# Dexter Gordon is considered to be the first musician to translate the language of Bebop to the tenor saxophone: Video

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2018/02/27/dexter-gordon-is-considered-to-be-the-first-musician-to-translate-the-language-of-bebop-to-the-tenor-saxophone-video/
- Published: 2018-02-27T00:04:18+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**27.02. – Happy Birthday !!! Dexter Keith Gordon was born on 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.**

He began his study of music with the clarinet at age 13, then switched to the alto
saxophone at 15, and finally to the tenor saxophone at 17. He studied music with
Lloyd Reese and at Jefferson High School with Sam Browne. In his last year of high
school, he received a call from alto saxophonist Marshall Royal asking him to join
the Lionel Hampton Band. He left Los Angeles with the band, traveling down south
and learning to play from fellow band members Illinois Jacquet and Joe Newman. In
January 1941, the band played at the Grand Terrace in Chicago for six months and
the radio broadcasts made there were Dexter’s first recordings.

It was in 1943, while in New York City with the Hampton band, that Dexter sat in
at Minton’s Playhouse with Ben Webster and Lester Young. This was to be one of the
most important moments in his long musical career as, as he put it, “people started
to take notice.”

Back in Los Angeles in 1943, Dexter played mainly with Lee Young (Lester Young’s
brother) and with Jesse Price plus a few weeks with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra.
In 1944, he worked with Louis Armstrong ‘s orchestra which was one of the highlights
of his careers. Being in the company of the great trumpet master was inspiring and
gave him insight into the world of music that he never forgot. It was during this
period that Gordon made his first lengthy solo recordings as the leader of a quintet
session with Nat “King” Cole as a sideman.

In 1944, Dexter joined the Billy Eckstine band, the source of many of the Bebop 
innovators of the time and many of the most prominent bandleaders in the future.
He was surrounded nightly by Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Sonny
Stitt, Gene Ammons, Leo Parker, John Malachi, and other architects of the new music.

Dexter began to record for Savoy Records in 1945 with tunes such as Blow Mr. Dexter,
Dexter’s Deck, Dexter’s Cuttin’ Out, Long Tall Dexter (none of which were named 
by the composer). These early recordings are examples of the development of his 
sound and his style which influenced many of the younger tenor players of that day,
including Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane.

In 1947, Dexter recorded his historic sides for Dial Records, including “The Chase”
with tenor saxophonist Wardell Gray. The two tenor “duels” became very popular at
this time and Dexter commented that despite the differences in style, it was sometimes
hard for him to tell where one left off and the other began. This recording was 
to become the biggest seller for Dial and further established Dexter as a leader
and a recording artist.

In the late 40s, Dexter appeared on the famed 52nd Street in New York City with 
Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro, Max Roach, and many of the bebop innovators of the
day. The classic photo of Dexter at the Royal Roost in 1948 has become the iconic
photo of the bebop musician and has been reprinted on album covers, t- shirts, posters,
and print ads.

In 1960, Dexter was approached by Alfred Lion to sign with Blue Note Records. For
five years, he made on session after another, and they are all considered classics.
When asked which of all his recordings was his favorite, Dexter said: “I would have
to say it is Go! The perfect rhythm section which made is possible for me to play
whatever I wanted to play.”

The Blue Note recordings allowed him the opportunity to record with Freddie Hubbard,
Bobby Hutcherson, Barry Harris, Kenny Drew, Horace Parlan, Bud Powell, Billy Higgins.
The Blue Note recordings are still available and are considered jazz classics.

A gig in 1962 at Ronnie Scott’s Club in London was a new experience for Dexter and
he began to travel and work in Europe. Eventually, he settled in Copenhagen where
he lived until his return to the U.S. in 1976. During that period in Europe, he 
traveled extensively, worked for long periods at the historic Jazzhus Montmartre
and recorded for European labels as well as Prestige Records.

In 1976, Dexter enjoyed a hero’s welcome in the U.S. when he made his return engagement
at Storyville in New York City with Woody Shaw, Louis Hayes, Ronnie Mathews, and
Stafford James. He subsequently played the Village Vanguard, signed with Columbia
Records, and was officially back in town. He organized his first working band during
this period with George Cables, Rufus Reid, and Eddie Gladden. He considered this
band to be his best band and he toured extensively with them and recorded Live at
the Keystone (Mosaic) and Manhattan Symphonie (CBS Sony) with the group.

In 1986, Dexter moved into his new career, acting, in the motion picture Round Midnight
which was directed by Bertrand Tavernier. He was nominated for an Academy Award 
for Best Leading Actor in 1986 for his portrayal of Dale Turner, a character based
on the lives of Lester Young and Bud Powell. The music for the film won an Oscar
for musical director, Herbie Hancock. The film included fellow musicians Bobby Hutcherson,
Billy Higgins, Cedar Walton, Freddie Hubbard, Tony Williams, Pierre Michelot, John
McLaughlin, and Wayne Shorter.

Dexter Gordon’s last major concert appearance was with the New York Philharmonic
in Ellingtones, a concerto written for him by acclaimed composer David Baker and
conducted by James de Priest.

Dexter died on April 25, 1990 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

![Image result for Dexter Gordon](http://img2-ak.lst.fm/i/u/arO/049a430697f4c60c1387359a724756bc)

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