Dexter Gordon - The Other Side of Round Midnight (1990)

Sax legend Dexter Gordon assembles an astonishing cast for a second album related to the film referred to in the title, including Wayne Shorter, Palle Mikkelborg, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Billy Higgins, Freddie Hubbard, Tony Williams, Bobby McFerrin, Cedar Walton, John McLaughlin, Pierre Michelot. Bobby Hutchinson and others

Bertrand Tavernier's Round Midnight is that rarity: one of a handful of films about jazz generally accepted as
bearing some verisimilitude. Not the least reason for this is tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon's portrayal of Dale
Turner, an American expatriate jazzman adrift in 1950s Paris. The script combines elements of Lester Young's
life with the true story of Bud Powell and Francis Paudras' friendship. And if some of the dialogue is clichéd
and leaden, the film, nevertheless, tells a bittersweet story of art and at least temporary redemption.

The music selected by Herbie Hancock successfully evokes the period, performed live by a crack band that
includes John McLaughlin, Bobby Hutcherson, Pierre Michelot, and Billy Higgins. Dexter Gordon's performance
as Turner, for which he received an Academy Award nomination, did not end with the script. His first musical
performance, on "As Time Goes By," is slow, drowsy, and limited in range, but as the film progresses, Gordon's
playing gains strength, pairing with Wayne Shorter on Powell's jaunty "Una Noche con Francis" and trading
fiery licks with Freddie Hubbard in the film's climactic return to New York City. Two mesmerizing pieces not
performed on-screen, Kenny Dorham's "Fair Weather" (sung with breathtaking fragility by Chet Baker) and
Jimmy Rowles' "The Peacocks," are woven throughout the film, adding immeasurably to the melancholy
cinematography.

Long before it became de rigeur to release multiple soundtracks for a single film, Columbia allowed Blue Note
to release The Other Side of Round Midnight under Gordon's name. The additional album offers more music
from the film, including Gordon's sole performance on soprano sax, "Tivoli" - incidentally the only track in the
score not played by the same musicians seen in the film - and further outtakes that breathe the same heady atmosphere.

Recorded live in Studio Devaut in Paris

1. Round Midnight
Dexter Gordon Tenor Saxophone
Wayne Shorter soprano Saxophone
Palle Mikkelborg Trumpet
Herbie Hancock Piano
Ron Carter Bass
Mads Vinding Bass
Billy Higgins Drums
2. Berangere's Nightmare #2
Freddie Hubbard Trumpet
Herbie Hancock Piano
Ron Carter Bass
Tony Williams Drums
3. Call Sheet Blues
Wayne Shorter soprano Saxophone
Herbie Hancock Piano
Ron Carter Bass
Billy Higgins Drums
4. What Is This Thing Called Love
Bobby McFerrin Vocal
Herbie Hancock Piano
5. Tivoli
Dexter Gordon Tenor Saxophone
Palle Mikkelborg Trumpet
Cedar Walton Piano
Mads Vinding Bass
Billy Higgins Drums
6. Society Red
Dexter Gordon Tenor Saxophone
Freddie Hubbard Trumpet
Cedar Walton Piano
Ron Carter Bass
Tony Williams Drums
7. As Time Goes By
Dexter Gordon Tenor Saxophone
John McLaughlin Guitar
Herbie Hancock Piano
Pierre Michelot Bass
Billy Higgins Drums
8. It's Only A Paper Moon
Bobby Hutchinson Vibes
Herbie Hancock Piano
Pierre Michelot Bass
Billy Higgins Drums
9. Round Midnight
Herbie Hancock Piano.