Clifford Jordan & John Gilmore: Blowing In From Chicago

CLIFFORD JORDAN & JOHN GILMORE
Blowing In From Chicago

Blowing In From Chicago was tenor sax player Clifford Jordan’s debut recording, and it is a wonder. Pairing him with his hometown counterpart, John Gilmore, was a stroke of genius. Both saxophonists were graduates of Chicago’s DuSable High School, mentored by Capt. Walter Dyett, who had also brought up such fine Windy City talent as Gene Ammons, Bennie Green, and Von Freeman, not to mention Johnny Griffin. It’s interesting to note that although both saxophonists were at early points in their career, they had already developed their own personality and sound on the horn, an excellent lesson for today’s young talent.

Accompanying the tenor men on this date are Horace Silver, bassist Curly Russell, and the ubiquitous Art Blakey. The energy is high from the first track, “Status Quo,” penned by Chicagoan John Neely, and it doesn’t let up. Rounding out the set are Jordan’s own compositions “Bo-Till” and “Evil Eye,” Gigi Gryce’s “Blue Lights,” Charlie Parker’s “Billie’s Bounce,” and Horace Silver’s “Everywhere.” Also included is the track “Let It Stand” (composer unknown), which did not appear on the original album release.

Blowing In From Chicago may not provide the high profile talent on display on Tenor Madness or the Johnny Griffin/John Coltrane/Hank Mobley release A Blowing Session, but it is a worthy entry in the small group of multiple tenor recordings that makes up an impressive sub-genre of jazz. Once you hear Jordan and Gilmore going at it, bolstered by the pure energy of an all-star rhythm section, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without this album. Jordan went on to play in groups led by Max Roach, Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson, and Charles Mingus as well as recording an impressive series of dates under his own name for Riverside, Atlantic, Muse, and Steeplechase. Gilmore became best known as one of the leading sidemen in Sun Ra’s Arkestra, and co-led the band, along with Marshall Allen, from the time of Sun Ra’s death until his own departure from this planet two years later. He’s not often remembered as a talented and strong straight ahead player, but this CD shows that that’s exactly what he was.

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