Doin' Allright - Dexter Gordon (1LP Vinyl)

Doin' Allright by Dexter Gordon.

There are records that announce themselves quietly, and then there is Dexter Gordon's "Doin' Allright," a session that carries the unmistakable swagger of a tenor player fully in command of his voice. Recorded on May 6, 1961, and originally released that same year by Blue Note Records, it stands as one of those dates where everything simply clicks into place, warm, unhurried, and deeply human.

The program opens with "I Was Doing All Right," a title that gives the whole record its knowing wink, before easing into the aching ballad territory of "You've Changed." From there, "For Regulars Only" closes out the first side with a groove that rewards repeat listening, the kind of tune that reveals a little more of itself each time the needle drops. It is a beautifully paced first half, moving from statement to reflection to swing.

Flip it over and the mood shifts again. "Society Red" carries a bluesy, after-hours confidence, while "It's You Or No One" sends things off with brightness and lift. Across just five tracks, the record maps the full emotional range that made Gordon such a compelling voice on the tenor, equal parts tenderness and muscle, never in a hurry to prove a point it can simply state with ease.

This particular pressing is a 2019 reissue, © 2019 UMG Recordings, Inc., carrying the Blue Note Records lineage forward; Blue Note is a registered trademark of Capitol Records, LLC. It was made in the EU and given careful modern attention, with LP mastering handled by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Mastering, a name that reassures collectors who care about how a record actually sounds when it plays. The disc arrives in a plain white poly lined inner sleeve.

For those who enjoy the finer details, the runouts here are etched, and this release carries a few quirks worth a close look. The geometric marks may appear inverted, "⊥" versus "T," or mirrored. Specific to this pressing, variant 4 side B shows a mirrored '1 X,' while variant 4 side A shows an inverted 'T V.' Small things, perhaps, but the sort of markings that make a physical copy feel like an object with its own story to tell.

Whether you are building a Blue Note shelf or simply looking for a record that sounds as good at midnight as it does on a slow Sunday morning, "Doin' Allright" delivers. It is Dexter Gordon doing exactly what the title promises, and doing it with the kind of relaxed authority that keeps these sides in rotation decade after decade.

Pressing Details:
Comes with a plain white poly lined inner sleeve.

Recorded May 6, 1961

[From back cover]
A Blue Note Records release; Originally released in 1961 by Blue Note Records © 2019 UMG Recordings, Inc. [...] Made in the EU.
Blue Note® is a registered trademark of Capitol Records, LLC. | LP Mastering by Kevin Gray, Cohearent Mastering.

[From labels]
A Blue Note Records release; Originally released in 1961 by Blue Note Records © 2019 UMG Recordings, Inc. [...] Blue Note® is a registered trademark of Capitol Records, LLC.

Runouts are etched. The "geometric" marks may be inverted (“⊥” vs “T”) and/or mirrored. Specific to this release, the following are mirrored: variant 4 side B - '1 X'; and the following are inverted: variant 4 side A - 'T V'.

Track Listing:
A1. I Was Doing All Right
A2. You've Changed
A3. For Regulars Only
B1. Society Red
B2. It's You Or No One

Artist: Dexter Gordon

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: Blue Note

Catalog Number: 7743593

Release Year: 2019

Country: United States

Condition: Sealed (New)