Dexter Gordon made two albums in late August 1962 with pianist Sonny Clark, bassist Butch Warren, and drummer Billy Higgins; this was the first. He only wrote one tune for it — the rollicking opener, “Cheese Cake” — otherwise essaying his usual mix of uptempo pieces (“Second Balcony Jump,” “Love For Sale”) and mournful, romantic ballads (“Where Are You?”, “I Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry”). This could have been just another hard bop album, then, but there must have been something in the air that day in the studio, because everyone present plays brilliantly, locking in on the hard-swinging numbers and stretching the ballads out enough that the mood of stoic sorrow really sinks in. This is the Dexter Gordon album everyone should hear.