A Swingin' Affair

This article is about the album by Dexter Gordon. For the Frank Sinatra album, see A Swingin' Affair!

A Swingin' Affair
Studio album by Dexter Gordon
Released	Early October 1964
Recorded	August 29, 1962
Studio	Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Genre	Jazz
Length	38:27
Label	Blue Note BLP 4133
Producer	Alfred Lion
Dexter Gordon chronology
Our Man in Paris (1963) A Swingin' Affair (1964) One Flight Up (1965)

A Swingin' Affair is an album recorded in 1962 by saxophonist Dexter Gordon, recorded two days after Go! with the same line-up, but not released for two years. ^[1]

Recording and music

The album was recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on August 29, 1962. ^[2] Gordon's quartet contained pianist Sonny Clark, bassist Butch Warren, and drummer Billy Higgins. ^[2] Of the six compositions, three are standards, two were written by Gordon, and one was contributed by Warren. ^[1]

Release and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz	[3]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[4]

A Swingin' Affair was released in early October 1964. ^[5] The Penguin Guide to Jazz picked "You Stepped Out of a Dream" as the album's highlight, but described the session as a "not altogether riveting date." ^[3]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Soy Califa"	Gordon	6:27
2.	"Don't Explain"	Arthur Herzog Jr. Billie Holiday	6:06
3.	"You Stepped out of a Dream"	Nacio Brown Gus Kahn	6:34

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Backbone"	Butch Warren	6:48
2.	"Until the Real Thing Comes Along"	Sammy Cahn Saul Chaplin L.E. Freeman Mann Holiner Alberta Nichols	6:49
3.	"McSplivens"	Gordon	5:43

Personnel

• Dexter Gordon – tenor saxophone
• Sonny Clark – piano
• Butch Warren – bass
• Billy Higgins – drums

References

1. Jurek, Thom. "Dexter Gordon: A Swingin' Affair". AllMusic . Retrieved October 17, 2020.
2. "Dexter Gordon Discography". Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
3. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 581. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
4. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 87. ISBN   0-394-72643-X.
5. "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 17, 1964. p. 75. Retrieved August 29, 2025– via Google Books.