The Jazz Thing, Round 1: Gordon v. Smith

It's been two years since the last Jazz Thing post, and I've since declared the project dead, but what the heck.

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The Jazz Thing, Round 1 (40 Word/Album Limit)

#37 Dexter Gordon, "Go!" (1962) v. #40 Bessie Smith, "The Collection" (recordings from 1923-1933).

Melodic saxophone bop from the early 1960s, this is a solid entry in a subgenre I find easy to like.

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And:

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This is unadulterated blues music, sung by an acknowledged master, and has plenty of historical interest. But although it’s an important wellspring of jazz, vintage blues is so formulaic that I find it pretty stultifying. I’m not a “roots” guy.

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It's hardly a fair fight, but Go! win easily against Ms. Smith.