"Like Someone in Love" from Dexter Gordon's 1963 Our Man in Paris album features piano and bass solos over Jimmy Van Heusen's romantic standard, with Bud Powell delivering two choruses at 141 BPM and Pierre Michelot contributing one chorus over the 32-bar ABAC form in C. Powell's solo demonstrates the lyrical side of his pianism, his touch and harmonic choices revealing the sophisticated musical intelligence that made him the definitive bebop pianist. Michelot's bass solo showcases the high level of jazz musicianship that had developed in Paris during the postwar era, his melodic conception and technical facility matching that of his American colleagues. The track is notable for featuring Gordon's sidemen rather than the leader in the solo spotlight, a generous gesture that reflects the collaborative spirit of the session. Van Heusen's melody, with its gently cascading intervals and warm harmonic progressions, provides an inviting canvas for improvisation. The performance captures the intimate, after-hours quality that characterized some of the best small-group jazz recordings of the early 1960s, with each musician contributing to a collective mood of relaxed elegance.
