Requisites
Doin’ Allright ~ Dexter Gordon | By Eddie Carter
This morning’s discussion came up after dinner a few nights ago, when I chose a few titles to play and considerreviewing for our jazz members. After listening, I’d settled on one of my favorite tenor saxophonists, Dexter Gordon. Doin’ Allright (Blue Note BLP 4077/BST 84077) was released in 1961 and is his Blue Note debut, celebrating his comeback from personal struggles and incarceration. The album showcases Gordon at his very best, backed by Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Horace Parlan on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Al Harewood on drums. I own the 1992 Toshiba-EMI Japanese Stereo reissue in the Blue Note 4000 Series Ultra Collection, sharing the original catalog number.
The album opens with a classic by George and Ira Gershwin, I Was Doin’ All Right. The quintet gets things going with an easy medium groove on the melody. Dexter makes a relaxed entrance for the first solo, followed by Freddie, who swings smoothly and confidently in the second statement. Horace comes in last, complementing the horns with a laid-back reading before the group returns to reprise the theme and fade out gradually. You’ve Changed by Carl Fischer and Bill Carey slows down to a ballad tempo for an emotionally sensitive melody by Dexter. He continues communicating his heart and soul in the opening statement. Freddie speaks next in a warm, emotional tone, and Horace has a deeply expressive moment before the front line returns and slowly takes the song out.
Dexter’s For Members Only ends the first side with an infectious ensemble theme that gets things started. Dexter goes right to work with a relaxing opening statement. Freddie is next, swinging effortlessly with a bright tone and articulate, precise notes. Horace takes his turn last with a laid-back solo ahead of the ensemble’s restatement of the melody and close. Society Red, a funky blues by Dexter Gordon, gets the second side underway with the quintet’s easy-flowing melody. Freddie puts together the first appetizer of this soulful meal. Dexter then shares a rich, bluesy flavor, simmered to perfection, inviting the listener to savor every note. Horace adds a delightful touch of seasoning, and George adds the final ingredient, wrapping up a musical feast that feels like home ahead of the close.
It’s You or No One by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne wraps up the album on a brisk note, beginning with Dexter’s introduction before the quintet’s lively theme. Dexter takes center stage first with an energetic solo. Freddie adds some bite with the second statement. Horace follows, delivering exuberant verses with an aggressive impact. George takes a short, robust walk in the fourth reading, and Al brings plenty of heat in the finale preceding the group’s return to take the song out. Alfred Lion produced the session, and Rudy Van Gelder managed the recording console. The album’s sound quality is demonstration-class, with a stunning soundstage that if you close your eyes, you’ll swear the musicians are playing right in front of your sweet spot. The front and back covers are glossy, and the record is absolutely quiet until the music starts.
If you’re in the mood for a terrific hard bop album to enjoy anytime of the day or evening, I highly recommend you check out Doin’ Allright on your next record store visit. It makes a great introduction for jazz newcomers discovering Dexter Gordon, and a title I’m sure will also please seasoned fans. It also proves that the tenor saxophonist was not only back, but definitely Doin’ Allright!
~ I Was Doin’ All Right, You’ve Changed – Source: Wikipedia.org © 2026 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Bennie Maupin was born on August 29, 1940 in Detroit, Michigan and undertook extensive instrumental studies, both privately and at the Detroit Institute of Musical Art from age 14 until 1962. During this period his influences were Yusef Lateef, Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. By 1966 he was working with Roy Haynes followed by a two-year tenure with Horace Silver in ’68.
Maupin joined Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi sextet and his Headhunters band, and then joined Miles Davis for the recording of Bitches Brew. He has also performed on several Meat Beat Manifesto albums.
Bennie is noted for having a harmonically advanced, “out” improvisation style, and as a composer, he has the ability to create brief melodies and song forms that create vast landscapes for improvisation.
Multireedist Bennie Maupin was also a member of the group “Almanac” with Cecil McBee, has recorded a half dozen albums as a leader and another two-dozen as a sideman. He has worked with the likes of Lee Morgan, Eddie Henderson, Marion Brown, John Beasley, Mike Clark, Jack DeJohnette, Darek Oles, Lonnie Smith, McCoy Tyner and Lenny White. He appears in the 2016 biopic I Called Him Morgan about trumpeter Lee Morgan and continues to pursue his career in music from jazz to rock to abstraction.
In January 2025 he lost his home, instruments, and other belongings in the Eaton Wild Fire in Los Angeles, California. Flutist, clarinetist and saxophonist Bennie Maupin continues to perform and record.
THE COOKERS
The Cookers take their name from Night of the Cookers, the famous 1965 recorded trumpet summit between Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard at Brooklyn’s Club La Marchal. Formed by trumpeter and organizer David Weiss, the group brings together some of the most storied musicians in jazz, players who came up in the 1960s and 70s working alongside the very architects of the music.
Drummer Billy Hart and trumpeter Eddie Henderson were both members of Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking Mwandishi group. Bassist Cecil McBee anchored Charles Lloyd’s celebrated quartet alongside Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette. Pianist George Cables held the piano chair in bands led by Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Gordon, and Art Pepper. Saxophonist Donald Harrison, a recently named NEA Jazz Master, came up performing with Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, and Herbie Hancock.
Together these musicians have contributed to well over a thousand recordings across the history of jazz, and the chemistry between them, forged over decades of shared history on bandstands around the world, is unmistakable. Critics have praised The Cookers for embodying the serious commitment it took to thrive on the New York jazz scene of decades past, and audiences consistently describe their live performances as electrifying, a rare opportunity to witness musicians who don’t simply play the music, but live inside of it. This is a true once in a lifetime chance to experience some of the last living architects of modern jazz in an intimate room.
The Side Door Jazz Club is a dedicated jazz listening room located inside the historic Old Lyme Inn, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT. Tickets are reserved seating. Guests dining at the Old Lyme Inn prior to the show receive 10% off their dinner bill.
The Band:
Eddie Henderson – Trumpet
David Weiss – Trumpet
Donald Harrison – Alto Saxophone
Azar Lawrence – Tenor Saxophone
George Cables – Piano
Cecil McBee – Bass
Billy Hart – Drums
Cover: $38.57
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HERBIE HANCOCK
Herbie Hancock Celebrates Miles Davis Centennial
This concert features some of the biggest names in jazz, including two of Miles’ former bassists—Ron Carter, who was a member of the legendary Miles Quintet with Herbie, as well as Marcus Miller, who produced Miles’ electric band classic, Tutu, Grammy winning trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard, former Miles Davis saxophonist Kenny Garrett, esteemed bassist Christian McBride, and conductor, arranger Vince Mendoza. All told, that’s 45 Grammys on one stage honoring an absolute titan of music.
The program will feature music from throughout Miles’ career, including his collaborations with Gil Evans on the landmark albums Miles Ahead and Porgy and Bess, as well as a reimagining of his iconic late ’60s quartet and his fusion era.
Tickets: $39.00 ~ $759 (fee included)
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Eddie Shu was born on August 18, 1918 in New York City. He learned violin and guitar as a child before picking up saxophone as a teenager. His first professional gigs were as a harmonica-playing ventriloquist. He played in military bands while serving in the Army from 1942 to 1945.
Following his discharge he played with Tadd Dameron in 1947, George Shearing, Johnny Bothwell, Buddy Rich, Les Elgart and Lionel Hampton from 1949–1950. He would play with Charlie Barnet, Chubby Jackson and Gene Krupa through the end of the decade.
In the 1960s Shu moved to Florida, playing locally as well as clarinet with Louis Armstrong’s All-Stars, as well as Hampton and Krupa again. He would freelance around New York City, the Virgin Islands and Florida. Though he only did a few sessions as a leader in 1949, 1954 and 1955, he also recorded frequently with Gene Krupa.
Though he never gained much fame, Eddie Shu, a multi-talented swing and jazz saxophonist, a valued sideman skilled on reeds and brass instruments, passed away on July 4, 1986 in Tampa, Florida.