- Born
- 27 February 1923
Los Angeles - Died
- 25 April 1990
Philadelphia - Country
- United States
- Active
- 1940–
- Record labels
- Columbia Records, Blue Note, Prestige, Savoy Records, SteepleChase
- Discography
- 92 albums
Biography
Dexter Gordon was a jazz musician who played saxophone and tenor saxophone. Dexter Gordon was born on 27 February 1923 in Los Angeles and died on 25 April 1990 in Philadelphia. The music is usually filed under jazz, swing and bebop. Record labels: Columbia Records, Blue Note, Prestige and Savoy Records. The discography here lists 92 albums, from “Daddy Plays the Horn” (1955) to “Mr. Dexter Gordon” (2025). Honours include Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance (1987), David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor (1987) and NEA Jazz Masters.
Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm), thus he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" and "Sophisticated Giant". His studio and performance career spanned more than 40 years. Gordon's sound was commonly characterized as being "large" and spacious, and he had a tendency to play behind the beat. He inserted musical quotations into his solos, with sources as diverse as "Happy Birthday" and well-known melodies from the operas of Wagner. Quoting from various musical sources is not unusual in jazz improvisation, but Gordon did it frequently enough to make it a hallmark of his style. One of his major influences was Lester Young. Gordon, in turn, was an early influence on John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins.
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Discography
Studio and live albums
Also plays on
Albums where Dexter Gordon is credited as a sideman
Standards written by Dexter Gordon
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| The Chase | B♭ major |
| Cheese Cake | C minor |
Analysed solos by Dexter Gordon
- Montmartretenor saxophone · 204 BPM · Bb-min · 02.+04.04.1969
- Stanley the Steamertenor saxophone · 181 BPM · Bb-maj · 02.+04.04.1969
- The Rainbow Peopletenor saxophone · 120 BPM · Eb-maj · 02.+04.04.1969
- Dextivitytenor saxophone · 93 BPM · C-maj · 1947-12-22
- Society Redtenor saxophone · 114 BPM · Bb-maj · 1961-05-06
- Cheese Caketenor saxophone · 221 BPM · C-min · 1962-08-27
Awards
- 1987 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance
- 1987 David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor
- NEA Jazz Masters
- Paul Acket Award
Historic 78 rpm records
- MY KINDA' LOVE DEXTER GORDON · Trent · Alter archive.org ↗
- JERONIMO - Part 7 DEXTER GORDON archive.org ↗
- 20th Century Blues Sir Charles and his All Stars · Sir Charles · Buck Clayton · Jimmy… · 1945 archive.org ↗
- If I Had You Sir Charles and his All Stars · Sir Charles · Buck Clayton · Jimmy… · 1945 archive.org ↗
- Takin' Off Sir Charles and his All Stars · Sir Charles · Buck Clayton · Jimmy… · 1945 archive.org ↗
- The Street Beat Sir Charles and his All Stars · Sir Charles · Buck Clayton · Jimmy… · 1945 archive.org ↗
- IF I HAD YOU SIR CHARLES and his ALL STARS · Sir Charles · Buck Clayton · Jimmy… · 1945 archive.org ↗
- TAKIN' OFF SIR CHARLES and his ALL STARS · Sir Charles · Buck Clayton · Jimmy… · 1945 archive.org ↗
Listen on Spotify
Frequently asked questions
What instrument did Dexter Gordon play?
Dexter Gordon is known for playing saxophone and tenor saxophone.
When and where was Dexter Gordon born?
Dexter Gordon was born 27 February 1923 in Los Angeles.
What are Dexter Gordon's best-known albums?
Albums in our database include Daddy Plays the Horn (1955), Dexter Calling… (1961), Doin’ Allright (1961), A Swingin’ Affair (1962) and Go (1962).
External links
- en.wikipedia.org ↗
- de.wikipedia.org ↗
- it.wikipedia.org ↗
- wikidata.org ↗
- musicbrainz.org ↗
- discogs.com ↗
- allmusic.com ↗
- dextergordon.com ↗
Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.