Dexter Gordon: Complete Columbia Albums Collection

Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon had been an expatriate since 1963 when he discovered Europe was where the consistently paying jazz gigs were to be found. In 1976 he returned to the States and began recording for Columbia Records and also embarked on an acting career. Sony Legacy repackaged and re-released six Dexter Gordon albums of that era in their entirety with mini-LP sleeves and original cover art: Homecoming: Live at the Village Vanguard (1976), Sophisticated Giant (1977), Manhattan Symphonie (1978), Live at Carnegie Hall (1978), and Gotham City (1980). Also included is a bonus disc with tracks recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Havana Jam, and a version of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” that was released as a single in 1977. While not as celebrated as his Blue Note releases, these Columbia sessions show Gordon hadn’t lost his virtuosity and found him playing with a younger generation of jazz musicians such as Woody Shaw, Bobby Hutcherson, and George Cables. Lovingly produced by Michael Cuscuna with support from Woody Shaw's son and Gordon’s wife, manager and producer Maxine Gordon, who also provided liner notes with Cuscuna, The Complete Columbia Albums Collection affords listeners another opportunity to enjoy this final period of Dexter Gordon’s recorded output. ~ Al Campbell, Rovi