Dextor Gordon was a real warrior and very loyal to all Hard Bop loving fans. He never really adopted to new Jazz sound, he simply felt it was not necessary. This album was his last to final recording in Europe before his triumphant return to the states in 1976. He was the most busy Jazz ambassador in Europe from 1960 to 1975 and where he recorded countless masterpieces with either Jazz musicians that resided in Europe or with Americans Jazz musicians that were touring (Check his discography here). “Bouncin’ with Dex” is an excellent album that all Jazz fans must have in their personal library and of course, the Jazz Con Class Radio listeners could enjoy it here too.
About the album:
Dexter Gordon thrived on the attention of European jazz fans while living there during the 1960s and early ’70s, while he also had a wealth of opportunities to record for labels on the continent. This 1975 session for Steeplechase, one of a dozen he made as a leader for the label in the mid-’70s, finds him in top form, accompanied by pianist Tete Montoliu, along with frequent collaborators Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass and drummer Billy Higgins. Gordon’s big tone carries the brisk treatment of Charlie Parker’s “Billie’s Bounce,” though he inserts a few humorous quotes into his solo as well………Read More
Biography of Tete Montoliu:
Vicente Montoliu Massana, was born in Barcelona Spain in 1933.The son of a Barcelona symphony woodwinds player, he was born sightless. When he was seven, there were two events that shaped his life: he learned to read music in Braille and he heard recordings by Duke Ellington. Montoliu studied classical piano at the Barcelona Conservatory, and was known as a local piano sensation.
His early interest in jazz was further stimulated when the great saxophonist Don Byas lived for a time in the Montoliu home. By age 17, Montoliu was leading jam sessions at a Barcelona theater.
He made his international debut when he was invited on a European tour by Lionel Hampton in 1955, and in 1956 he recorded with the band. The possessor of astonishing technique, Montoliu exhibited warmth, deep feeling, and humor in his playing. In the 1960s and ’70s, he worked with an array of leading jazzmen including Roland Kirk, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Dorham, Archie Shepp, and Ben Webster. By the early 1960’s, he was recognized as one of Europe’s top jazz musicians. He traveled around Europe, and landed the house pianist job at the Café Montmartre in Copenhagen. Upon his return to Spain he began to perform and record prolifically mainly for the Steeplechase label. He garnered quite a reputation as a reliable jazz virtuoso, and his services were repeatedly called upon by visiting American jazzmen.
He recorded abundantly alone and with trios, almost always for European companies. “Lunch in L.A.,” his only album for an American label, found him in 1979 in great form playing solo on standards and originals. He created a prodigious body of work and amassed an impressive catalog of close to sixty records as a leader alone. He was also featured pianist on hundreds of European dates with scores of musicians……Read More
