Dexter Gordon
Tenor Sax Solo on
Boston Bernie

About

Dexter Gordon's tenor saxophone solo is the first of two improvisations on his own contrafact, which is based on the chord changes of Jerome Kern's "All the Things You Are." Taking three choruses of the 36-bar AABA form in A-flat at 181 BPM, Gordon delivers a commanding statement that transforms the famous harmonic framework through his trademark approach. His behind-the-beat phrasing and melodic generosity give the solo a conversational, storytelling quality across its three-chorus span.

Dexter Gordon was 45 to 46 years old at the time.