Larry Kart Posted June 15, 2014 Report Posted June 15, 2014 Picked up a copy of this at a yard sale today; for some inexplicable reason I'd never heard it before. What a damn fine record! Dexter is in great form, Slide Hampton's charts are inspired, and the ensemble plays its collective and individual asses off. Special kudos to Frank Wess; the way he handles his exposed role behind Dexter on "Laura" (what a chart!) is something else. Quote
marcello Posted June 15, 2014 Report Posted June 15, 2014 These photos of mine are from the week before the recording. Quote
BFrank Posted June 15, 2014 Report Posted June 15, 2014 Dexter had a fine second career after "Homecoming" Quote
soulpope Posted June 15, 2014 Report Posted June 15, 2014 (edited) Dexter had a fine second career after "Homecoming" highlighted by : aka Edited June 15, 2014 by soulpope Quote
sidewinder Posted June 15, 2014 Report Posted June 15, 2014 Bought it when it first came out and liked it from the off. The recording always sounded to me a bit 'flat' but as mentioned, Slide Hampton's charts are very interesting and he gets the band to sound much bigger than it actually is (one of his trademarks, I guess, from the days of that early 60s band). Great chart of 'The Moontrane'. Quote
JSngry Posted June 15, 2014 Report Posted June 15, 2014 "Red Top" was the radio hit around here, but "How Insensitive" is the one that really crawled inside my head. Dexter on soprano (and basicall as role player on his own album) made an impression of meaningful difference. Yes - Slide Hampton, arranger. Quote
mjzee Posted June 15, 2014 Report Posted June 15, 2014 When I started working in a jazz record store in 1978, Sophisticated Giant was about a year old but was still selling like hotcakes. It had a very broad base of purchasers. I still haven't heard it! I figured I'd get the Dexter Columbia box, but the price still hasn't dropped. I keep waiting... Quote
BillF Posted June 15, 2014 Report Posted June 15, 2014 When I started working in a jazz record store in 1978, Sophisticated Giant was about a year old but was still selling like hotcakes. It had a very broad base of purchasers. I still haven't heard it! I figured I'd get the Dexter Columbia box, but the price still hasn't dropped. I keep waiting... Here are three tracks to be going on with! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1lpVguArUQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ILMmDB0kI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=059cD0TqT7E Quote
CJ Shearn Posted June 15, 2014 Report Posted June 15, 2014 Wonderful date, the Columbia Dexter box is very good, save of course "Isn't She Lovely" which by far is the worst thing on the set. Tons of fine Woody Shaw on this set too for the few people who haven't heard Dex's Columbia's. Quote
JSngry Posted June 15, 2014 Report Posted June 15, 2014 When I started working in a jazz record store in 1978, Sophisticated Giant was about a year old but was still selling like hotcakes. It had a very broad base of purchasers. I still haven't heard it! I figured I'd get the Dexter Columbia box, but the price still hasn't dropped. I keep waiting... Here are three tracks to be going on with! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1lpVguArUQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ILMmDB0kI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=059cD0TqT7E And one more! Quote
Peter Friedman Posted June 16, 2014 Report Posted June 16, 2014 Yes, a definite winner in my book. Not sure if I remember correctly, but seem to recall some less than enthusiastic reviews when it was first released. Most of Dexter's recordings are loose swinging sessions. "Sophisticated Giant" allows us to hear him in a rather different setting. I have very much enjoyed Slide Hampton's arrangements in a broad variety of big bands and smaller groups. Quote
sidewinder Posted June 16, 2014 Report Posted June 16, 2014 (edited) Dug out my old UK LP last night and played it for the first time in at least 20 years. The LP sound is much better than I thought, no complaints there. Lots of good things about this LP - agree that Wess is outstanding (that alto break in 'You're Blase' - amazing) and the rhythm team of George Cables/Rufus Reed/Victor Lewis is very tight and tasteful. A very good record. Nice insert liner notes by Ira Gitler too. I still haven't heard it! I figured I'd get the Dexter Columbia box, but the price still hasn't dropped. I keep waiting... Still awaiting that too ! Edited June 16, 2014 by sidewinder Quote
Hot Ptah Posted June 16, 2014 Report Posted June 16, 2014 I remember when this album came out--it was in the middle of a string of strong Columbia albums by Dexter. He was also touring a lot then and I had several opportunities to see him live. This album was more arranged than the other Columbia albums, but just as exciting to me as the others. I also met Dexter at an album release event at Schoolkids Records in Ann Arbor, in the 1979-80 period. It must have been for a Columbia album which came after this one. It was a bit surprising to see Dexter Gordon (THE Dexter Gordon) standing there in the narrow aisles of the music store which I had been frequenting, and which had become a routine place for me to be. He was very friendly and approachable. While I was there, standing next to Dexter, a young man in dreadlocks literally ran up to him and shouted, "Dexter, Dexter, I just love jazz so much, but I can only make a living playing rock and pop! I want to play jazz all the time! I love jazz so much! Tell me Dexter, what should I do! what should I do!" After a long pause, in which the young man stared with tremendous anticipation and intensity on his face, Dexter looked at him and in his deep voice, said, "keep on swingin'!". That was all. The young man walked backward, in a daze. Quote
Spontooneous Posted June 17, 2014 Report Posted June 17, 2014 I can't top that story. But I just wanted to say that the trumpet outburst on "Red Top" got me started on a lifetime mission to collect Benny Bailey records. Quote
soulpope Posted June 17, 2014 Report Posted June 17, 2014 While I was there, standing next to Dexter, a young man in dreadlocks literally ran up to him and shouted, "Dexter, Dexter, I just love jazz so much, but I can only make a living playing rock and pop! I want to play jazz all the time! I love jazz so much! Tell me Dexter, what should I do! what should I do!" After a long pause, in which the young man stared with tremendous anticipation and intensity on his face, Dexter looked at him and in his deep voice, said, "keep on swingin'!". That was all. The young man walked backward, in a daze. Good story... Quote
Larry Kart Posted June 17, 2014 Author Report Posted June 17, 2014 I have a pretty good story IMO about Dexter, Maxine Gregg, and myself (no, not a threesome) -- this when Dexter was on tour promoting the movie "'Round Midnight" -- but I'm saving it for my next book, should there ever be one. It was during that encounter that I mentioned Mobley to Dexter, and he began his response with "Ah, yes -- the Hankenstein. He was SO hip." Quote
gmonahan Posted June 17, 2014 Report Posted June 17, 2014 I have a pretty good story IMO about Dexter, Maxine Gregg, and myself (no, not a threesome) -- this when Dexter was on tour promoting the movie "'Round Midnight" -- but I'm saving it for my next book, should there ever be one. It was during that encounter that I mentioned Mobley to Dexter, and he began his response with "Ah, yes -- the Hankenstein. He was SO hip." "Hankenstein" would have made a great title for one of Hank's albums! gregmo Quote
Mark Stryker Posted June 17, 2014 Report Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) Slide's charts on "Sophisticated Giant" are seriously great -- beautifully detailed, fully realized and like all of Slide's writing, revealing a stylistic breadth that takes in huge chunks of modern jazz in an organic fashion. The chart on "Red Top" is a good example with a "Maiden Voyage"-like intro with the vamp and suspended 4th chords and then the way he dresses up the blues in modern harmonies without obscuring an essential earthiness. There's a nice moment in the interludes introducing Dexter's solo where the harmony is contemporary but the syncopated rhythms are pure Dizzy Gillespie big band of the '40s. Later around or during the vibes solo there are backgrounds that directly quote Thad Jones' "Quietude."I love Slide. Edited June 17, 2014 by Mark Stryker Quote
mjzee Posted June 20, 2014 Report Posted June 20, 2014 When I started working in a jazz record store in 1978, Sophisticated Giant was about a year old but was still selling like hotcakes. It had a very broad base of purchasers. I still haven't heard it! I figured I'd get the Dexter Columbia box, but the price still hasn't dropped. I keep waiting... Here are three tracks to be going on with! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1lpVguArUQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ILMmDB0kI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=059cD0TqT7E Listening to them now. Nice arrangements! Sound like a punchier Gil Evans. Too bad they recorded Dexter's horn all wrong (very tinny; it's the same sound that's on Homecoming). Still, very sumptuous music. Quote
Chazro Posted June 25, 2014 Report Posted June 25, 2014 This is a favorite of mine! Own it on LP & CD. Here's a bit of trivia. Around the time of it's release, Columbia released 2 volumes of live music featuring much of its roster called Montreux Summit. These double LP sets were primarily Fusion-ish BUT they also featured a few cuts of Dexter and the Sophisticated Giant band playing tunes from the record! I'm pretty sure these records were never released on CD making these some pretty rare Dexter Gordon cuts! Quote
mjzee Posted June 25, 2014 Report Posted June 25, 2014 This is a favorite of mine! Own it on LP & CD. Here's a bit of trivia. Around the time of it's release, Columbia released 2 volumes of live music featuring much of its roster called Montreux Summit. These double LP sets were primarily Fusion-ish BUT they also featured a few cuts of Dexter and the Sophisticated Giant band playing tunes from the record! I'm pretty sure these records were never released on CD making these some pretty rare Dexter Gordon cuts! I believe the Montreux Summit Dexter tracks are included in the Complete Columbia box. Quote
CJ Shearn Posted June 25, 2014 Report Posted June 25, 2014 This is a favorite of mine! Own it on LP & CD. Here's a bit of trivia. Around the time of it's release, Columbia released 2 volumes of live music featuring much of its roster called Montreux Summit. These double LP sets were primarily Fusion-ish BUT they also featured a few cuts of Dexter and the Sophisticated Giant band playing tunes from the record! I'm pretty sure these records were never released on CD making these some pretty rare Dexter Gordon cuts! I believe the Montreux Summit Dexter tracks are included in the Complete Columbia box. Yep, they are, and Wounded Bird released vols. 1&2 of Montreux Summit. Quote
Big Beat Steve Posted June 27, 2014 Report Posted June 27, 2014 I have a pretty good story IMO about Dexter, Maxine Gregg, and myself (no, not a threesome) -- this when Dexter was on tour promoting the movie "'Round Midnight" -- but I'm saving it for my next book, should there ever be one. It was during that encounter that I mentioned Mobley to Dexter, and he began his response with "Ah, yes -- the Hankenstein. He was SO hip." Wait till chewy reads this! He'll come breathing down your neck to hear the REST of the story at once! (Hey, this is HANK trivia! How cool is that .... !) Quote
mikeweil Posted June 28, 2014 Report Posted June 28, 2014 John Lewis Plays The Compositions and Arrangements of Gary Mc Farland - Collectables Wrong Thread? Quote
Peter Friedman Posted June 28, 2014 Report Posted June 28, 2014 Sorry, my mistake. Just deleted that post and will place it on the correct thread. Quote
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