[.ca] Dexter Blows Hot and Cool

4.5 stars:
It's understandable that most people concentrate on Gordon's Blue Note albums of the first half of the 60's, but the couple of perfectly fine albums he recorded in the mid-50's tend to get completely overlooked. That's a shame, because they represent an interesting interlude in his career, midway between the youthful rambunctiousness of his Savoy sides and the maturity of his Blue Notes. This album, for instance, alternates uptempo swingers with masterful ballads (thus the title). There's a straightforward quality to it that makes the Blue Note material seem to have a sour undertow in comparison. While that may be part of what gives the Blue Notes their complexity, like the proverbial fine wine, it's nice to occasionally have a shot of neat whiskey. The album Daddy Plays the Horn, from this same period, is equally good.

• Silver Plated
• Cry Me a River
• Rhythm Mad
• Don't Worry About Me
• I Hear Music
• Bonna Rue
• I Should Care
• Blowin' for Dootsie
• Tenderly