LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Dexter Gordon: Lionel Hampton
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Dexter Gordon had such a colorful and eventful life (with three separate comebacks) that his story would make a great Hollywood movie. The top tenor saxophonist to emerge during the [B]op era and possessor of his own distinctive sound, Gordon sometimes was long-winded and quoted excessively from other songs, but he created a large body of superior work and could battle nearly anyone successfully at a jam session. His first important gig was with Lionel Hampton (1940-1943) although, due to Illinois Jacquet ... being in the sax section, Gordon did not get any solos. In 1943, he did get to stretch out on a recording session with Nat "King" Cole.
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Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon began his career in 1940 playing with the Lionel Hampton band, with which he recorded in 1942. After his stint with Hampton, Gordon made his first recordings as the leader of a quintet that featured Nat "King" Cole as a sideman on piano. He then played briefly with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra and with Louis Armstrong before moving to New York in 1944 where he appeared with Billy Eckstine’s big band. 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.
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Dexter Gordon, considered by some to be the first great bebop stylist on tenor saxophone, recorded most of the songs on Settin' the Pace when he was in his mid-twenties. Gordon was already a pro by this time, having played with Lionel Hampton's band and Nat "King" Cole while still a teenager.
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Dexter (Keith) Gordon (February 27, 1923 - April 25, 1990) was an American tenor saxophone musician. He is considered one of the first bebop tenor players. From 1940 to 1980, he played with such jazz greats as Lionel Hampton, Tadd Dameron, Charles Mingus, Louis Armstrong and Billy Eckstine. He ... played with the Fletcher Henderson band in L.A. for a few weeks in 1947.
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Dexter Keith Gordon was born on February 27, 1923 in Los Angeles, California. His father, Dr. Frank Gordon, was one of the first African American doctors in Los Angeles who arrived in 1918 after graduating from Howard 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 Baker, one of the five African American Medal of Honor recipients in the Spanish-American War.
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When Dexter Gordon won the 1971 Down Beat Critics Poll, the honor could hardly be considered premature. The tenorist, who celebrated his 49th birthday last Feb. 17, is one of the great voices in modern jazz and has been a professional musician since the age of 17, when he joined Lionel Hampton's band. After a stint with Louis Armstrong, he became a charter member of Billy Eckstine's famed big band, with which he made his mark.
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