"Second Balcony Jump" is a swinging romp through Billy Eckstine and Gerald Valentine's rhythm changes contrafact from Dexter Gordon's 1962 Blue Note album Go!. Built on the chord progression of "I Got Rhythm" in a 32-bar AABA form in B-flat at approximately 180 bpm, the tune connects Gordon to the big band era where he first made his name as a member of Eckstine's pioneering bebop orchestra in the 1940s. Gordon's four-chorus tenor saxophone solo is a study in melodic construction, his long, flowing lines imbued with the rhythmic authority and harmonic intelligence that made him a towering figure in jazz. Pianist Sonny Clark follows with three hard-swinging choruses that showcase his affinity for the blues-drenched side of bebop. Gordon returns for a final chorus that brings the performance full circle. The rhythm changes form was a proving ground for bebop musicians, and Gordon's mastery of the idiom is total, his improvisations flowing with a naturalness that belies the harmonic sophistication of his note choices. This track captures Gordon at his most relaxed and swinging, a giant of the tenor saxophone completely at home in his element.
