Dexter Gordon | Artist
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist born 1923 in Los Angeles, California. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell. Gordon's father, Dr. Frank Gordon, one of the first African American doctors in Los Angeles, arrived in 1918 after graduating from Howard University Medical School. 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 Honour recipients in the Spanish-American War. Gordon played clarinet from the age of 13, before switching to saxophone at 15. While still at school he played in bands with such contemporaries as Chico Hamilton and Buddy Collette. During the '50s and early ' 60s Gordon remained in California and recorded six albums, culminating in the superb Go in 1962. He then relocated to Europe for 14 years, living mainly in Paris and Copenhagen. Whilst there he continued issuing top-rate albums including Our Man in Paris ('63), A Swingin' Affair ('64) and One Flight Up ('65). Upon returning to the USA, Gordon continued to perform and record up until his death in 1999, aged 67. A prolific recording artist, Gordon issued some 58 studio albums, including solo works, with the Dexter Gordon Quartet, and collaborations. Standout releases include Doin' Allright (1961), Go (1962), Our Man in Paris (1963), A Swingin' Affair (1964), One Flight Up (1965), Tangerine (1975), and The Apartment (1975). Outside music, Gordon was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in the Bertrand Tavernier film 'Round Midnight' (1986), and he won a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist, for the soundtrack album The Other Side of Round Midnight (1986). In 2018, Gordon's album Go was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". As his reputation grew internationally, Gordon got offers for engagements in England, then Europe, that resulted in a fourteen-year stay. Over the next 14 years in Europe, living mainly in Paris and Copenhagen, playing regularly with fellow expatriates or visiting players, such as Bud Powell, Ben Webster, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Kenny Drew, Horace Parlan and Billy Higgins. 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. When he lived in Denmark, Gordon became friends with the family of the future Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, and subsequently became Lars's godfather. 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 a National Endowment for the Arts award for Lifetime Achievement.
Artist Website: dextergordon.org/bio
Featured Albums: Dexter Gordon
Related Artists: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon Quartet
