| Origin
Los Angeles, CA, U.While still at school, he was playing in bands with such contemporaries as Chico Hamilton and Buddy Collette.In 1943 he made his first recordings under his own name, alongside Nat Cole and Harry Edison.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.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.Coltrane's playing, however, during his early period from the mid to late '50s or early '60s influenced Gordon's playing from then onward.Doin' Alright, Dexter Calling...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, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Kenny Drew, Horace Parlan and Billy Higgins.Gordon also visited the States occasionally for further recording dates with Blue Note Records.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.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.Gordon found Europe in the 1960s a much easier place to live, saying that he experienced less racism and greater respect for jazz musicians.The American recordings included The Chase a tenor battle with Gene Ammons cut in Chicago in 1970.Homecoming
Gordon finally returned to the United States for good in 1976.He appeared at the Village Vanguard, NY, for a gig that was dubbed as his 'homecoming;' and was recorded and released under that title.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 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.Awakenings, which was released after his death.Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, and subsequently became Lars's godfather.Selected recordings
Dexter Rides Again (1945)
The Chase (1947)
The Resurgence of Dexter Gordon (1960)
Doin' Alright (1961), Blue Note Records
Dexter Calling (1961), Blue Note
Go!Dexter always had that big sound, from the early days.All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.Dexter always had that big sound, from the early days.Veteran listeners will certainly remember him but younger fans probably will not although he was intermittently active during the '50s.To musicians (especially those saxophonists who have been directly or indirectly influenced by him), Dexter Gordon has always been a highly important player.The owner of an acute harmonic sense, Gordon has never used it to merely run changes accurately.He is a melodist and can also contrast rhythmic figures effectively.His harmonic awareness was a great aid in preparing him to plunge into the new music that was fermenting in the early '40s.Due to this, he was able to actively incorporate the beneficial effects directly into his playing as he was growing up.From this local band he stepped into Lionel Hampton's aggregation in December 1940 and remained with Hamp through 1943.After leaving Hampton, he returned to Los Angeles where he played with the groups of Lee Young (Lester Young's drumming brother) and Jesse Price.When he left Eckstine for New York's 52nd Street in 1945, his influence spread like the ripples a large rock makes when it is dropped into a pool of water.Of course, like Gordon, these players had been affected by Lester Young, but it seemed that in addition to getting inspiration directly from Pres.Dizzy Gillespie for Guild in February of 1945, showed a Gordon who had his own interpretation of the day's material.Gordon worked at the Spotlite Club with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Bud Powell and then had his own group at the Three Dueces.Gordon returned to the West Coast in the summer of 1946 but not before he had made several recordings with his own groups.He revived his association with Gray in 1950 but that soon ended and the next decade was not a very productive one for Dexter.Then, too, he was fighting personal demons.His success gave him a new confidence and led to a general revitalization.Both owe a debt to Gordon for helping them to form their now highly personal styles.IRA GITLER, from the liner notes,Doin' Allright, Blue Note.Doin' Allright, 1961, Blue Note.Our Man In Paris, 1963, Blue Note.Gettin' Around, 1965, Blue Note.Body And Soul, 1967, Black Lion.The Apartment, 1974, SteepleChase.Round Midnight, 1985, Columbia.Find Dexter Gordon on Amazon.Find Dexter Gordon on eBay.Sign in to get personalized recommendations.Your search did not match any products.Too many keywords can constrain your search.Use fewer keywords to find more results.View or change your orders in Your Account.After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.Too many keywords can constrain your search.If you want to specify which of your search terms should match the author's name and which should match the title, you should conduct an Advanced Search.You have no recently viewed items or searches.Not the Dexter Gordon you're looking for?Date of Death:
25 April 1990, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.Mini Biography:
Dexter Gordon was considered one of the greatest jazz saxophonists ever...Moulin Rouge (1988) TV episode ....Stop for Bud (International: English title) Unchained (1955) (uncredited) ....Pornography: A Musical (International: English title) Self:The 59th Annual Academy Awards (1987) (TV) ....They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update.Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon began his career in 1940 playing with the Lionel Hampton band, with which he recorded in 1942.Through his playing with Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, and Fats Navarro (to name a few) Gordon soon became recognized as one of the leaders of the bop movement.Gordon then alternated between the East and West coasts, performing with Tadd Dameron and joining fellow tenor player Wardell Gray for a much celebrated series of "saxophone duels" between the years 1947 and 1952.In 1976 Gordon returned to New York and played some very successful engagements one of which resulted in the fine recording Homecoming.Round Midnight (a film dedicated to Bud Powell and Lester Young) for which he received an Academy Award nomination.With this film role, interest in Gordon resurged once again.Listen to audio clips from Go.Check out or purchase Dexter Gordon CDs, they have 70 listings!Charlie Parker and Lester Young in his trailer.French psychiatrist to discuss his pain dilemma.Illinois Jacquet and the complex harmonies of Charlie Parker.As Jimmy Heath once said.Classics," in an interview, Dexter had this to say about ballads.Here are a few: "Darlin..."If you can't play the blues...Jazz to me is a living music."Round Midnight," did his last gig...Dexter is fronting his own group at...He towered over most, but not just because of his 6'5" stance.He moved to New York City and associated with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, and in 1947 he recorded the popular sax battles "The Chase" and "The Duel."After 1960 he spent most of his time in Europe, living in Denmark while touring and recording.In the '70s and '80s his popularity resurged in the U.Sponsor our
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