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Dexter Gordon

Background information
Born February 27, 1923(1923-02-27)
Origin Los Angeles, CA, U.S.
Died April 25, 1990 (aged 67)
Genre(s) swing, bop, hard bop
Occupation(s) Composer, bandleader, saxophonist, actor
Instrument(s) Tenor saxophone
Years active 1940 – 1986
Label(s) Blue Note, Savoy, Columbia

Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923–April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, and an Academy Award-nominated actor. Events 1560 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of Jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United Hard bop is a style of Jazz that is an extension of Bebop (or "bop" music A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance A bandleader is the leader of a band of Musicians The term is most commonly though not exclusively used with a group that plays Popular music as The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the Saxophone family a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Savoy Records is the name of a US jazz Record label. Starting in the mid 1940s Savoy played an important part in popularizing Bebop. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Events 1560 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the Saxophone family a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. He is considered one of the first bebop tenor players. Bebop or bop is a form of Jazz characterized by fast Tempos and Improvisation based on Harmonic structure rather than Melody A famous photograph by Herman Leonard of Gordon smoking a cigarette during a set at the Royal Roost in New York City in 1948 is one of the more iconic images in the history of jazz. Herman Leonard (born 1923 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is an American Photographer known for his unique images of Jazz icons

Gordon's height was 6 feet 5 inches (about 196 cm), and so consequently he was also known as 'Long Tall Dexter'.

Contents

Life and works

Gordon was born and grew up in Los Angeles, where his father was a doctor who counted Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton among his patients. He played clarinet from the age of 13, before switching to saxophone (initially alto, then tenor) at 15. While still at school, he was playing in bands with such contemporaries as Chico Hamilton and Buddy Collette. Chico Hamilton (born Foreststorn Hamilton on September 21, 1921, Los Angeles) is a jazz drummer and band leader Buddy Collette (born William Marcel Collette August 6, 1921 in Los Angeles California) is an American tenor saxophonist, Flautist [1]

Between 1940 and 1943, Gordon was a member of Lionel Hampton's band, playing in a saxophone section alongside Illinois Jacquet and Marshall Royal. Lionel Leo Hampton ( April 20, 1908 &ndash August 31, 2002) was an American Jazz Vibraphonist, Percussionist Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet ( October 31, 1922 &ndash July 22, 2004) was a Jazz tenor Saxophonist most famous for his Marshall Royal (or Marshal Royal) ( 12 May 1912 &ndash 5 May 1995) was an American Clarinettist and alto saxophonist In 1943 he made his first recordings under his own name, alongside Nat Cole and Harry Edison. Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17 1919 &ndash February 15 1965 known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician Harry "Sweets" Edison ( October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999) was born in Columbus Ohio. During 1943-44 he featured in the Louis Armstrong and Fletcher Henderson bands, before joining Billy Eckstine. Louis Armstrong (August 4 1901 &ndash July 6 1971 nicknamed Satchmo or Sachimo and Pops, was an American Jazz Trumpeter Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr ( December 18, 1897 &ndash December 28, 1952) was an American pianist bandleader Arranger Billy Eckstine ( 8 July, 1914 &ndash 8 March, 1993) born William Clarence Eckstein in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh

By 1945, Gordon had left the Eckstine band and was resident in New York, where he was performing and recording with Charlie Parker, as well as recording under his own name.

Gordon was a virtuoso particularly famous for his titanic saxophone duels with fellow tenorman Wardell Gray, that were a popular live attraction and that were documented in several albums between 1947 and 1952. Wardell Gray (1921-1955 was an American Jazz Bebop tenor saxophonist.

Dexter Gordon in Amsterdam (1980)
Dexter Gordon in Amsterdam (1980)

Many would characterise Gordon's sound as being 'large' and spacious (a feature partially owed to his big'n'tall physical stature), and his tendency to play behind the beat is discernible. One of his major influences was Lester Young. Lester Willis Young ( August 27, 1909 &ndash March 15, 1959) nickname 'Prez' was an American Jazz tenor Saxophonist Gordon, in turn, was an early influence on John Coltrane during the 1940s and 1950s. Coltrane's playing, however, during his early period from the mid to late '50s or early '60s influenced Gordon's playing from then onward. Similarities in their styles include their clear, strong, metallic tones, their tendencies to bend up to high notes, and their abilities to single-tongue and still swing. One of Gordon's idiosyncrasies was to recite the lyrics of each ballad before playing it.

Blue Note recordings

Gordon was composer, musician, and actor for the play 'The Connection' in 1960. The Connection is a 1959 play directed by Judith Malina. The play written by Jack Gelber, centers around musician heroin addicts By this time he had begun recording for Blue Note Records a collaboration that was to produce some of his most highly-regarded work on the albums Doin' Alright, Dexter Calling. . . , Go, and A Swingin' Affair. Go is a 1962 album by Jazz musician Dexter Gordon. From the liner notes by Ira Gitler: "This session was not recorded in a nightclub The first two, his Blue Note debuts, were recorded over three days in May 1961 with Freddie Hubbard, Horace Parlan and others. Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (born April 7 1938 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American Jazz Trumpeter. Horace Parlan (born 1931 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) is an American Hard bop and Post-bop Piano player The last two were recorded in August 1962 just before Gordon left for his extended stay in Europe. On these albums the rhythm section was Blue Note staples Sonny Clark, Butch Warren and Billy Higgins. Conrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark ( July 21, 1931 – January 13, 1963) was an American Hard bop Pianist. Butch Warren (born in 1939 is an American Jazz Double bassist who plays in the Hard bop genre Billy Higgins ( October 11, 1936 &ndash May 3, 2001) was an American jazz drummer.

Years in Europe

After that, he spent 15 years in Europe, mostly in Paris and Copenhagen, where he played regularly with fellow expatriate jazzmen such as Bud Powell, Ben Webster, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Kenny Drew, Horace Parlan and Billy Higgins. Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell ( September 27[[ 924]] &ndash July 31[[ 966]] in New York City) was an American Jazz pianist, usually considered Benjamin Francis Webster ( March 27 1909 &ndash September 20 1973) aka " The Brute " or " Frog," was an Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (born April 7 1938 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American Jazz Trumpeter. Bobby Hutcherson (born January 27, 1941 in Los Angeles) is a Jazz Vibraphone and Marimba player Kenneth Sidney (Kenny Drew ( August 28, 1928 &ndash August 4, 1993) was an American Jazz Pianist. Horace Parlan (born 1931 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) is an American Hard bop and Post-bop Piano player Billy Higgins ( October 11, 1936 &ndash May 3, 2001) was an American jazz drummer. Gordon also visited the States occasionally for further recording dates with Blue Note Records. From this period Our Man in Paris, One Flight Up, and Gettin' Around) are regarded as among his finest sessions. Track listing "Scrapple from the Apple" (Parker &ndash722 " Willow Weep for Me " (Ronell &ndash847 "Broadway" (Bird Our Man in Paris was a Blue Note session recorded in Paris, France in 1963 with a quartet including pianist Bud Powell, drummer Kenny Clarke, and French bassist Pierre Michelot. Track listing "Scrapple from the Apple" (Parker &ndash722 " Willow Weep for Me " (Ronell &ndash847 "Broadway" (Bird Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell ( September 27[[ 924]] &ndash July 31[[ 966]] in New York City) was an American Jazz pianist, usually considered Kenny Clarke (born Kenneth Spearman Clarke, nicknamed " Klook " and later known as Liaqat Ali Salaam, on January 9, 1914 Pierre Michelot ( March 3 1928 &ndash July 2 2005) was a French Bebop and Hard bop Double bass player One Flight Up features an extended solo by Gordon on the track "Tanya" recorded in Paris in 1964 with trumpeter Donald Byrd, while Gettin' Around was recorded during a visit back to the US in May 1965, as was the unreleased album Clubhouse. Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (born December 9, 1932) is an American Jazz and Rhythm and blues Trumpeter

Less well-known, but of similar quality, are the albums he recorded during the same period for the Danish label SteepleChase (Something Different, Bouncin' With Dex, and a few dozen others). SteepleChase Records is a Jazz Record label based out of Copenhagen, Denmark. They feature American sidemen but also such Europeans as Spanish pianist Tete Montoliu and Danish bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. Tete Montoliu ( March 28, 1933 &ndash August 24, 1997) was a Jazz pianist from Catalonia, Spain. Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (nils'hɛneŋ 'ɶɐ̥sd̥əð̥ 'pʰɛð̥ɐ̥sn May 27, 1946 &ndash April 19, 2005) was a Danish

Gordon found Europe in the 1960s a much easier place to live, saying that he experienced less racism and greater respect for jazz musicians. Furthermore in America he had experienced drug addiction and imprisonment (twice), and must have found the change of location helpful.

From 1965-1973 he switched from Blue Note to Prestige Records but stayed very much on the hard-bop track, while the rest of the jazz-world was getting funky Gordon was making classic bop albums like 1972's Tangerine with Thad Jones, Freddie Hubbard, and Hank Jones. Prestige Records was a Record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock ( October 2, 1928 &ndash January 14, 2006) For the New Orleans music historian see Tad Jones. Thaddeus Joseph Jones ( March 28, 1923 – August 21, 1986 Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (born April 7 1938 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American Jazz Trumpeter. Henry "Hank" Jones (born July 31, 1918) is an American Jazz Pianist, Bandleader, and Composer Some of the Prestige albums were recorded during visits back to North America while he was still living in Europe, others were made in Europe including live sets from the Montreux Jazz Festival. The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music Festival in Switzerland, Europe's most prestigious The American recordings included The Chase a tenor battle with Gene Ammons cut in Chicago in 1970. Eugene "Jug" Ammons ( April 14, 1925 - August 6, 1974) was an American Jazz tenor saxophone player,

Homecoming

at The Village Vanguard in 1977
at The Village Vanguard in 1977

Gordon finally returned to the United States for good in 1976. The Village Vanguard is a Jazz club in Greenwich Village in New York City. He appeared at the Village Vanguard, NY, for a gig that was dubbed as his 'homecoming;' and was recorded and released under that title. The Village Vanguard is a Jazz club in Greenwich Village in New York City. He noted 'There was so much love and elation; sometimes it was a little eerie at the Vanguard. After the last set they'd turn on the lights and nobody would move'.

After this appearance, Gordon recorded several more albums that proved he was as good if not better than before his years in Europe, and he finally gained appreciation as one of the great jazz tenors. The increased attention that he received because of Columbia Records promotions has been seen as a turning point in jazz because they focused on acoustic jazz rather than the commercial cross-over styles which had been heavily promoted during the first part of the 1970s. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company

Gordon made several notable film appearances. The first occurred, oddly enough, while he was in prison for possession of heroin. He portrayed an inmate playing in the prison band in Unchained, though the soundtrack was later overdubbed. In 1986, Gordon starred in the movie Round Midnight as 'Dale Turner', an expatriate jazz musician much like himself; the role might even be a thinly veiled biography of him, though Lester Young and Bud Powell were its main inspirations. Round Midnight is a 1986 film directed by Bertrand Tavernier that tells the story of an African American Tenor saxophone player in Paris A biography (from the Greek words bíos (βίος meaning "life" and gráphein (γράφειν meaning "to write" is an account Lester Willis Young ( August 27, 1909 &ndash March 15, 1959) nickname 'Prez' was an American Jazz tenor Saxophonist Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell ( September 27[[ 924]] &ndash July 31[[ 966]] in New York City) was an American Jazz pianist, usually considered Gordon received a nomination for Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal. Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to recognize In addition, he had a non-speaking role in the film Awakenings, which was released after his death. Awakenings is a 1990 Drama film based on Oliver Sacks ' memoir of the same name. Between these two roles, Gordon made a guest appearance on the Michael Mann series Crime Story. Michael Mann is the name of Michael Mann (director (born 1943 Hollywood Fats (real name Michael Mann 1954-1986 accomplished Crime Story was an NBC TV drama created by Gustave Reininger and Chuck Adamson.

Gordon died of kidney failure on April 25, 1990, at age 67. Renal failure or kidney He was voted musician of the year by Down Beat magazine in 1978 and 1980, and in the latter year was inducted into Down Beat's Jazz Hall of Fame. Down Beat is an American Magazine devoted to "jazz blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively

Family life

Dexter Gordon had a total of five children, from the oldest to the youngest: Robin Gordon (Los Angeles, CA), Deirdre Gordon (Los Angeles, CA), Mikael Gordon-Solfors (Stockholm, Sweden), Morten Gordon (Copenhagen, Denmark) and Benjamin Gordon (Copenhagen, Denmark).

When he lived in Denmark, he became friends with the family of the then-future Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, and subsequently became Lars's godfather. Metallica is an American heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in. Lars Ulrich (born December 26 1963) is a Danish Drummer best known as the co-founder of the American heavy metal

Discography

As Leader
As Sideman

References

  1. ^ Joop Visser, essay booklet with Settin' the Pace

External links

Prestige Records was a Record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock ( October 2, 1928 &ndash January 14, 2006) Eugene "Jug" Ammons ( April 14, 1925 - August 6, 1974) was an American Jazz tenor saxophone player, Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (born April 7 1938 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American Jazz Trumpeter. Woody Herman Shaw II ( December 24, 1944 &ndash May 10, 1989) ( United States) was a Jazz Trumpeter and Locksley Wellington "Slide" Hampton (born April 21, 1932 in Jeannette, Pennsylvania) is an American Jazz Bobby Hutcherson (born January 27, 1941 in Los Angeles) is a Jazz Vibraphone and Marimba player True Blue is a Jazz album by the late Saxophonist Dexter Gordon and saxophonist Al Cohn, recorded in 1976 for Al Cohn was an American Jazz Saxophonist and arranger/composer Xanadu Records was a Jazz music Record label specializing in Bebop throughout the 1970s and 1980s founded by Don Schlitten, recording and issuing Silver Blue is a Jazz album by Saxophonists Al Cohn and Dexter Gordon, recorded in 1976 for Xanadu Records Al Cohn was an American Jazz Saxophonist and arranger/composer Xanadu Records was a Jazz music Record label specializing in Bebop throughout the 1970s and 1980s founded by Don Schlitten, recording and issuing
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