Leonard Feather Blindfold Tests

[Plays "Juggin' Around" by Gene Ammons, from Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz/Jazz Of The '60s Vol. #1: Giants Of The Saxophones, Vee-Jay Records (1964). Personnel: Nat Adderly: cornet; Benny Green: trombone; Gene Ammons: tenor saxophone; Frank Foster: tenor saxophone; Frank Wess: tenor saxophone.]

Dexter Gordon: Yeah, it was, Benny Green and Jug and Clark Terry and the other tenor player, sounds something like Yusef, I'm not sure who that was, sounds something like that. Yeah, it wasn't too much happening. It didn't go anywhere. In fact, it didn't feel very comfortable.

Leonard Feather: In the rhythm section or just the soloists or both?

Dexter Gordon: Yeah, well both. Yeah. Yeah. The rhythm didn't... did nothing happen. A couple of times it kind of got turned around, the beat turned around a little bit. It didn't sound very comfortable and I didn't... It doesn't sound like that was the best take. There must have been a better take than that one on the date. So, yeah, well, two and a half stars I think.

Leonard Feather: Do you have any particular comments about any of those soloists in general?

Dexter Gordon: Oh, well, yeah, I dig them all. I dig Green who I think is beautiful on trombone and who incidentally has a very, very big fan in Copenhagen, young trombone player there Copenhagen, what's his name? Toeroff, He's a Benny Green man. Every time I see him, he wants to know, "Where's Benny Green? What's Benny Green doing?" He loves Benny Green. Yeah, and of course I love Jug who I've known all my life more or less, and Clark Terry who was always a dead giveaway because nobody sounds like that, yeah. The other tenor player, I wasn't sure about that. I don't know who that... It sounded somehow it sounded like Yusef, I wasn't sure who that was.

Leonard Feather: Okay.

[Plays "Duke Bey" by Orchestra U.S.A, from Jazz Journey, Columbia Records (1963). Personnel: Coleman Hawkins: tenor saxophone; Arif Mardin: composer.]

Dexter Gordon: Well, that's a shame to waste a beautiful arrangement, like that. Yeah, it was Hawkins, but there were only traces of the Hawk that I love. He sounded like he was a little under the weather on that one.

Leonard Feather: Yeah sure.

Dexter Gordon: Yeah. It was a beautiful arrangement. I don't know who wrote the arrangement. It was beautiful. I dug it. Nice. Yeah. Hawk wasn't there that day. It was Johnny Walker playing. It's Senor Juanito Walker on tenor.

Leonard Feather: So do you think it was mainly lacking his sound or his phrasing or both?

Dexter Gordon: Well, yeah, he was so juiced he couldn't put anything together, and he obviously wasn't that familiar with it in front, that he could play it anyway. If he had known it and been juiced, well, it might not have made too much difference, but not knowing it and being juiced too, then he was just fumbling and feeling and trying to find it and of course he never did. He didn't put anything together.

Leonard Feather: Give it stars? One for the arrangement?

Dexter Gordon: Yeah. One star for the arrangement.

[Plays "Tangerine" by Johnny Hodges, from Blue Rabbit, Verve Records (1964). Personnel: Johnny Hodges: alto saxophone; Wild Bill Davis: organ; Kenny Burrell: guitar.]

Dexter Gordon: Yeah. Yeah. The rabbit. It was quite a contrast with the other record?

Leonard Feather: I'll say.

Dexter Gordon: Because this one everything was nice and easy, melodic. It was beautiful. Yeah. Johnny Hodges, Johnny Hodges. Yeah, he's fantastic. I don't know who the guitar player was. It was Burrell maybe. Yeah. Kenny Burrell?

Leonard Feather: Probably.

Dexter Gordon: Yeah the organ player didn't kill me too much. He was confident but-

Leonard Feather: You don't object to the organ, to all organs in general?

Dexter Gordon: No, not to all, because I've worked with some in Chicago. It's a different groove and it's possible to get a nice groove going with an organ. I wouldn't necessarily choose an organ for my group or something, but I can... The public digs it, obviously because back East they are very popular, especially around Chicago and some of the places in New York uptown. I guess because it trails up the room and it sounds like a big band and that's because there's nothing different with an organ trio and a piano trio.

Leonard Feather: Yeah. How would you rate this?

Dexter Gordon: Yeah, I would rate it three stars. Yeah. Yeah. It was nice.

[Plays "I Remember Clifford" by the Don Byas Quintet, from Americans in Europe, Vol. II, Impulse! Records (1963). Personnel: Don Byas: tenor saxophone; Bud Powell: piano; Jimmy Woode: bass; Joe Harris: drums.]

Dexter Gordon: Yeah, Don. That's a shame that Don's been away so long like cats over here. I had forgotten about him, not hip to him anymore and he's playing his ass off. We came to Copenhagen three or four times when I was there and we used to play together a lot. He's in good shape physically and like I say he's playing his ass off. Although I don't think he works as much as he should because he's just taking things easy. He's living in Holland and he's got a spot where he skin dives all the time. Yeah, he's in good shape. He's strong as a bear. Several nights, man, we were blowing together till about six or seven o'clock in the morning, in Montmartre. Is this Live at Montmartre?

Leonard Feather: It's live somewhere. Nice solos.

Dexter Gordon: Yeah. Beautiful. Is that Bud on there?

Leonard Feather: I'll tell you in a minute.

Dexter Gordon: Yeah, I think it sounded like Bud. Yeah, I think it was Bud on that. It probably was the kid playing bass, Niels-Henning, who is fantastic. Have you heard him yet?

Leonard Feather: Not in person, but I've heard some records.

Dexter Gordon: Yeah, he's fantastic, and the drummer I don't know who that was. It was probably either William Schiffer or Alex Riel. Probably it was Schiffer though.

Leonard Feather: But that tempo is...

Dexter Gordon: Yeah. Yeah. I couldn't tell who it is, but it's probably Schi... and it sounded like I don't know if it was Montmartre, it sounded like so many people in there though. It sounded more like a concert hall, or in a hall rather than-

Leonard Feather: Is Montmartre in Copenhagen?

Dexter Gordon: Yeah.

Leonard Feather: Well, anyway, you liked it.

Dexter Gordon: Yeah, I liked it very much.

Leonard Feather: Four?

Dexter Gordon: Well, three and a half.

Leonard Feather: Three and a half? Good. Yeah it was...

[Plays "Tickle Toe" by Benny Carter, from Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz/Jazz of the '60s Vol. #1: Giants of the Saxophones, Vee-Jay Records (1964). Personnel: Babe Russin: tenor saxophone; Benny Carter: alto saxophone, arranger.]

Dexter Gordon: Yeah. Twinkle Toes. What was that? It sounded like it was all reeds with the sopranos and altos doubling in the brass parts and Benny Carter.

Leonard Feather: Well I shouldn't say, too personal.

Dexter Gordon: Yeah, well, I know. When I was playing alto, I used to try to play like Benny Carter-

Leonard Feather: Yeah? I don't blame you.

Dexter Gordon: ... which was long time ago. Tenor player, I don't know who that was.

Leonard Feather: You'd know him. You called his name earlier today.

Dexter Gordon: I called his name earlier.

Leonard Feather: Yeah. Well, never mind.

Dexter Gordon: Only one I mentioned was Jug and Yusef.

Leonard Feather: No I don't mean that as a blackball test. I mean conversationally.

Dexter Gordon: Oh conversationally?

Leonard Feather: Never mind. I shouldn't get you on that train of thought because it isn't important. What's important is what you think of it.

Dexter Gordon: Yeah, it was very interesting. It was like, who had that thought before? Oh, Shep Fields, wasn't it?

Leonard Feather: But still a little more.

Dexter Gordon: Oh yeah. This is much hipper. Yeah. Yeah, it sounded good. Sounded very good and surprising what effect you can get without using that instrumentation and without the brass. Of course, I imagine there's a lot of skill with that too, I'm sure of it in fact. Yeah, that was very interesting. But the tenor player, who the hell was that?

Leonard Feather: Let's rate it first.

Dexter Gordon: Yeah. Well, I would rate it three and a half.

[Plays "Bass Region" by Yusef Lateef, from Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz/Jazz Of The '60s Vol. #1: Giants of the Saxophones, Vee-Jay Records (1964). Personnel: Yusef Lateef: tenor saxophone, composer; Paul Chambers: bass.]

Dexter Gordon: That was a gas. Beautiful. Now I know that was Yusef. That was Yusef and he sounded beautiful on that. Yeah, that was, swinging. Yeah, he's got his thing. Yeah. Yeah. He said something and it was unusual arrangement. I'm just wondering if that was the bass player's date. It sounded like Wilbur Ware. Yeah, the bass player was...

Leonard Feather: Did you like the writing too?

Dexter Gordon: Yeah. That was beautiful, what there was of it. Yeah. But it was just a little bit, it was so very, very effective. It meant something. Everything meant something. I dug that very much. The bass player was beautiful. I don't know, it sounded like I said, it sounded like Wilbur Ware, but I'm not sure who it is, but I would give it four stars.

Leonard Feather: Very good. Well you were right about Yusef.

[Plays "Paul's Cause" by Wardell Gray, from Memorial Album, Prestige Records (1965). Personnel: Wardell Gray: tenor saxophone; Frank Morgan: alto saxophone; Teddy Charles: vibes, composer.]

Dexter Gordon: Yeah, the tune writing had a Monk flavor, but evidently it wasn't Monk, because I think they would have given him a piano solo in there. It was the vibes... It was a vibe player's date. If it wasn't Bags. I don't know who that was. Tenor players I didn't... The solos weren't long enough. I couldn't recognize him. The alto player sounded very good. I don't know who it was, It sounded very good. So, two and a half stars.

Leonard Feather: Okay.

Dexter Gordon: Who was it?

[Plays "Our Thing" by Joe Henderson, from Our Thing, Blue Note Records (1964). Personnel: Kenny Dorham: trumpet; Joe Henderson: tenor saxophone; Andrew Hill: piano; Eddie Khan: bass; Pete LaRoca: drums.]

Dexter Gordon: Yeah. Yeah. That was very good. I liked that free thing they're doing in the bridge there. It's nice. Yeah. It was Kenny Dorham and Joe Henderson. Yeah. I don't know who the rhythm section is. They sound good. Piano player. They all sound good. Joe Henderson he sounds good. New saxophonist on the scene. Yeah, it sounds good. I like his... It's nice and fluid and then he gets a nice full sound on the bottom of his horn. It's all under control and I dig him, and KD sounds very good. I got a chance to play with him in Copenhagen too. We had a couple of radio things, radio shows and then we played together in the club too, which was a ball. I dug that. So, give that four stars.

Leonard Feather: Fine. One more show and then we're through.

Dexter Gordon: All right.

[Plays "Tigress" by Duke Ellington, from Afro-Bossa, Reprise Records (1963). Personnel: Paul Gonsalves: tenor saxophone; Duke Ellington: piano, composer.]

Dexter Gordon: Yeah, of course Duke is always, always beautiful and then Gonsalves I dig very much, always. Your know one night in Montmartre, in Copenhagen, the boss hired... I was working there, it was during the summer and he hired Paul and Don Byas for the night to work with me, you know? Yeah. The joint it was fantastic. It was in the summer and it was hot and the joint was just packed, you couldn't move in there. After the first set, Don took off his shirt and his undershirt. He was just playing in his pants, playing nude tenor. Yeah. He's fantastic. Yeah. We had a ball at night. Yeah. I think the band had wound up, finished the tour and he stayed over. He stayed overnight and just happened that Don was on his way to Stockholm or something and he was in town, so he just hired them all to come and work with me, so we had a ball at night. I had a fantastic audience over there.

Leonard Feather: Well how would you rate this?

Dexter Gordon: Yeah, it was well, it was a little hard to, it was, it was great, but well, I,

Leonard Feather: I know what you mean. It sounded like they should've rehearsed it a little bit more.

Dexter Gordon: Yeah. What I didn't do, and then it kind of sounded like it was kind of in between or unfinished, I didn't get a real definite feeling. It sounded like it was leading into something. Yeah.

Leonard Feather: That's probably an arrangement they were supposed to bring in the next day.

Dexter Gordon: Yeah. Yeah. So, but it was beautiful. And so three stars.