Blue Note · 1963
Our Man in Paris
Dexter Gordon
The record where the expatriate dream came true. In 1963 Dexter Gordon — an American tenor who'd made Europe his home — cut this in Paris with Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke, two more exiles who'd fled the American grind for the Left Bank. It's the sound of Paris as jazz sanctuary, and the reason the city's diggers still hunt Blue Note in French sleeves.
How to spot the original
First pressing is MONO BLP 4146 on the original Blue Note label, with the Van Gelder stamp in the run-out (a label-variant to check). The French Blue Note pressing is the copy you'll actually find in Paris — the "one to take home." Not the stereo Classic Vinyl reissue (Kevin Gray).
Grail price · ~€39–1,200 (median ~€215).
