1. Fried Bananas 2. You"d Be So Nice To Come Home To 3. I Know I"m Late 4. Cheese Cake 5. Montmarte 6. Darn That Dream 7. Tadd"s Delight 8. Freight Trane Christoph Hörmann, ts Helmut Kagerer, g Ernst Techel, b Bernd Reiter, dr On his first cd as a leader tenor saxist Christoph Hörmann pays homage to the musical legacy of Dexter Gordon. To my knowledge this is the first such tribute to Dexter. It"s refreshing in a world of superfast technichians to hear a saxophonist who handles each note with care and respect for the tradition. Christoph takes these classic themes as a starting point for intense and muscular group dialogues on a cd which combines live and studio tracks. His sidemen are no slouches with the superb Helmut Kagerer, guitar, and, on the live tracks, Ernst Techel, bass, and Bernd Reiter. The studio recordings have Christian Diener, bass, and Bastian Jutte, drums. On Dexter"s originals "Fried Bananas", "Cheese Cake", and "Montmartre" - the Copenhagen club which served as home base for his many years resident in Europe - Christoph reveals an equally commanding presence. "You"d Be So Nice" is just that - a medium-tempo masterclass in relaxed swinging. There are two ballads, the evergreen "Darn That Dream" and Christoph"s poignant original "I Know I"m Late" both heartfelt performances. The studio tracks, Tadd Dameron"s classic "Tadd"s Delight" is given a great workout from bassist Christian Diener and drummer Bastian Jütte. "Freight Trane" Tommy Flanagan"s elegant nod to John Coltrane, wraps up this fine debut cd. Christoph Hörmann deserves much credit for these warm and exciting performances which whet the appetite for the future development of this talented saxophonist. Jim Mullen