"Stairways to the Stars" is my favorite track from Gordon's Our Man in Paris, an album featuring Bud Powell. I must admit, I find Powell's playing in the 1960s sub-par compared to the heights he reached in the 1940s and 1950s, but this ballad works surprisingly well. Gordon, who is usually too tame for my tastes, excels on ballads and slow numbers with his characteristically suave style. Gordon's rendition of "A Night in Tunisia" is also a classic, though pales in comparison with Powell's trio recording with Max Roach on drums, which features a stronger 'Afro-Cuban' homage. No disrespect to Kenny Clarke intended, but I prefer Roach.
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