On his highly anticipated follow-up to debut A Conversation Among Friends, Jordon Dixon turns the simmering fire up and the adventurous energy On! With a vibrant, multi-hued melodic and percussive style that has earned him favorable comparisons to Dexter Gordon and Stanley Turrentine, the fast-emerging saxophonist brings a unique, multi-faceted background to this slyly soulful, deeply bluesy and percussively eclectic collection.
Raised in Baton Rouge – you’ll know he’s from Louisiana after hearing his New Orleans flavored romp-stomp ensemble jam “Fake Flowers” – he served in the Marines 11 years (performing music throughout his service) before moving to Washington, DC and enrolling in the music program at the University of the District of Columbia.
Like A Conversation Among Friends, On! is a colorful extension of his time in academia, with pianist Allyn Johnson, director of the school’s music program since 2005, providing keen harmonic grounding and off the chart solos that play off Dixon’s wide range of emotions. While its playful title might suggest non-stop grooving, Dixon and his ensemble – also featuring bassist Herman Burney, drummer Carroll V Dashiell III and explosive trumpet spots from J.S. Williams – mine the lows (as on “What You’ve Done For Me” and the slow sizzling blues of “Flame and Friction”) along with the spirited, explosive highs (“Lee Lee Dee”).