Billboard : 02/04/1956
Score of 70

Dexter Gordon has not recorded much in the last few years, and many fans will be eager to latch on to a sample of his most recent music-making. In this set they will find him somewhat mellowed, making little attempt to impress either as a technician or melodic innovator. Nevertheless, there is a quiet authority in his forthright, simply tailored style. Jim Robinson, on trumpet, seconds Gordon with perception. The most stimulating playing here emanates from pianist Carl Perkins, a comer loaded with talent and far-out ideas.

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Cashbox : 01/14/1956

Dexter Gordon and his All Stars give a strong account of themselves. The jazz entry shows a flexible and resourceful group. Firstly Gordon, featured on the tenor sax, is herewith given a pat-on-the-back for a series of captivating solos. The standout (one of many) is his soft job on the potential standard Cry Me A River. There’s jazz artistry. The other material is excellent (I Hear Music, I Should Care, and Tenderly as examples). The rest of the boys seem to take Gordon’s model example of great jazz with a “So Can We” attitude. And they do!

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Down Beat : 02/08/1956
Nat Hentoff : 3 stars

Tenor Dexter Gordon, formerly with Hampton, Eckstine, and many combos along 52nd St. in the mid-’40s, is now headquartered in the Los Angeles area. His swinging rhythm section on this date is composed of Leroy Vinnegar, Chuck Thompson, and pianist Carl Perkins, about whom several eastern musicians, particularly Miles Davis, have been talking with enthusiasm.

On three numbers, Jimmy Robinson‘s competent but not individual modern trumpet is heard. Perkins’ work is marked by an infectious rhythmic drive. His conception, however, could be more imaginative. Gordon swings hard and has a virile tone, but in his case, too, it’s a matter of his conception being competent but hardly distinctive or newly illuminating. All the slight, riff-built originals are by Gordon.

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Liner Notes by Unknown

Modern Progressive Jazz on the West Coast is spotlighted in this brilliant Authentic Jazz debut. Here Dexter Gordon and his All Stars add the newest exciting sounds to the history of Jazz. The group of original and standard songs that they play are loaded with creative vitality and thrilling solo artistry. Especially noteworthy is Carl Perkins‘ far-out harmonic ideas and inspired melodic patterns on the piano.

Dexter Gordon started his career with Lionel Hampton‘s band in 1940. He he then went with Louis Armstrong and later switch to Billy Eckstine‘s band. In 1946, Dexter worked on 52nd Street in New York at various spots with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Max Roach and Bud Powell. He also worked with other name bands, including Trummy Young and Tad Dameron, Gene Krupa, Fats Navarro, Machito and Art Blakey, later forming a band of his own. Currently, he is working at various night spots in Los Angeles with stellar West Coast Jazz men.