Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz ten… Read Full Bio ↴Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He was among the earliest tenor players to adapt the bebop musical language of people such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the instrument. His studio and live performance career spanned over 40 years.
Gordon's height was 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm), so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" and "Sophisticated Giant". He played a Conn 10M Lady Face until 1964. He lost the instrument in a Paris hotel and then switched over to a Selmer Mark VI. His saxophone, seen in various photos, was fitted with an Otto Link metal mouthpiece.
In 1986, Dexter Gordon was named a member and officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters by the Ministry of Culture in France. His performance in Round Midnight (Warner Bros, 1986) was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Leading Role and he won a Grammy for Best Soundtrack. On April 25, 1990, Dexter Gordon died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Gordon was born and grew up in Los Angeles, where his father was a doctor who counted Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton among his patients. He played clarinet from the age of 13, before switching to saxophone (initially alto, then tenor) at 15. While still at school, he was playing in bands with such contemporaries as Chico Hamilton and Buddy Collette.
Between 1940 and 1943, Gordon was a member of Lionel Hampton's band, playing in a saxophone section alongside Illinois Jacquet and Marshall Royal. In 1943 he made his first recordings under his own name, alongside Nat Cole and Harry 'Sweets' Edison. During 1943-44 he featured in the Louis Armstrong and Fletcher Henderson bands, before joining Billy Eckstine.
By 1945, Gordon had left the Eckstine band and was resident in New York, where he was performing and recording with Charlie Parker, as well as recording under his own name. Gordon was particularly known for his saxophone duels with fellow tenorman Wardell Gray that were a popular live attraction which were documented in recordings made between 1947 and 1952.
Gordon's sound was commonly characterized as being 'large' and spacious and he had a tendency to play behind the beat. One of his major influences was Lester Young. Gordon, in turn, was an early influence on John Coltrane during the 1940s and 1950s. Coltrane's playing, however, during his early period from the mid to late '50s or early '60s influenced Gordon's playing from then onward. Similarities in their styles include their clear, strong, metallic tones, their tendencies to bend up to high notes, and their abilities to single-tongue and still swing. One of Gordon's idiosyncrasies was to recite the lyrics of each ballad before playing it.
Gordon was performing Freddie Redd's music for the Los Angeles production of Jack Gelber's play The Connection in 1960, replacing Jackie McLean. Around this time, he signed to Blue Note Records, an association that was to produce a steady flow of albums for several years: Doin' Allright, Dexter Calling..., Go, and A Swingin' Affair. The first two, his Blue Note debuts, were recorded over three days in May 1961 with Freddie Hubbard, Horace Parlan and others. The last two were recorded in August 1962, just before Gordon left for his extended stay in Europe, with a rhythm section that featured Blue Note regulars Sonny Clark, Butch Warren and Billy Higgins. During the next few years, Gordon would record again for Blue Note. During this time he would be a big advocate of Onzy Matthews and be one of the initial sax players to start Matthews' big band in 1959 along with Curtis Amy; Gordon would leave to Europe before getting a chance to record with that big band on Capitol Records.
Over the next 15 years in Europe, living mainly in Paris and Copenhagen, he played regularly with fellow expatriate, or visiting players, such as Bud Powell, Ben Webster, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Kenny Drew, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Horace Parlan and Billy Higgins. Blue Note Records' German-born Francis Wolff supervised Gordon's later sessions for the label on his visits to Europe.
From this period come Our Man in Paris, One Flight Up, and Gettin' Around. Our Man in Paris was a Blue Note session recorded in Paris, France in 1963 with a quartet including pianist Bud Powell, drummer Kenny Clarke, and French bassist Pierre Michelot. One Flight Up, recorded in Paris in 1964 with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Kenny Drew, drummer Art Taylor, and Danish bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, features an extended solo by Gordon on the track "Tanya".
Gordon also visited the States occasionally for further recording dates with Blue Note: Gettin' Around was recorded during a visit back to the US in May 1965, as was the unreleased album Clubhouse.
Less well-known, but of similar quality, are the albums he recorded during the same period for the Danish label SteepleChase (Something Different, Bouncin' With Dex, Biting the Apple, and a few dozen others). They again feature American sidemen, but also such Europeans as Spanish pianist Tete Montoliu and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen.
Gordon found Europe in the 1960s a much easier place to live, saying that he experienced less racism and greater respect for jazz musicians. Furthermore in America he had experienced drug addiction and imprisonment twice, and must have found the change of location helpful. While in Copenhagen, Dexter Gordon and Kenny Drew's trio appeared onscreen in Ole Ege's theatrically released hardcore pornographic film Pornografi (1971), for which they composed and performed the score.
He switched from Blue Note to Prestige Records (1965-1973) but stayed very much in the hard-bop idiom, making classic bop albums like 1972's Tangerine with Thad Jones, Freddie Hubbard, and Hank Jones.
Some of the Prestige albums were recorded during visits back to North America while he was still living in Europe; others were made in Europe, including live sets from the Montreux Jazz Festival. The American recordings included The Chase, a tenor battle with Gene Ammons cut in Chicago in 1970.
Dexter Gordon finally returned to the United States for good in 1976. He appeared at the Village Vanguard, NY, for a gig that was dubbed as his 'homecoming;' and was recorded and released under that title. He noted "There was so much love and elation; sometimes it was a little eerie at the Vanguard. After the last set they'd turn on the lights and nobody would move".
After this appearance, Gordon recorded several more albums that proved he was as good if not better than before his years in Europe, and he finally gained appreciation as one of the great jazz tenors. The increased attention that he received because of Columbia Records promotions has been seen as a turning point in jazz because they focused on acoustic jazz rather than the commercial cross-over styles which had been heavily promoted during the first part of the 1970s.
Gordon made several notable film appearances. The first occurred, oddly enough, while he was in prison for possession of heroin. He portrayed an inmate playing in the prison band in Unchained, though the soundtrack was later overdubbed. In 1986, Gordon starred in the movie Round Midnight as 'Dale Turner', an expatriate jazz musician much like himself; the role might even be a thinly veiled biography of him, though Lester Young and Bud Powell were its main inspirations. Gordon received a nomination for a Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal. In addition, he had a non-speaking role in the film Awakenings, which was released after his death. Between these two roles, Gordon made a guest appearance on the Michael Mann series Crime Story.
Gordon died of kidney failure in Philadelphia, PA, on April 25, 1990, at the age of 67. He was voted musician of the year by Down Beat magazine in 1978 and 1980, and in the latter year was inducted into Down Beat's Jazz Hall of Fame.
Gordon's maternal grandfather was Captain Edward L. Baker, one of the five Medal of Honor winners (9th Cav.) in the Spanish-American War who served in the 9th and 10th Cavalries in the group known as the Buffalo Soldiers.
Gordon's father, Dr. Frank Gordon, M.D., was one of the first prominent African-American physicians and a graduate of Howard University.
Dexter Gordon had a total of six children, from the oldest to the youngest: Robin Gordon (Los Angeles, CA), James Canales Gordon (Oakland, CA), Deidre (Dee Dee) Gordon (Los Angeles, CA), Mikael Gordon-Solfors (Stockholm, Sweden), Morten Gordon (Copenhagen, Denmark) and Benjamin Dexter Gordon (Copenhagen, Denmark), and five grandchildren, Raina Moore (Brooklyn, NY), Jared Johnson (Los Angeles, CA), and Matthew Johnson (Los Angeles, CA) Maya Canales (Oakland, CA), Jared Canales (Oakland, CA)
When he lived in Denmark, he became friends with the family of the future Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, and subsequently became Lars's godfather.
Gordon is also survived by his widow and former manager-producer Maxine Gordon.
Gordon's height was 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm), so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" and "Sophisticated Giant". He played a Conn 10M Lady Face until 1964. He lost the instrument in a Paris hotel and then switched over to a Selmer Mark VI. His saxophone, seen in various photos, was fitted with an Otto Link metal mouthpiece.
In 1986, Dexter Gordon was named a member and officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters by the Ministry of Culture in France. His performance in Round Midnight (Warner Bros, 1986) was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Leading Role and he won a Grammy for Best Soundtrack. On April 25, 1990, Dexter Gordon died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Gordon was born and grew up in Los Angeles, where his father was a doctor who counted Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton among his patients. He played clarinet from the age of 13, before switching to saxophone (initially alto, then tenor) at 15. While still at school, he was playing in bands with such contemporaries as Chico Hamilton and Buddy Collette.
Between 1940 and 1943, Gordon was a member of Lionel Hampton's band, playing in a saxophone section alongside Illinois Jacquet and Marshall Royal. In 1943 he made his first recordings under his own name, alongside Nat Cole and Harry 'Sweets' Edison. During 1943-44 he featured in the Louis Armstrong and Fletcher Henderson bands, before joining Billy Eckstine.
By 1945, Gordon had left the Eckstine band and was resident in New York, where he was performing and recording with Charlie Parker, as well as recording under his own name. Gordon was particularly known for his saxophone duels with fellow tenorman Wardell Gray that were a popular live attraction which were documented in recordings made between 1947 and 1952.
Gordon's sound was commonly characterized as being 'large' and spacious and he had a tendency to play behind the beat. One of his major influences was Lester Young. Gordon, in turn, was an early influence on John Coltrane during the 1940s and 1950s. Coltrane's playing, however, during his early period from the mid to late '50s or early '60s influenced Gordon's playing from then onward. Similarities in their styles include their clear, strong, metallic tones, their tendencies to bend up to high notes, and their abilities to single-tongue and still swing. One of Gordon's idiosyncrasies was to recite the lyrics of each ballad before playing it.
Gordon was performing Freddie Redd's music for the Los Angeles production of Jack Gelber's play The Connection in 1960, replacing Jackie McLean. Around this time, he signed to Blue Note Records, an association that was to produce a steady flow of albums for several years: Doin' Allright, Dexter Calling..., Go, and A Swingin' Affair. The first two, his Blue Note debuts, were recorded over three days in May 1961 with Freddie Hubbard, Horace Parlan and others. The last two were recorded in August 1962, just before Gordon left for his extended stay in Europe, with a rhythm section that featured Blue Note regulars Sonny Clark, Butch Warren and Billy Higgins. During the next few years, Gordon would record again for Blue Note. During this time he would be a big advocate of Onzy Matthews and be one of the initial sax players to start Matthews' big band in 1959 along with Curtis Amy; Gordon would leave to Europe before getting a chance to record with that big band on Capitol Records.
Over the next 15 years in Europe, living mainly in Paris and Copenhagen, he played regularly with fellow expatriate, or visiting players, such as Bud Powell, Ben Webster, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Kenny Drew, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Horace Parlan and Billy Higgins. Blue Note Records' German-born Francis Wolff supervised Gordon's later sessions for the label on his visits to Europe.
From this period come Our Man in Paris, One Flight Up, and Gettin' Around. Our Man in Paris was a Blue Note session recorded in Paris, France in 1963 with a quartet including pianist Bud Powell, drummer Kenny Clarke, and French bassist Pierre Michelot. One Flight Up, recorded in Paris in 1964 with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Kenny Drew, drummer Art Taylor, and Danish bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, features an extended solo by Gordon on the track "Tanya".
Gordon also visited the States occasionally for further recording dates with Blue Note: Gettin' Around was recorded during a visit back to the US in May 1965, as was the unreleased album Clubhouse.
Less well-known, but of similar quality, are the albums he recorded during the same period for the Danish label SteepleChase (Something Different, Bouncin' With Dex, Biting the Apple, and a few dozen others). They again feature American sidemen, but also such Europeans as Spanish pianist Tete Montoliu and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen.
Gordon found Europe in the 1960s a much easier place to live, saying that he experienced less racism and greater respect for jazz musicians. Furthermore in America he had experienced drug addiction and imprisonment twice, and must have found the change of location helpful. While in Copenhagen, Dexter Gordon and Kenny Drew's trio appeared onscreen in Ole Ege's theatrically released hardcore pornographic film Pornografi (1971), for which they composed and performed the score.
He switched from Blue Note to Prestige Records (1965-1973) but stayed very much in the hard-bop idiom, making classic bop albums like 1972's Tangerine with Thad Jones, Freddie Hubbard, and Hank Jones.
Some of the Prestige albums were recorded during visits back to North America while he was still living in Europe; others were made in Europe, including live sets from the Montreux Jazz Festival. The American recordings included The Chase, a tenor battle with Gene Ammons cut in Chicago in 1970.
Dexter Gordon finally returned to the United States for good in 1976. He appeared at the Village Vanguard, NY, for a gig that was dubbed as his 'homecoming;' and was recorded and released under that title. He noted "There was so much love and elation; sometimes it was a little eerie at the Vanguard. After the last set they'd turn on the lights and nobody would move".
After this appearance, Gordon recorded several more albums that proved he was as good if not better than before his years in Europe, and he finally gained appreciation as one of the great jazz tenors. The increased attention that he received because of Columbia Records promotions has been seen as a turning point in jazz because they focused on acoustic jazz rather than the commercial cross-over styles which had been heavily promoted during the first part of the 1970s.
Gordon made several notable film appearances. The first occurred, oddly enough, while he was in prison for possession of heroin. He portrayed an inmate playing in the prison band in Unchained, though the soundtrack was later overdubbed. In 1986, Gordon starred in the movie Round Midnight as 'Dale Turner', an expatriate jazz musician much like himself; the role might even be a thinly veiled biography of him, though Lester Young and Bud Powell were its main inspirations. Gordon received a nomination for a Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal. In addition, he had a non-speaking role in the film Awakenings, which was released after his death. Between these two roles, Gordon made a guest appearance on the Michael Mann series Crime Story.
Gordon died of kidney failure in Philadelphia, PA, on April 25, 1990, at the age of 67. He was voted musician of the year by Down Beat magazine in 1978 and 1980, and in the latter year was inducted into Down Beat's Jazz Hall of Fame.
Gordon's maternal grandfather was Captain Edward L. Baker, one of the five Medal of Honor winners (9th Cav.) in the Spanish-American War who served in the 9th and 10th Cavalries in the group known as the Buffalo Soldiers.
Gordon's father, Dr. Frank Gordon, M.D., was one of the first prominent African-American physicians and a graduate of Howard University.
Dexter Gordon had a total of six children, from the oldest to the youngest: Robin Gordon (Los Angeles, CA), James Canales Gordon (Oakland, CA), Deidre (Dee Dee) Gordon (Los Angeles, CA), Mikael Gordon-Solfors (Stockholm, Sweden), Morten Gordon (Copenhagen, Denmark) and Benjamin Dexter Gordon (Copenhagen, Denmark), and five grandchildren, Raina Moore (Brooklyn, NY), Jared Johnson (Los Angeles, CA), and Matthew Johnson (Los Angeles, CA) Maya Canales (Oakland, CA), Jared Canales (Oakland, CA)
When he lived in Denmark, he became friends with the family of the future Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, and subsequently became Lars's godfather.
Gordon is also survived by his widow and former manager-producer Maxine Gordon.
Take the 'A' Train
Dexter Gordon Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Take the 'A' Train' by these artists:
Anita O'Day You must take the "A" train To go to Sugar Hill…
B. Strayhorn You must take the "A" train To go to Sugar Hill…
B.B. King Take a "5" train! C'mon! Let's go! Are you ready? キミを連れていくよ…
Betty Roché You must take the "A" train To go to Sugar Hill…
Billy Strayhorn TAKE THE "A" TRAIN You must take the "A" train to go…
Cab Calloway You must take the A train To go to Sugar Hill…
Chaka Khan Hurry, hurry, hurry Take the "A" train To find the quickes…
Chick Henderson Hurry, hurry, hurry Take the A-train To find the quickest wa…
Dave Brubeck & J.J. Johnson & Kai Winding When I'm feeling sad and blue When I don't know what…
Dizzy Gillespie & The Mitchell-Ruff Duo You must take the "A" train To go to Sugar Hill…
Duke Ellington His Famous Orchestra You must take the 'A' train To go Sugar Hill 'way…
Duke Ellington & Alice Babs You must take the "A" train To go to Sugar Hill…
Duke Ellington and His Orchestra You must take the A train To go sugar hill 'way…
Duke Ellington Ella Fitzgerald You must take the "A" train To go to Sugar Hill…
Duke Ellington w/Ella You must take the "A" train To go to Sugar Hill,…
Duke Ellington;Duke Ellington & His Orchestra You must take the 'A' train To go Sugar Hill 'way…
Dule Ellington and his Famous Orchestra You must take the "A" train To go to Sugar Hill…
Ella Fitzgerald You must take the "A" train To go to Sugar Hill,…
Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington & His Orchestra You must take the "a" train To go to sugar hill…
Harry Carney You must take the "A" train To go to Sugar Hill…
Joe Henderson Hurry, hurry, hurry Take the A-train To find the quickest wa…
Marian McPartland & Oscar Peterson You must take the "A" train To go to Sugar Hill…
Sarah Vaughan You must take the "A" train To go to Sugar Hill,…
Strayhorn You must take the "A" train To go to Sugar Hill…
Ted Heath You must take the "A" train To go to Sugar Hill…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Dexter Gordon:
'Round Midnight It begins to tell 'Round midnight, midnight I do pretty well…
'Round Midnight Live It begins to tell 'Round midnight, midnight I do pretty we…
A Ghost of a Chance I need your love so badly, I love you, oh,…
Blues In Teddy When I hear that Serenade in blue I'm somewhere in another…
Body My heart is sad and lonely For you I sigh, for…
Bugle Blues You're bound to fall for the bugle call; You're gonna brag…
But Not for Me Old man sunshine listen you Never tell me dreams come true J…
Call Sheet Blues You're bound to fall for the bugle call; You're gonna brag…
Christmas Song Chestnuts roasting on an open fire Jack Frost nipping at you…
Darn That Dream [INSTRUMENTAL]…
Dinner For One Please Dinner for one please, James The Madame will not be…
Don't Worry 'Bout Me Don't worry 'bout me I'll get along Forget about me Just be …
Don't Worry ‘Bout Me Don't worry 'bout me I'll get along Forget about me Just …
Ernie's Tune [INSTRUMENTAL]…
Everybody The tears I cried for you could fill an ocean, But…
For All We Know For all we know We may never meet again Before we go Make…
Ghost of a Chance I need your love so badly, I love you, oh,…
Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry The torch I carry is handsome It's worth its heartache in…
Heartaches Heartaches Heartaches My loving you meant only heartaches Yo…
Honeysuckle Rose Every honey bee fills with jealousy When they see you out…
How Long Has This Been Going On As a tot, when I trotted in little velvet panties, I…
How Long Has This Been Going On? As a tot, when I trotted in little velvet panties, I…
I How did I know that the warmth of the glow…
I Can't Believe Yesterday you came my way, And when you smiled at me, In…
I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry The torch I carry is handsome It's worth its heartache in…
I Hear Music You went away and left me long time ago And now…
I Was Doing All Right I was doing all right Nothing but rainbows in my sky I…
I'll Remember April This lovely day will lengthen into evening We'll sigh goodby…
I'm a fool to want you I'm a fool to want you I'm a fool to want…
If I Had You I could show the world how to smile I could be…
If You Could See Me Now If you could see me now, you'd know how blue…
In a Sentimental Mood In A Sentimental Mood I can see the stars come…
Isn Isn't she lovely Isn't she wonderful Isn't she precious L…
Isn't She Lovely Isn't she lovely Isn't she wonderful Isn't she precious …
It How did I know that the warmth of the glow…
It's Only a Paper Moon Say, it's only a paper moon Sailing over a cardboard sea But…
It's The Talk Of The Town We were more than lovers, We were more than sweethearts, It'…
It's You or No One How did I know that the warmth of the glow…
Just Friends Just friends, lovers no more Just friends, but not like befo…
Lady Be Good Listen to my tale of woe, It's terribly sad but…
Laura Laura is the face in the misty lights. Footsteps that you…
Like Someone in Love Lately, I find myself out gazing at stars, Hearing guitars…
Love Locked Out Love locked out in all the cold and rain, Love locked…
Lullaby Of Birdland Lullaby of Birdland, that's what I Always hear when you…
Misty Look at me, I'm as helpless as a kitten up a…
More Than You Know Whether you are here or yonder, Whether you are false…
On Green Dolphin Street It seems like a dream, yet I know it happened A…
Our Love Is Here to Stay It's very clear, our love is here to stay Not for…
Perdido Perdido, I look for my heart it's perdido I lost it…
Polka Dots And Moonbeams A country dance was being held in a garden I felt…
Round Midnight It begins to tell 'Round midnight, midnight I do pretty well…
Scared To Be Alone We never stop to wonder Till a person's gone We never year…
Secret Love Once I had a secret love, That lived within the heart…
Serenade In Blue When I hear that Serenade in blue I'm somewhere in another…
Skylark Skylark Have you anything to say to me? Won't you tell me…
Smile The shadow of your smile When you have gone Will color all…
Sophisticated Lady Sophisticated lady tryin' to change my ways Just because yo…
Stairway To The Stars Let's build a stairway to the stars And climb that stairway…
Star Eyes Star eyes, That to me is what your eyes are, Soft as…
Stompin' At the Savoy Savoy, the home of sweet romance, Savoy, it wins you with…
Sweet And Lovely Sweet and lovely Sweeter than the roses in May Sweet and lov…
Sweet Lorraine Everything is set, skies are blue, Can't believe it yet, but…
Talk Of The Town We were more than lovers, We were more than sweethearts, It'…
The Christmas Song Chestnuts roasting on an open fire Jack Frost nipping at you…
The Panther Temper is a package Pulling at its bow Darling disasters Hel…
The Shadow Of Your Smile The shadow of your smile When you have gone Will color all…
Three O It's three o'clock in the morning We've danced the whole ni…
Three O'Clock in the Morning It's three o'clock in the morning We've danced the whole nig…
Until the Real Thing Comes Along I'd wait for you I'd slave for you I'd be a beggar…
What is This Thing Called Love? I was a hum-drum person Leading a life apart When love fle…
You Can Depend on Me Yesterday you came my way, And when you smiled at me, In…
You Don't Know What Love Is You don't know what love is 'Til you've learned the meaning…
You Said It How did I know that the warmth of the glow…
You Stepped Me out of a Dream You stepped out of a dream You are too wonderful to…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Ronald Unkel
Saw “Long Tall Dex” that same year (?) live at - Nick’s Jazz Joint - in Laren, in Holland. Remember NHØP but i am not so sure about Al and Kenny at that same (broadcasted) gig. At times fuzzy memories after all those years ago, folks. Dexter returned regularly from Denmark to Holland at these - “Sesjun” - jammin’ gigs, which i usually attended. But here’s Dex firing away with a perfect rhythm section. Dig/Enjoy & swingin’ Cheers!
bluetrane64
A wonderful memory. Wish I could have been there; so glad this recording exists so we all can treasure the musical experience!
mike farmer
Not heard this one before but all his output is outstanding. His A team playing A Train!
ZoomerSlick
The Montmartre trilogy made me an instant Dex fan some thirty years ago. It's still awesome.
Paul Ferris
Folks, all the live dates by Dex from this period released on Black Lion and Steeplechase are solid. There's not a stinker in the bunch. If you want them for your collection pick them up when you see them.
Marcio Ramos
Amazing.
洪人元
Awesome, thanks.
Aaron S.
Glorious!
Nicker Las
Man I love Dex
Marinus Visser
👍👍👍👍