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Dexter Gordon
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From All Movie Guide: One of the great jazz tenor sax players, Dexter Gordon is best remembered by filmgoers for playing fictional sax player Dale Turner in Bertrand Tavernier's 'Round Midnight (1986). His realistic portrayal of a burned-out American jazz man who finds refuge in the cellar clubs of Paris earned Gordon an Oscar nomination -- making him the first instrumental musician to be so honored. Gordon made his film debut in the 1955 prison drama Unchained. His final film appearance was as a mental patient in the drama Awakenings (1990). The film was released after Gordon's death. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
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Dexter Gordon was an American tenor saxophone musician. He is considered the first important hard bop tenor player. 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. He was particularly noted for his titanic saxophone duels with fellow tenorman Wardell Gray, a popular live attraction that also produced several albums between 1947 and 1952.
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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 bop 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. Short stints with Lee Young, the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, and Louis Armstrong's big band preceded his move to New York in December 1944 and becoming part of Billy Eckstine's Orchestra, trading off with Gene Ammons on Eckstine's recording of "Blowin' the Blues Away." Gordon recorded with Dizzy Gillespie ("Blue 'N' Boogie") and as a leader for Savoy before returning to Los Angeles in the summer of 1946. He was a major part of the Central Avenue scene, trading off with Wardell Gray and Teddy Edwards in many legendary tenor battles; studio recordings of "The Chase" and "The Duel" helped to document the atmosphere of the period.
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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 bop era and possessor of his own distinctive sound, Gordon sometimes was longwinded 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 (19401943) 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. Short stints with Lee Young, the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, and Louis Armstrong's big band preceded his move to New York in December 1944 and becoming part of Billy Eckstine's Orchestra, trading off with Gene Ammons on Eckstine's recording of "Blowin' the Blues Away." Gordon recorded with Dizzy Gillespie ("Blue 'N' Boogie") and as a leader for Savoy before returning to Los Angeles in the summer of 1946.
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Dexter Gordon began to play clarinet at the age of 13 and studied music with Lloyd Reese, during which time he played in a rehearsal band with other pupils of Reese, including Charles Mingus and Buddy Collette. In 1940, he began a long engagement with Lionel Hampton's touring band, with which he took part in a recording session in 1942. After leaving Hampton in 1943, Gordon made his first lengthy solo recordings as the leader of a quintet session with Nat "King" Cole as a sideman. He worked in the Los Angeles area with Lee Young, Jesse Price, and, for a few weeks in April and May 1944, the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra (some of his performances with Henderson survive in recordings made from broadcasts). After playing briefly with Louis Armstrong, he moved to New York in December 1944 to appear in Billy Eckstine's orchestra. His recordings with Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, and others soon made him a leading figure in the bop movement.
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Dexter Gordon´s name rests securely in the pantheon of tenor saxophonists; he led a colorful, eventful life and played music to document it every step along the way. The most distinctive tenor player to emerge from the bop, Dexter (b. 2/27/23, d. 4/25/90) had his first high-profile gig with Lionel Hampton´s Orchestra (´40-´43) and became a featured soloist in Billy Eckstine´s bebop big band (´44). In the summer of ´46 Dexter returned to his birthplace, Los Angeles, where he became a major figure on the burgeoning Central Avenue Scene, engaging in legendary tenor battles with Teddy Edwards and Wardell Gray. Drug problems caused some trouble with the law and inevitable periods of inactivity throughout the ´50s, but Dexter recovered by 1960 and began recording a series of valuable records for Blue Note. In 62 Dexter unexpectedly moved to Europe, where he lived until ´76.
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Dexter Gordon