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Dexter Gordon
Gordon in concert in Toronto on August 19, 1978
Gordon in concert in Toronto on August 19, 1978
Background information
Also known asLong Tall Dexter
Born
Dexter Keith Gordon

(1923-02-27)February 27, 1923
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedApril 25, 1990(1990-04-25) (aged 67)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • composer
  • bandleader
Instruments
  • Tenor saxophone
  • soprano saxophone
Years active1940–1986
Labels
Websitedextergordon.com

Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm), so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" and "Sophisticated Giant". His studio and performance career spanned more than 40 years.

Gordon's sound was commonly characterized as being "large" and spacious and he had a tendency to play behind the beat. He inserted musical quotes into his solos, with sources as diverse as "Happy Birthday" and well-known melodies from the operas of Wagner. Quoting from various musical sources is not unusual in jazz improvisation, but Gordon did it frequently enough to make it a hallmark of his style. One of his major influences was Lester Young.[1] Gordon, in turn, was an early influence on John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins.[2] Rollins and Coltrane then influenced Gordon's playing as he explored hard bop and modal playing during the 1960s.

Gordon had a genial and humorous stage presence. He was an advocate of playing to communicate with the audience,[3] which was his musical approach as well. One of his idiosyncratic rituals was to recite lyrics from each ballad before playing it. In an interview pianist Dave Bass recalled, "Dexter would get up to the microphone, holding his horn horizontally, and he'd say 'You must remember this, a kiss is still a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.' It was a little bit of a shtick, but it was how he approached a song, and I remember that."[4]

A photograph by Herman Leonard of Gordon taking a smoke break at the Royal Roost in 1948 is one of the iconic images in jazz photography.[5] Cigarettes were a recurring theme on covers of Gordon's albums.

Gordon was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the Bertrand Tavernier film Round Midnight (Warner Bros, 1986), becoming the first Jazz musician to do so.[6] He won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance, for the soundtrack album The Other Side of Round Midnight (Blue Note Records, 1986). He also had a cameo role in the 1990 film Awakenings. In 2018, Gordon's album Go (Blue Note, 1962) was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[7]

Early life and education

[edit]

Dexter Keith Gordon was born on February 27, 1923, in Los Angeles, California.[8] His father, Frank Gordon, one of the first African-American medical doctors in Los Angeles, arrived in 1918 after graduating from Howard University Medical School in Washington, D.C. Among his patients were Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. Dexter's mother, Gwendolyn Baker, was the daughter of Captain Edward Lee Baker, Jr. one of the five African-American Medal of Honor recipients in the Spanish–American War.[9]

Gordon began his study of music with the clarinet at the age of 13, then switched to the alto saxophone at 15, and finally to the tenor saxophone at 17.[9][8] He studied with multi-instrumentalist Lloyd Reese while attending Thomas Jefferson High School, and studied with the school’s band director, Sam Browne.[10] While still at school, he played in bands with such contemporaries as Chico Hamilton and Buddy Collette.[11]

In 1942, Gordon was drafted into the U.S. Army following America's entry in the Second World War. He was assigned to the Signal Corps for two years and was stationed in North Africa, where he served as a radio operator and played trumpet in a military band.[12] Between December 1940 and 1943, Gordon was a member of Lionel Hampton's band,[8] playing in a saxophone section alongside Illinois Jacquet and Marshal Royal. During 1944, Gordon was featured in the Fletcher Henderson band, followed by the Louis Armstrong band, before joining Billy Eckstine.[8] The 1942–44 musicians' strike curtailed the recording of the Hampton, Henderson, and Armstrong bands; however, they were recorded on V-Discs produced by the Army for broadcast and distribution among overseas troops. In 1943, he was featured, alongside Harry "Sweets" Edison, in recordings under Nat Cole for a small label not affected by the strike.

Career

[edit]

Bebop era recordings

[edit]

By late 1944, Gordon was resident in New York, a regular at bebop jam sessions, and a featured soloist in the Billy Eckstine big band ("If That's The Way You Feel", "I Want To Talk About You", "Blowin' the Blues Away", "Opus X", "I'll Wait and Pray", "The Real Thing Happened To Me", "Lonesome Lover Blues", "I Love the Rhythm in a Riff"). During early 1945, he was featured on recordings by Dizzy Gillespie ("Blue 'n' Boogie", "Groovin' High") and Charles Thompson ("Takin' Off", "If I Had You", "20th Century Blues", "The Street Beat"). In late 1945, Gordon was recording under his own name for the Savoy label. His Savoy recordings during 1945–46 included Blow Mr. Dexter, Dexter's Deck, Dexter's Minor Mad, Long Tall Dexter, Dexter Rides Again, I Can't Escape From You,and Dexter Digs In.

He returned to Los Angeles in late 1946 and in 1947 was leading sessions for Ross Russell's Dial label (Mischievous Lady, Lullaby in Rhythm, The Chase, Iridescence, It's the Talk of the Town, Bikini, A Ghost of a Chance, Sweet and Lovely). After his return to Los Angeles, he became known for his saxophone duels with fellow tenorman Wardell Gray, which were a popular concert attraction documented in recordings made between 1947 and 1952 (The Hunt, Move, The Chase, The Steeplechase).[8] The Hunt gained literary fame from its mention in Jack Kerouac's On The Road, which also contains descriptions of wild tenormen jamming in Los Angeles. Cherokee, Byas a Drink, and Disorder at the Border are other live recordings of the Gray/Gordon duo from the same concert (all issued on the album The Hunt in 1977; all 4 reissued on the 3-CD set, Bopland in 2004). In December 1947, Gordon recorded again with the Savoy label (Settin' the Pace, So Easy, Dexter's Riff, Dextrose, Dexter's Mood, Index, Dextivity, Wee Dot, Lion Roars). Through the mid-to-late 1940s, he continued to work as a sideman on sessions led by Russell Jacquet, Benny Carter, Ben Webster, Ralph Burns, Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes, Gerry Mulligan, Wynonie Harris, Leo Parker, and Tadd Dameron.

The 1950s

[edit]

During the 1950s, Gordon's recorded output and live appearances declined as heroin addiction and legal troubles took their toll.[8] Gordon made a concert appearance with Wardell Gray in February 1952 (The Chase, The Steeplechase, Take the A Train, Robbins Nest, Stardust) and appeared as a sideman in a session led by Gray in June 1952 (The Rubiyat, Jungle Jungle Jump, Citizen's Bop, My Kinda Love). After an incarceration at Chino Prison from 1953 to 1955, he recorded the albums Daddy Plays the Horn and Dexter Blows Hot and Cool in 1955 and played as a sideman on the Stan Levey album, This Time the Drum's on Me. The latter part of the decade saw him in and out of prison until his final release from Folsom Prison in 1959. He was one of the initial sax players for the Onzy Matthews big band in 1959, along with Curtis Amy. Gordon continued to champion Matthews' band after he left Los Angeles for New York, but left for Europe before getting a chance to record with that band. He recorded The Resurgence of Dexter Gordon in 1960. His recordings from the mid-1950s onward document a meander into a smooth West Coast style that lacked the impact of his bebop era recordings or his subsequent Blue Note recordings.

The decade saw Gordon's first entry into the world of drama. He appeared as a member (uncredited) of Art Hazzard's band in the film Young Man with a Horn (1950). He appeared in an uncredited and overdubbed role as a member of a prison band in the movie Unchained, filmed inside Chino. Gordon was a saxophonist performing Freddie Redd's music for the Los Angeles production of Jack Gelber's play The Connection in 1960, replacing Jackie McLean. He contributed two compositions, Ernie's Tune and I Want More to the score and later recorded them for his album Dexter Calling....

New York renaissance

[edit]

Gordon signed to Blue Note in 1961. He initially commuted from Los Angeles to New York to record, but took up residence when he regained the cabaret card that allowed him to perform where alcohol was served. The Jazz Gallery hosted his first New York performance in twelve years. The Blue Note association was to produce a steady flow of albums for several years, some of which gained iconic status. His New York renaissance was marked by Doin' Allright, Dexter Calling..., Go!, and A Swingin' Affair. The first two were recorded over three days in May 1961 with Freddie Hubbard, Horace Parlan, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers, George Tucker, Al Harewood, and Philly Joe Jones. The last two were recorded in August 1962, with a rhythm section that featured Blue Note regulars Sonny Clark, Butch Warren and Billy Higgins. Of the two Go! was an expressed favorite.[9] The albums showed his assimilation of the hard bop and modal styles that had developed during his years on the west coast, and the influence of John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, whom he had influenced before. The stay in New York turned out to be shortlived, as Gordon got offers for engagements in England, then Europe, that resulted in a fourteen-year stay.[8] Soon after recording A Swingin' Affair, he left the United States.

Years in Europe

[edit]

Over the next 14 years in Europe, living mainly in Paris and Copenhagen, Gordon played regularly with fellow expatriates or visiting players, such as Bud Powell, Ben Webster, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Kenny Drew, Horace Parlan and Billy Higgins. Blue Note's Francis Wolff supervised Gordon's later sessions for the label on his visits to Europe. The pairing of Gordon with Drew turned out to be one of the classic matchups between a horn player and a pianist, much like Miles Davis with Red Garland or John Coltrane with McCoy Tyner.

From this period came Our Man in Paris, One Flight Up, Gettin' Around, and Clubhouse. Our Man in Paris was a Blue Note session recorded in Paris in 1963 with backup consisting of pianist Powell, drummer Kenny Clarke, and French bassist Pierre Michelot. One Flight Up, recorded in Paris in 1964 with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Kenny Drew, drummer Art Taylor, and Danish bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, features an extended solo by Gordon on the track "Tanya".

Gordon also visited the US occasionally for further recording dates. Gettin' Around was recorded for Blue Note during a visit in May 1965, as was the album Clubhouse which remained unreleased until 1979.

Gordon found Europe in the 1960s a much easier place to live, saying that he experienced less racism and greater respect for jazz musicians. He also stated that on his visits to the US in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he found the political and social strife disturbing.[13] While in Copenhagen, Gordon and Drew's trio appeared onscreen[14] in Ole Ege's theatrically released hardcore pornographic film Pornografi – en musical (1971), for which they composed and performed the score.[15]

He switched from Blue Note to Prestige Records (1965–73). For the label, he recorded bop albums like The Tower of Power! and More Power! (1969) with James Moody, Barry Harris, Buster Williams, and Albert "Tootie" Heath; The Panther! (1970) with Tommy Flanagan, Larry Ridley, and Alan Dawson; The Jumpin' Blues (1970) with Wynton Kelly, Sam Jones, and Roy Brooks; The Chase! (1970) with Gene Ammons, Jodie Christian, John Young, Cleveland Eaton, Rufus Reid, Wilbur Campbell, Steve McCall, and Vi Redd; and Tangerine (1972) with Thad Jones, Freddie Hubbard, and Hank Jones. 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.

In addition to the recordings Gordon did under his American label contracts, live recordings by European labels and live video from his European period have been released. In 1975, Dexter Gordon signed an exclusive recording contract with Danish label SteepleChase, for which he recorded some of his most inspired sessions including The Apartment (1974), More Than You Know (1975), Stable Mable, Swiss Nights Vol. 1, 2 and 3, Something Different, Lullaby for a Monster, and not least Biting the Apple (1976), recorded during his homecoming trip to New York, featuring Barry Harris, Sam Jones and Al Foster. The album received the Grand Prix De Jazz in Montreux, Switzerland, in 1977. SteepleChase released live dates from his mid-1960s tenure at the Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen. The video was released in the Jazz Icons series.

Homecoming

[edit]
At the 1980 Edison Award, Amsterdam

Gordon returned to the United States for good in 1976.[16] He appeared with Woody Shaw, Ronnie Mathews, Stafford James, and Louis Hayes, for a gig at the Village Vanguard in New York that was dubbed his "homecoming." It was recorded and released by Columbia Records under that title. He observed: "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."[17] In addition to the Homecoming album, a series of live albums was released by Blue Note from his stands at Keystone Korner in San Francisco during 1978 and 1979. They featured Gordon, George Cables, Rufus Reid, and Eddie Gladden. He recorded the studio albums Sophisticated Giant with an eleven-piece big band in 1977 and Manhattan Symphonie with the Live at Keystone Corner crew in 1978. The sensation of Gordon's return, and the continued efforts of Art Blakey through 1970s and early 1980s, have been credited with reviving interest in swinging, melodic, acoustically-based classic jazz sounds after the Fusion jazz era that saw an emphasis on electronic sounds and contemporary pop influences.

Musician Emeritus

[edit]
Dexter Gordon at Mountain Winery Jazz Festival, Saratoga, California, 1981

In 1978 and 1980, Gordon was the DownBeat Musician of the Year, and in 1980 he was inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame. The US Government honored him with a Congressional Commendation, a Dexter Gordon Day in Washington DC, and in 1986 the National Endowment for the Arts named him a NEA Jazz Master in recognition of his Lifetime Achievement.[18] In 1986, he was named a member and officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters (Officier des Arts et Lettres) by the Ministry of Culture in France.[19]

During the 1980s, Gordon, a life-long smoker, was weakened by emphysema. He remained a popular attraction at concerts and festivals, although his live appearances and recording dates would soon become infrequent.[citation needed]

Gordon starred in the 1986 movie Round Midnight as "Dale Turner", an expatriate jazz musician in Paris during the late 1950s based loosely on Lester Young and Bud Powell.[8] That portrayal earned him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor.[8] In addition, he had a non-speaking role as a piano-playing hospital inmate in the 1990 film Awakenings, which was posthumously released. Before that last film was released, he made a guest appearance on the Michael Mann series Crime Story.

Soundtrack performances from Round Midnight were released as the albums Round Midnight and The Other Side of Round Midnight, featuring original music by Herbie Hancock as well as playing by Gordon. The latter was the last recording released under Gordon's name. He was a sideman on Tony Bennett's 1987 album, Berlin.

Death

[edit]

Gordon died of kidney failure and smoking-related cancer of the larynx in Philadelphia, on April 25, 1990, at the age of 67.[1][20][21]

Family

[edit]

Gordon's maternal grandfather was Captain Edward L. Baker Jr., who received the Medal of Honor during the Spanish–American War, while serving with the 10th Cavalry Regiment (also known as the Buffalo Soldiers).[citation needed]

Gordon's father, Dr. Frank Gordon, M.D., was one of the first prominent African-American physicians and a graduate of Howard University.[citation needed]

Gordon's uncle, Clifford Myota Gordon, was a charter member of the Alpha Delta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, seated at the University of Southern California.[22][23]

When he lived in Denmark, Gordon became friends with the family of future Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and subsequently became Lars's godfather.[24]

Gordon was married three times and had six children: Robin, James, Deirdre, Mikael, Morten and Benjamin.[25]

Instruments and mouthpieces

[edit]

The earliest photographs of Gordon as a player show him with a Conn 30M "Connqueror" and an Otto Link mouthpiece. Later he adopted the standard Conn tenor, the 10M. In a 1962 interview with the British journalist Les Tomkins, he did not refer to the specific model of mouthpiece but stated that it was made for him personally. He stated that it was stolen around 1952.[3] In the Tomkins interview he referred to his mouthpiece as a small-chambered piece with a 5* (.085" under the Otto Link system) tip opening. He bought a Selmer Mark VI from Ben Webster after he lost his 10M during the trip to Paris. In a DownBeat magazine interview from 1977, he referred to his current mouthpiece as an Otto Link model with a #8 (.110" under the Otto Link system) tip opening.[13]

Discography

[edit]

As leader

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
Year Title Label Notes
1950 Dexter Gordon Dial 204 10" LP; with Melba Liston and Teddy Edwards
1951 New Sounds in Modern Music (Volume 1) Savoy MG 9003 10" LP
1952 New Trends of Jazz (Volume 3) Savoy MG 9016 10" LP
1952 Gene Norman Presents... The Chase and The Steeplechase Decca DL 7025 10" LP; with Wardell Gray
1956 [1955] Daddy Plays the Horn Bethlehem
1956 [1955] Dexter Blows Hot and Cool Dootone
1961 [1960] The Resurgence of Dexter Gordon Jazzland
1961 Doin' Allright Blue Note with Freddie Hubbard
1962 [1961] Dexter Calling... Blue Note
1962 Go! Blue Note
1964 [1962] A Swingin' Affair Blue Note
1963 Our Man in Paris Blue Note with Bud Powell, Pierre Michelot and Kenny Clarke
1965 [1964] One Flight Up Blue Note with Donald Byrd
1966 [1965] Gettin' Around Blue Note with Bobby Hutcherson
1969 A Day in Copenhagen MPS; Prestige with Slide Hampton
1969 The Tower of Power! Prestige with James Moody
1969 More Power! Prestige with James Moody
1970 Some Other Spring Sonet with Karin Krog
1970 The Panther! Prestige with Tommy Flanagan, Larry Ridley and Alan Dawson
1970 The Jumpin' Blues Prestige with Wynton Kelly
1972 Ca'Purange Prestige with Thad Jones, Hank Jones, Stanley Clarke and Louis Hayes
1972 Generation Prestige with Freddie Hubbard and Cedar Walton
1974 The Apartment SteepleChase with Kenny Drew, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen and Albert "Tootie" Heath
1975 More Than You Know SteepleChase with Orchestra arranged and conducted by Palle Mikkelborg
1975 Stable Mable SteepleChase
1975 Something Different SteepleChase with Philip Catherine
1975 Bouncin' with Dex SteepleChase
1975 Strings & Things SteepleChase with Esko Linnavalli
1975 [1972] Tangerine Prestige with Thad Jones, Hank Jones, Stanley Clarke and Louis Hayes
1976 True Blue Xanadu with Al Cohn
1976 Silver Blue Xanadu with Al Cohn
1977 [1976] Biting the Apple SteepleChase; Inner City
1977 Sophisticated Giant Columbia with 11-piece big-band including Woody Shaw, Benny Bailey, Slide Hampton, Frank Wess and Bobby Hutcherson
1978 Manhattan Symphonie Columbia with George Cables, Rufus Reid and Eddie Gladden
1981 Gotham City Columbia with Woody Shaw, Cedar Walton, George Benson, Percy Heath and Art Blakey
1981 [1976] Lullaby for a Monster SteepleChase
1982 American Classic Elektra/Musician with Grover Washington Jr., Kirk Lightsey and Shirley Scott
1986 The Other Side of Round Midnight Blue Note soundtrack album

Compilations

[edit]
Year Title Label Notes
1958 [1945–47] Dexter Rides Again Savoy MG 12130
1969 [1947] The Dial Sessions Polydor 582 735; Storyville SLP 814 reissued as The Chase! The Complete Dial Sessions 1947 (Stash 2513, 1995)
1976 [1947] The Chase (The Dial Masters) Spotlite SPJ 130 with Wardell Gray and Teddy Edwards
1976 [1945–47] Long Tall Dexter (The Savoy Sessions) Savoy SJL 2211 2-LP
1977 [1947] The Hunt Savoy SJL 2222 2-LP; with Wardell Gray
1979 [1965] Clubhouse Blue Note archival album
1980 [1961–62] Landslide Blue Note archival album
1980 [1945–48] Move! (The Dial Masters) Spotlite SPJ 133
1985 [1945–47] Master Takes – The Savoy Recordings Savoy SJL 1154
1994 Dexter's Mood Cool & Blue 114 compilation of Dial and Savoy masters
1998 [1945–47] Settin' the Pace Savoy 17027 includes all 15 tracks from Savoy SJL 1154, plus bonus material
2001 [1943–50] Settin' the Pace Proper BOX16 4-CD

Live albums

[edit]
Year Title Label Notes
2004 [1947] Bopland: The Legendary Elks Club Concert L.A. 1947 Savoy 17441 3-CD; with Wardell Gray, Sonny Criss, Howard McGhee, Trummy Young; includes all 4 lengthy tracks from Savoy SJL 2221: "Disorder At The Border", "Byas-A-Drink", "The Hunt" and "Cherokee", plus a ton of bonus material
2022 [1962–63] Soul Sister SteepleChase
1978 [1962–64] Cry Me a River (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase
1979 [1964] Cheese Cake (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase with Tete Montoliu
1979 [1964] King Neptune (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase
1980 [1964] I Want More (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase
1982 [1964] Love for Sale (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase
1983 [1964] It's You or No One (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase
1983 [1964] Billie's Bounce (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase
2003 [1965] Wee Dot (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase with Atli Bjorn
2004 [1965] Loose Walk (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase
2004 [1965] Misty (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase
2004 [1965] Heartaches (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase
2005 [1965] Ladybird (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase with Donald Byrd
2005 [1966] Stella by Starlight (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase with Pony Poindexter
2012 [1967] Satin Doll (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase
2001 [1967] The Squirrel Blue Note
1988 [1967] Both Sides of Midnight Black Lion
1988 [1967] Body and Soul Black Lion
1989 [1967] Take The "A" Train Black Lion
1986, [1969] After Hours SteepleChase with Rolf Ericson
1987, [1969] After Midnight SteepleChase with Rolf Ericson
1971 [1969] Live at the Amsterdam Paradiso Catfish; Affinity; Fuel 2000 [US] with Cees Slinger, Jacques Schols and Han Bennink; this album also known as Our Man In Amsterdam in the US
2001 [1969] L.T.D. Live At The Left Bank Prestige
2002 [1969] XXL: Live At The Left Bank Prestige
1970 Dexter Gordon with Junior Mance at Montreux Prestige with Junior Mance
1970 The Chase! Prestige with Gene Ammons
2003 [1970] Live at the Both/And Club, San Francisco BPM with George Duke, Donald Garrett and Oliver Johnson
1985 [1971] The Shadow Of Your Smile SteepleChase with Lars Sjosten, Sture Nordin and Fredrik Noren
1973 Blues à la Suisse Prestige
1974 [1967] Blues Walk! The Montmartre Collection, Vol. I Black Lion reissued material
1974 [1967] Blues Walk! The Montmartre Collection, Vol. II Black Lion reissued material
2014 [1974] Candlelight Lady (Live at Montmartre Jazzhus) SteepleChase with Kenny Drew, Mads Vinding and Ed Thigpen
1991 [1974] Round Midnight SteepleChase with Benny Bailey
1995 [1974] Revelation SteepleChase with Benny Bailey
2002 [1974] The Rainbow People SteepleChase with Benny Bailey
1976 [1975] Swiss Nights Vol. 1 SteepleChase with Kenny Drew, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen and Alex Riel
1978 [1975] Swiss Nights Vol. 2 SteepleChase
1979 [1975] Swiss Nights Vol. 3 SteepleChase
1977 [1976] Homecoming: Live at the Village Vanguard Columbia with Woody Shaw, Ronnie Mathews, Stafford James and Louis Hayes
1979 [1978] Grand Encounters Columbia with Woody Shaw, Curtis Fuller, Johnny Griffin, George Cables and Eddie Jefferson
1998 [1978] Live at Carnegie Hall Columbia with Johnny Griffin, George Cables, Rufus Reid and Eddie Gladden
2018 [1975] Tokyo 1975 Elemental 5990428 with Kenny Drew, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen and Albert “Tootieˮ Heath; includes as a bonus: 1 track recorded in 1973, and 1 more recorded in 1977
2018 [1977] Espace Cardin 1977 Elemental 5990431 with Al Haig, Pierre Michelot and Kenny Clarke
2019 [1973] At The Subway Club 1973 Elemental 5990433 with Irv Rochlin, Henk Haverhoek and Tony Inzalaco; includes as a bonus: 2 tracks recorded in 1965, and 2 more recorded in 1971
2020 [1978] Live in Chateauvallon 1978 Elemental 5990435 with George Cables, Rufus Reid and Eddie Gladden
2012 [1979] North Sea Jazz Legendary Concert Series: Dexter Gordon 1979 Bob City CD/DVD; with Arnett Cobb, Budd Johnson, Buddy Tate and Illinois Jacquet
1985, 1990 [1978-79] Nights at the Keystone (Volume 1) Blue Note with George Cables, Rufus Reid and Eddie Gladden
1985, 1990 [1978-79] Nights at the Keystone (Volume 2) Blue Note
1990 [1978-79] Nights at the Keystone (Volume 3) Blue Note
2023 [1981] Atlanta Georgia May 5, 1981 Storyville with Kirk Lightsey, Rufus Reid and Eddie Gladden
2025 [1981] More Than You Know GleAM with Kirk Lightsey, David Eubanks and Eddie Gladden

Singles/EPs

[edit]
Year Title Label Notes
1947 "The Chase" (Part 1 & 2)" Dial 1017 78rpm disc; with Wardell Gray
1948 "The Duel (Part 1 & 2)" Dial 1028 78rpm disc; with Teddy Edwards
1952 New Trends of Jazz (Vol. 3) Savoy XP 8022 7" EP
1952 New Trends of Jazz (Vol. 4) Savoy XP 8023 7" EP
1953 New Sounds in Modern Music (Vol. 2) Savoy XP 8080 7" EP

As sideman

[edit]

With Gene Ammons

With Louis Armstrong

  • Dexter Gordon, Vol. 1: Young Dex 1941-1944 (Masters Of Jazz MJCD 112)
  • Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra 1944-1945 (Blue Ace BA 3603)
  • Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (AFRS One Night Stand 240) (V-Disc, 1944)
  • Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (AFRS One Night Stand 253) (V-Disc, 1944)
  • Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (AFRS One Night Stand 267) (V-Disc, 1944)
  • Louis Armstrong New Orleans Masters, Vol. 2 (Swing House [UK] SWH 44)
  • Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (AFRS Spotlight Bands 382) (V-Disc, 1944)
  • Louis Armstrong – Chronological Study (MCA Decca 3063 72)
  • Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (AFRS Spotlight Bands 444) (V-Disc, 1944)
  • Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (AFRS Spotlight Bands 465) (V-Disc, 1944)
  • Various Artists, Louis, Pops and Tram (IAJRC 21) (V-Disc, 1944)
  • Louis Armstrong Armed Forces Radio Service 1943/44 (Duke [Italy] D 1021)

With Benny Carter

  • The Fabulous Benny Carter (Audio Lab AL 1505, 1946)
  • Benny Carter And His Orchestra (AFRS Jubilee 246) (V-Disc, 1947)
  • Various Artists, Jazz Off The Air, Vol. 3 (Spotlite SPJ 147) (taken off V-Disc, 1947)

With Billy Eckstine

  • The Chronological Billy Eckstine and His Orchestra, 1944-1945 (Classics, 1997)
  • The Legendary Big Band (Savoy 17125) 2-CD

With Dizzy Gillespie

  • Dexter Gordon, Vol. 2: Young Dex 1944-1946 (Masters Of Jazz MJCD 128)
  • Groovin' High (Savoy MG 12020, 1955; CD reissue: Savoy SV 152, 1992)

With Lionel Hampton

  • Dexter Gordon, Vol. 1: Young Dex 1941-1944 (Masters Of Jazz MJCD 112)
  • Lionel Hampton, Vol. 1: 1941-1942 (MCA Coral COPS 7185, 1974)
  • Steppin' Out, Vol. 1 (1942-1945) (Decca 'Jazz Heritage Series' DL 79244, 1969)
  • Who's Who in Jazz Presents... Lionel Hampton with Dexter Gordon (Who's Who In Jazz; Aurophon Jazz Classics, 1977) with Hank Jones, Bucky Pizzarelli, George Duvivier, Oliver Jackson and Candido

With Herbie Hancock

With Fletcher Henderson

With Helen Humes

  • Various Artists, Black California (Savoy SJL 2215, 1976)
  • Be-Baba-Leba 1942-52 (Whiskey, Women And... KM 701) (Gene Norman's "Just Jazz" Concert, February 2, 1952)
  • New Million Dollar Secret (Whiskey, Women And... KM 707) (Gene Norman's "Just Jazz" Concert, February 2, 1952)

With Jackie McLean

With Gerry Mulligan

  • Capitol Jazz Classics, Vol. 4: Walking Shoes (Capitol M 11029)
  • Classic Capitol Jazz Sessions (Mosaic MQ19-170)

With Leo Parker

  • Birth Of Bop, Vol. 1 (Savoy XP 8060, 1953 [1947]) 7" EP
  • The Be Bop Boys (Savoy SJL 2225, 1978)

With Pony Poindexter

With Jimmy Rushing

  • Jimmy Rushing/Don Redman/Russell Jacquet/Joe Thomas – Big Little Bands (Onyx ORI 220, 1974 [1946])
  • Various Artists, Black California, Vol. 2 (Savoy SJL 2242, 1980)

With others

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Watrous, Peter (April 26, 1990). "Dexter Gordon Dies at 67; A Charismatic Jazz Figure". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  2. ^ Layman, Will (August 14, 2018). "Dexter Gordon Is Still a Big Part of the Reason Why This Kind of Mainstream Jazz Stirs the Soul". Popmatters.com. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Dexter Gordon interview with Les Tomkins, 1962". National Jazz Archive. March 11, 2020. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  4. ^ Crowder, Marcus (June 24, 2011). "There's no resting for pianist Dave Bass". McClatchy-Tribune Business News. McClatchy.
  5. ^ "From the Harvard Art Museums' collections Dexter Gordon, Royal Roost, New York City". Harvardartmuseums.org.
  6. ^ Folkart, Burt a (April 26, 1990). "Saxophonist, Oscar Nominee Dexter Gordon Dies at 67". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  7. ^ Andrews, Travis M. (March 20, 2019). "Jay-Z, a speech by Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and 'Schoolhouse Rock!' among recordings deemed classics by Library of Congress". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1002. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  9. ^ a b c "Biography". DEXTERGORDON.COM. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  10. ^ Britt, Stan (1989). Dexter Gordon: a music biography. London: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80361-5. pp. 4, 26.
  11. ^ Joop Visser, essay booklet with Settin' the Pace, Proper box set.
  12. ^ Dexter Gordon Biography - Reveals the Life of Dexter Gordon Oh! Jean Records. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  13. ^ a b "Dexter Gordon interview with Chuck Berg, Downbeat Magazine, 1977". Jazzprofiles.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  14. ^ "Dexter Gordon & Kenny Drew – Pornography A Musical (1971) OST", YouTube video.
  15. ^ David Meeker,"Jazz on the Screen – A jazz and blues filmography", Library of Congress, Performing Arts Encyclopedia.
  16. ^ Allan, William (December 11, 1977). "Jazz is back...big...on Records". The Pittsburgh Press.
  17. ^ Chapman, Dale (March 23, 2018). The Jazz Bubble: Neoclassical Jazz in Neoliberal Culture. Univ of California Press. p. 78. ISBN 9780520968219.
  18. ^ "Dexter Gordon". National Endowment for the Arts | NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "Dexter Keith Gordon". The Dexter Gordon Society. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  20. ^ "DEXTER GORDON, JAZZ SAXOPHONIST, ACTOR, DIES". Washington Post. April 25, 1990.
  21. ^ "Saxophonist, Oscar Nominee Dexter Gordon Dies at 67". Los Angeles Times. April 26, 1990.
  22. ^ Gordon, Maxine (2018), "2. An Uncommon Family", Sophisticated Giant: The Life and Legacy of Dexter Gordon, University of California Press, pp. 13–25, doi:10.1525/9780520971622-003, ISBN 978-0-520-97162-2, retrieved December 29, 2024
  23. ^ "History". Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Alpha Delta Chapter. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  24. ^ Joel McIver, Justice for All: The Truth about Metallica, Omnibus Press, 2004.
  25. ^ Watrous, Peter (April 26, 1990). "Dexter Gordon Dies at 67; A Charismatic Jazz Figure". New York Times. Retrieved March 22, 2024.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Gordon, Maxine (2018) Sophisticated Giant: The Life and Legacy of Dexter Gordon (University of California Press)
[edit]
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