Dexter Blows Hot and Cool

Towering (6’6”) tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, a star of the bebop era, lost some career momentum when he spent three years in prison for heroin. He emerged in 1955 and quickly recorded two albums, Daddy Plays The Horn and this one. He wrote four of its nine tracks, which represent the “hot” portion of the title; they’re all uptempo, swinging hard bop numbers with hooky melodies; the “cool” portion consists of ballads like “Cry Me A River,” “Don’t Worry About Me,” and “Tenderly.” Gordon’s big sound and lyrical approach (he knew the words to every song he performed) make this album a consistently enjoyable experience, and the band (trumpeter Jimmy Robinson, pianist Carl Perkins, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Chuck Thompson) holds up their end.