This is a great Dexter Gordon album. Thanks for your post! However, of the records in his Blue Note catalog, this one is my least favorite because of the recording quality. On the first two tracks the saxophone sits almost entirely in the left channel, and on Darn That Dream it remains mostly center right. He also sounds more distant from the microphone compared to the Van Gelder studio sessions, and the reverb is distracting. It has a high‑pitched ringing quality that is far too much for my preference. The other album recorded for Blue Note at this studio, Our Man In Paris was mixed by Claude Ermelin, and his use of reverb seemed somewhat more restrained.
That’s the beauty of music, isn’t it? Everyone has their own take. Your technical analysis is spot on—I can't argue with that, because the sound quality is definitely lacking. But man, Dexter Gordon’s damn sax is doing some soul-stirring things here that just make you forget all the flaws
Thanks for your post! I’m listening now to this record. Dig the tunes very much. Maybe I’ll get my quartet to play it at a gig someday. I would love to know the location of this photo & the significance of Dexter having his photo done there — assuming in Paris since that’s where the recording was done.
Great point! This iconic shot was taken by Francis Wolff in Paris (1964). It’s widely believed the title 'One Flight Up' and the photo on the stairs refer to the apartment of a friend Dexter was visiting at the time (some say it's linked to 'Tanya', the opening track).
Beyond the personal connection, it perfectly captures Dexter’s 'expatriate' life in Europe: sophisticated, relaxed, and literally 'on the rise' in a city that truly celebrated his genius. Good luck with your quartet!
This is a great Dexter Gordon album. Thanks for your post! However, of the records in his Blue Note catalog, this one is my least favorite because of the recording quality. On the first two tracks the saxophone sits almost entirely in the left channel, and on Darn That Dream it remains mostly center right. He also sounds more distant from the microphone compared to the Van Gelder studio sessions, and the reverb is distracting. It has a high‑pitched ringing quality that is far too much for my preference. The other album recorded for Blue Note at this studio, Our Man In Paris was mixed by Claude Ermelin, and his use of reverb seemed somewhat more restrained.
That’s the beauty of music, isn’t it? Everyone has their own take. Your technical analysis is spot on—I can't argue with that, because the sound quality is definitely lacking. But man, Dexter Gordon’s damn sax is doing some soul-stirring things here that just make you forget all the flaws
Thanks for your post! I’m listening now to this record. Dig the tunes very much. Maybe I’ll get my quartet to play it at a gig someday. I would love to know the location of this photo & the significance of Dexter having his photo done there — assuming in Paris since that’s where the recording was done.
Great point! This iconic shot was taken by Francis Wolff in Paris (1964). It’s widely believed the title 'One Flight Up' and the photo on the stairs refer to the apartment of a friend Dexter was visiting at the time (some say it's linked to 'Tanya', the opening track).
Beyond the personal connection, it perfectly captures Dexter’s 'expatriate' life in Europe: sophisticated, relaxed, and literally 'on the rise' in a city that truly celebrated his genius. Good luck with your quartet!
Thanks - makes sense. After my comment, I pondered if Dexter was living there or perhaps someone he knew. Very old looking building!
I wish I could’ve seen him before he died, but was never able to get to a larger city back then, like NYC when he moved back stateside. Did you?
This is possibly my favorite album of Dexter Gordon. Even my almost 7 year old was digging it!