"Our Love Is Here to Stay" from Dexter Gordon's 1963 Our Man in Paris album is a graceful medium-tempo treatment of George Gershwin's standard, featuring Gordon's three-chorus tenor saxophone solo at 164 BPM over the 32-bar ABAC form in F. Gordon's playing breathes with the unhurried elegance that characterized his best work, his phrases unfolding with the narrative pacing of a natural storyteller. Bud Powell follows with two choruses of piano at 167 BPM, his harmonic inventiveness and rhythmic vitality demonstrating that even during a period of personal difficulty, he remained capable of inspired music-making. The Gershwin standard, the last song the composer wrote before his death in 1937, provides a harmonically rich framework that rewards the lyrical, melody-focused approach both Gordon and Powell bring to it. The recording captures the warm collegial atmosphere of the Paris session, with bassist Pierre Michelot and drummer Kenny Clarke providing the kind of responsive, swinging support that made this rhythm section one of Europe's finest. The track exemplifies the timeless quality of Gordon's music, his style transcending era and fashion to communicate directly with listeners.
