Customer Reviews

One Flight Up

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of THE all time desert island Blue Note recordings. Though not mentioned as often as titles such as "Blue Train" or "Somethin' Else," this recording presents Dexter's tenor front and center. Great tunes and sympathetic support create subtle tension and release. Some of this music was recently featured at the beginning of Ken Burn's "Jazz" episode 10. I hope this will be re-released as part of Blue Note's RVG series in the near future. Good listening!

My God, that classic, classic bassline to Tanya still resonates in my soul today, these many years later. As well, Dex's blowing on "Darn That Dream" still gets me all emotional and teary to this day.

What happens when you combine one of the greatest ever jazz tenormen along with the most underrated trumpeter this side of Miles ? Pure and utter magic.

As there seems to be little customer praise for this album, with the exception of some inarticulate wino's rantings, let me begin by saying that this is one of the finest blue note albums of the 1960's. The material is superb as the silky themes possess a quiet mystery to them, making this one of the ultimate late night albums. Dex's solos are sick and his searching statements on the title track are reason enough to possess "One Flight Up", which to my mind is Gordon's finest and most underrated album. Dex's cohorts do not dissapoint either as Pedersen, Taylor, and Drew provide rhythm that is both atmospheric and driving. Even Byrd does not disgrace himself as he gives thoughtful solos that are more exciting than usual.

'Tanya', the first number on this excellent album, runs for 18 minutes. I first heard this tune whilst watching Ken Burn's "Jazz" documentary. It has stuck in my head since then; I simply adore it.

Tanya was written by hard bop trumpeter Donald Byrd, who accompanies Dexter in this performance. They play together to begin with and then each solos through this mesmerizing and hypnotic tune. The splendour of the trumpet and tenor saxophone as instruments is on full display here.

Let's not forget the album includes some of Dexters favourites in the Rhythm section; Kenny Drew on Piano, Art Taylor on Drums and Neils-Hennig Orsted Pedersen on Bass.

An excellent album as a whole, or to listen to 'Tanya' alone.

Stop! Time! Enough! Moratorium! That's what I've been telling myself since CD's started becoming as much of a space and storage problem in my digs as LP's. I don't need another Sonny Stitt record, or for that matter another Van Gelder-engineered Blue Note date. I'm going to sell them on Ebay and donate the proceeds to the Red Cross.

But then I picked up yet another recording by the master storyteller of them all, Mr. Long Tall. This time he's not only one flight above every other musical narrator on the planet: he's delivering his soul-stirring message from Mt. Sinai. Doesn't matter which of the four tracks you single out: Dexter is equally inspired on each, spinning out stories that proceed from one climax to the next, "nailing" you with each carefully aimed musical word. His rhetoric is so compelling it doesn't matter if you recognize all of his serendipitous quotes: they become part of the total fabric of his sermon.

Although this album has acquired a semi-cult following because of Dexter's marathon solo on "Tanya" (hear Kurt Elling's equally amazing transcription on "The Messenger"), his contructions on the alternate harmonies of "Darn That Dream" are no less impressive. And if you need further evidence of Dexter's command, "King Neptune" provides that and more--bassist Nils Orsted Pederson and drummer Art Taylor following the Tower of Power with the hardest swinging sounds on the date.

I only pity a Donald Byrd, a Kenny Drew, or any instrumentalist that has to follow L.T. On the other hand, in air this rarefied it doesn't hurt to have a chance to catch your breath.

Within the past year, Blue Note has reissued a number of classic Dexter Gordon albums via its RVG series including "Doin' Allright," "Dexter Calling" and "Our Man in Paris" (see my reviews). EMI continues this trend with this CD, a remastered version of "One Flight Up." Originally recorded in Paris, Dex's June 2, 1964 effort was made, not under the watchful eye of Alfred Lion and Rudy Van Gelder, but instead by business partner Francis Wolff. It features the great tenor saxophonist in a quintet setting with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, and drummer Art Taylor. The album's centerpieces are two extended compositions, Donald Byrd's "Tanya" and Kenny Drew's "Coppin' The Haven," both of which are, in my opinion, an attempt to follow-up on the success of Herbie Hancock's "Takin' Off," where Dex put in a rare appearance as a sideman. It is a combination that is enjoyable, but the second time around it doesn't seem altogether tailor-made for Dex's sound, particularly now that he is in the leadership role. In fact, he seems more himself on the standard "Darn That Dream" and his own "Kong Neptune," a bonus track not included on the original LP (but featured on the first CD incarnation of this album). One wonders if Lion didn't feel the same way, as the following year he brought Gordon back to the States to record his next Blue Note sessions, "Gettin' Around" and what would eventually be released as "Clubhouse." In all, "One Flight Up" is a perfectly good jazz disc, but it is definitely one step down from the likes of "A Swingin' Affair" and "Go."

This album should be up there with Kind of Blue, A Love Supreme, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, and other classics on the lists of best jazz albums, despite perhaps not being as innovative as those albums. What was being done here wasn't anything new, it was just a ridiculously good take on the familiar. I, like another reviewer, first heard portions of the haunting "Tanya" on Ken Burns' Jazz series. I was mesmerized by the aching tenor playing over that wonderful riff that refuses to leave my mind. "Tanya" is a song with an unusual form consisting of 40 bars with a Modal section of 32 bars then a swing section of 8. (Modal: 8 bars of Ebm, then 4 of Abm, 4 of Ebm, repeat that, then swing: Eb Db | B Bb | C half-diminshed F7#9 | Bb, repeat, except last chord is an Ebm instead of a Bb) I always wondered who Tanya was that prompted Donald Byrd to write such a classic song for her. Dexter's solo is possibly one of the greatest in jazz history. In a solo that lasts over 6-minutes, Dexter never stops playing in his own beautiful, melodic fashion. Even though it's a modal song, he never falls into the standard Coltrane-inspired runs (as excellent as those can be), instead playing a melodic, stately, and bluesly solo that never loses interest despite it's length. Donald Byrd follows up with an equally good, but slightly shorter solo that also avoids endless Coltrane-like runs, and is even bluesier than Dexter's. I haven't heard much of Byrd's recorded-output, but of what I have heard, nothing has even come close to his work here. Kenny Drew's solo is also fantastic, mostly using that wonderful riff as a starting-off point for a very chordal solo. All three soloists sound as if thought they were aching for the love of an extraordinary woman as they play. Listening to this when I suffered a heartbreak one time was cathartic for me. I also especially love to play this song while driving at night in the city, especially when it's raining. Special mentions go out to Niels Henning Orsted Pederson for supplying a perfect foundation for the soloists, and Art Taylor for his powerful drumming which push the soloists to the heights they reach. As another reviewer stated, it might just be the best work of his career. "Tanya" is one of the greatest jazz compositions ever written and performed, and is easily worth the price of admission.

Next up is "Coppin' the Haven", another modal piece with a swing section written by Kenny Drew. The group gives a fantastic performance that would've been a highlight on most albums, but suffers here because it follows the amazing "Tanya". The modal section of it has more of a funk than straight swing feel. All of the solos are excellent by the same three as on Tanya, but there's less drama in these and more fun. "Darn That Dream" is an excellent ballad on par with those on Coltrane's "Ballads", but in Dexter's own personal style. He plays in the extreme high and low ranges of his instrument in this performance, and his tone is gorgeous in all. Dexter always knew the lyrics to the ballads he played, and his playing perfectly replicates the feeling of the lyrics here. His brief cadenza at the end is absolutely beautiful. Finally, it finishes with Kong Neptune, which, while not quite up to the level of the other three songs, is a fun swinger that Dexter plays a monster bop solo on. It sounds absolutely joyful. I very strongly recommend this album to even the most casual jazz fan.

For those wishing to play Tanya, the form is as follows -
Modal: 8 bars of Ebm, then 4 of Abm, 4 of Ebm, repeat.
Swing: Ebm Db | B Bb | C half-diminshed F7#9 | Bb, repeat, except last chord is an Ebm instead of a Bb.

Tenor man Dexter Gordon is joined on this session by Donald Byrd on trumpet, Kenny Drew on piano, Art Taylor on drums, and the young Neils-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass. This album has become one of my favorites in a very short span of time. The highlight of the set is Donald Byrd's incredible "Tanya". Despite clocking in at just over 18 minutes, this piece never seems to last that long. In fact, I wish it were longer. The main theme is hypnotic and the solos are out of this world. I've been listening to quite a few tenor sax players over the past few months (Mobley, Coltrane, Henderson, Brooks, Shorter, Rollins), but Dexter's tone here is so much heavier here than all of the rest. His lungs must extend to his feet! His solos on "Tanya" and "Coppin' the Havens" are stirring and multi-dimensional.

Donald Byrd proves to be the perfect complement to Dex on this album. His tone is almost as impressive as Gordon's. His first cadence of notes in his solo on "Tanya" gives me chills every time I hear it. Kenny Drew is an amazing pianist and this album merely cemented his status as my favorite ivory tickler. He adds so much to this recording. Art Taylor's solid drumming and fills add nuance to each piece. And Neils-Henning Orsted Pedersen provides a full rich bottom end. "Tanya" is by far the standout track, but Kenny Drew's "Coppin' the Havens" is another lengthy masterpiece I can't get enough of. Byrd drops out for the standard "Darn That Dream". The Van Gelder edition also adds "Kong Neptune", a nice Gordon original. The sound of this album is remarkable. The clarity is such that it's like you're sitting in the same room with the musicians.

I don't have the musical language necessary to say as much about this album as I'd like. If you haven't heard it, I implore you to check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

This album evokes great feeling and says soo much without a single word. I highly recommend playing this album on a high end audiophile system and crank it up.

This is Dexter Gordon and Blue Note; always an exciting combination. Here, Dex is working with four very serious hard-boppers (Donald Byrd, Kenny Drew, Neils Orsted Pedersen and Art Taylor)who back-seat to no one when it's time to get down. And, of course, there's Dex, himself....a Kansas City master, who's "books on bebop" are "required reading" for ANYONE with a horn. Here is four reasons why:
The rythym section brings out Dex and "Tanya", an old and seemingly familiar, laid-back,class-A smoker by Donald Byrd. Dex is, at first, as "tenuous" as Dex gets, before blastin' out with some straight-up bop. Byrd picks up right where Dex leaves off; and is equally 'funky'. What IS of MOST serious notice, here, is Neils' OUTSTANDING bass work. Kenny 'waxes' through a cool solo, with Art 'highlighting' behind him, before the closing theme. Not to brag, but Kenny's "Coppin' The Haven" theme reminds me of some of my own writing. This is a 'stop n' go', medium-tempo cooker that brings out good work from everybody. Dex leads off with no lack of inventiveness. Byrd sounds great (when has he not?) here, mixing well with the tempo. Kenny is very relaxed and cool. Of particular note here, is Art's drums, accenting the changes.

"Darn That Dream" is an old, standard ballad. Dex handles it with the sentiment that it was written with, and the expertise of all top-line ballardeers. Kenny offers a breif, but sincere solo, as well.

When you've mastered a horn, and blown practically everything you can think to blow, at one time or another, then one day you pick up your horn, and stuff like "Kong Neptune" leaks out, you KNOW you are 'one mean mutha'. Dex knows!! He wrote it. This is one of the 'baddest' themes I've ever heard. It's Dexter Gordon comin' straight at you, blowing that great music he knows so very much about. It swings hard and has everybody jumpin'. Dex takes a long solo, followed by Kenny, who swings in a sort of Red Garland-Wynton Kelly-ish way, but it's all good. Neils' solo is on par, before Dex and Art engage in some pretty nice 'fours'. This is a very good set, from a great group of guys, with the accent on enjoyment. It's ONE FLIGHT UP!!!