By: Jaclyn Breeze — Dexter Gordon was a saxophonist, composer and bandleader. He was born in Los Angeles in 1923. He started playing music at 13 when he took up clarinet, then switched to tenor saxophone at 15. Right out of high school, he began playing with several very popular jazz groups, each for a few years at a time. He began recording under his own name in 1945 while still working in other bands as well. In the 1950s, he began appearing in films and wrote some music for movies. In the 60s, he began getting offers for jobs in Europe. He took these and moved around – mainly between France and Denmark – for 14 years, playing regularly with many visiting players. He visited the US occasionally during these years to do some recordings. He moved back to the US and continued recording more albums and traveling for shows all over the world. He was known for his humor and communicating well with audiences. He always recited the lyrics of slow songs to audiences before he would play them. He died in Philadelphia in 1990.
Dexter was the DownBeat Musician of the Year in 1978 and 1980, and is in the Jazz Hall of Fame. The National Endowment for the Arts named him a Jazz Master for his lifetime achievement. He was nominated for an Academy Award for one of his films, and he won a few Grammys for his solo and film music.
Listen to some of his work here:
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