Dexter Gordon Biography
Regarded by many as the greatest tenor saxophonist to emerge during the bop era, Dexter Gordon (1923-1990) was a tireless improviser known for his clear, strong tone, as well as an ability to pack his solos with musical information without sacrificing his ability to swing.
Gordon was born and raised in Los Angeles, where his father was a doctor whose patients included Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. His first notable gig was in Hampton’s orchestra between 1940 and 1943, although the presence of Illinois Jacquet in Hampton’s sax section meant that Gordon didn’t get to take any solos. After leaving Hampton, Gordon cut his first sessions under his own name, as well as recording with Nat “King” Cole and serving short stints in the big bands of Fletcher Henderson and Louis Armstrong. In December 1944, Gordon moved to New York, where he joined Billy Eckstine’s Orchestra and recorded with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, as well as leading some of his own sessions. He returned to Los Angeles in 1946, in time to become a major player in the thriving Central Avenue jazz scene, where his tenor sax duels with Teddy Edwards and Wardell Gray became popular attractions, both live and on record.
Drug problems limited Gordon’s output during the ’50s, but by 1960, he was back in action and recording consistently. That year, he also composed and performed music for the play The Connection, in which he also had an acting role. He relocated to Europe from 1962 to 1976, living mainly in Paris and Copenhagen and playing with European musicians and such expatriate Americans as Bud Powell, Ben Webster, Freddie Hubbard and Bobby Hutcherson, and occasionally returning to the U.S. to record and perform. Gordon’s return to the U.S. was greeted as a major event in the jazz world, and he continued his comeback with a series of well-received new albums. Unlike many of his contemporaries who explored crossover styles in the ’70s, Gordon stuck to acoustic jazz, with consistently compelling results.
Gordon experienced yet another comeback in his final years, after filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier cast him in the starring role of his 1986 film ‘Round Midnight, in which Gordon portrayed an expatriate jazz musician living in Paris. In addition to earning him widespread critical praise and an Academy Award nomination, Gordon’s appearance in the film spurred a new wave of public interest in his music.
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