"Fried Bananas" from Dexter Gordon's 1969 album More Power! is one of Gordon's original compositions, a contrafact based on the chord changes of "It Could Happen to You." Performed in E-flat major with a 32-bar ABAC form at 179 BPM, the track features three tenor saxophone choruses from Gordon and two piano choruses from Barry Harris. Gordon's newly composed melody transforms the underlying standard into a distinctly bebop vehicle, reflecting the common practice of writing new heads over familiar chord progressions. His solo is characteristically inventive, blending long flowing lines with unexpected rhythmic displacements and humorous quotations. Harris's piano solo is a model of bebop elegance, his right-hand lines tracing clean, logical paths through the harmony while his left hand provides sparse but effective comping. More Power! brought together Gordon with a strong American rhythm section, and the results are consistently swinging and musically satisfying. The album was recorded in New Jersey and captures the energy of a band playing with genuine enthusiasm. "Fried Bananas" has since become a recognized part of Gordon's compositional legacy, covered by subsequent generations of jazz musicians who appreciate its clever melodic construction and its effectiveness as a blowing vehicle.
