After several years of being out of the spotlight, he resurfaced on the Big Apple-based Bethlehem label with Daddy Plays the Horn. Joining him are Kenny Drew on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Lawrence Marable on drums. This was Gordon's first collaboration with Drew (1928-1991), with whom he'd work and record intensively throughout the 1960s and 1970s after both musicians settled in Europe.