Dexter Gordon born 27 February 1923

Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell. Gordon's height was 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm), so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" and "Sophisticated Giant". His studio and performance career spanned over 40 years. 

As one of the great tenors to emerge from Los Angeles' Central Avenue scene, Dexter Gordon led a colourful and eventful, sometimes tragic life that included three triumphant comebacks in a four-plus-decade career. As a beloved, influential member of the bebop generation, his story (and Bud Powell's) inspired French director Bertrand Tavernier to tell a portion of it in the 1986 drama 'Round Midnight, and cast him in a lead role. 

Gordon was the top tenor saxophonist during the bop era, the possessor of his own distinctive sound, he created a large body of superior work and could successfully battle nearly anyone at a jam session. His years as a leader and co-leader at Dial, Savoy, and Blue Note were enough to make him a legend. Living in Europe for more than a dozen years, he recorded equally fine albums for Prestige, Steeplechase, and other labels, and his return to the U.S. resulted in several offerings for Columbia and Blue Note. 

Gordon was born to renowned parents in Los Angeles in 1927. His father, Dr. Frank Gordon, was among the first African American doctors in the city after graduating from Howard Medical School in Washington, D.C. in 1918. (His patients included Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton.) His mother, Gwendolyn Baker, was the daughter of Captain Edward Baker, one of the five African American Medal of Honour recipients during the Spanish–American War. Gordon began playing clarinet at age 13 and switched to saxophone two years later. While at school, he played in bands with Chico Hamilton and Buddy Collette. His first important gig was with Lionel Hampton (1940-1943) although, due to Illinois Jacquet also being in the sax section, Gordon did not get any solos. 

In 1943, he did get to stretch out on a recording session with Nat King Cole. Short stints with Lee Young, the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, and Louis Armstrong's big band preceded his move to New York in December 1944 where he was hired for Billy Eckstine's Orchestra, trading off with Gene Ammons on Eckstine's recording of "Blowin' the Blues Away." Gordon recorded with Dizzy Gillespie ("Blue 'N' Boogie") and as a leader for Savoy before returning to Los Angeles in the summer of 1946. He was a major part of the Central Avenue scene, trading off with Wardell Gray and Teddy Edwards in many legendary tenor battles; studio recordings of "The Chase" and "The Duel" helped to document the atmosphere of the period. 

                             

After 1952, drug problems resulted in jail time and periods of inactivity during the rest of the '50s (although Gordon did record two albums in 1955). By 1960, he had recovered sufficiently to cut a core series of dates for Blue Note including Doin' Alright, Dexter Calling, Swingin' Affair and Go). After re-establishing his reputation, he moved to Europe in 1962 and remained there until 1976. While on the continent, he was in peak form -- Gordon's many Steeple Chase recordings rank with the finest work of his career and include four dates with altoist Jackie McLean. 

Gordon returned to the U.S. on an occasional basis, recording in 1965, 1969-1970, and 1972, but by then he was almost forgotten in his native land though he remained a major attraction in Europe. Given this status, it proved an odd yet welcome surprise that his return to America in 1976 was treated as a major media event; illustrated by the double-live Homecoming from his American tour and the studio date Sophisticated Giant in 1977. 

A great deal of interest was suddenly shown in the living legend, with long lines of people waiting at clubs to see him. In 1978, appearing with Johnny Griffin, he sold out Carnegie Hall. 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 honoured him with a Congressional Commendation, a Dexter Gordon Day in Washington DC, and a National Endowment for the Arts award for Lifetime Achievement. 

During the 1980s, Gordon was weakened by emphysema. He remained a popular attraction at concerts and festivals, although his live appearances and recording dates would soon become infrequent. Gordon's most memorable works from the decade were not in music but in film. He starred in the 1986 movie Round Midnight as "Dale Turner", an expatriate jazz musician in Paris during the late 1950s based loosely on Lester Young and Bud Powell. That portrayal earned him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor four years before his death from kidney failure and cancer of the larynx in Philadelphia, on April 25, 1990, at the age of 67. 

(Edited from Allmusic & Wikipedia)

Here’s a clip from October 30, 1969.  Oscar Peterson, piano; Dexter Gordon, tenor saxophone; Same Jones, bass and Bobby Durham on drums performing You Stepped Out of a Dream.