Dexter Gordon - The Complete Trio & Quartet Studio Recordings 1974 - 1976

2003 release 

This mammoth eight-disc box set contains all of the recordings Dexter Gordon cut for Steeplechase Records during the mid-'70s during the last years of his long sojourn in Paris. While his earlier Blue Note sides are often considered his finest, these dates, placing him in the company of brilliant musicians such as Kenny Drew, Tete Montoliu, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Albert Heath, Billy Higgins, Barry Harris, Sam Jones, and others, unquestionably rival them in quality. In addition to the great catalog Gordon amassed at Steeplechase, he left a ton of alternate takes and unreleased material on the shelf. This set brings together all of it, including 24 never-before-issued performances, making this, along with the Blue Note box set, the definitive Dexter Gordon caught at both his creative peaks.

AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek