Davis, Trane, Desmond, etc. you know it's Dexter playing after the first few bars. As for this CD, I'll let the tunes speak for themselves. There have been three very wordy reviews done before me, so all I'm going to say is that I've never heard Dexter in better form. Bud Powell is one tremendous jazz pianist, & does Dexter proud on this album. My own favorite is Bird's "Scrapple From the Apple," but they're all superb. If you're a Gordon fan, your collection won't be complete until you hear this CD.