Swiss Nights, Vol. 2

Dexter Gordon Quartet: Dexter Gordon (tenor saxophone); Kenny Drew (piano); Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (bass); Alex Riel (drums).
Recorded live at the Zurich Jazz Festival, Zurich, Switzerland on August 23 & 24, 1975.
The second volume of this live recording from 1975's Zurich Jazz Festival presents Gordon the expatriate at his finest. As on Volume 1, the intercontinental quartet swings mightily. European bass luminary Niels-Hanning Orsted Pederson incorporates decades of bop history with a distinct otherness that gives a freshness to his percolating lines throughout. Alex Riel's forceful, post-Elvin feel keeps things moving without ever abandoning the sense of restraint that is Gordon's secret weapon. From the unrelenting forward motion of "There Is No Greater Love" to the poignant lyricism of "Darn That Dream" (Gordon alwasy had a special way with a ballad), the sax legend does his reputation justice. Two previously unreleased bonus cuts, including a suprising revision of Jobim's "Wave," add to the already high grin factor.