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Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 - April 25, 1990)
was an American tenor saxophone musician.  He is
considered the first foremost hard bop tenor
player.  From 1940 to 1980, he played with such
jazz greats as Lionel Hampton, Tadd Dameron,
Charles Mingus, Louis Armstrong and Billy
Eckstine.  He also played with the Fletcher
Henderson band in L.A. for a few weeks in 1947.

==Life and works==

Gordon is particularly famous for his titanic
saxophone duels with fellow tenorman Wardell Gray,
which were a popular live attraction that also
produced several albums between 1947 and 1952.

Many would characterise Gordon's sound as being
'large' and spacious and his tendency to play
behind the beat is discernible. One of his major
influences was Lester Young.  While never
considered as revolutionary as Charlie Parker or
John Coltrane, his influence is still heard in
modern jazz saxophonists.  One of his
idiosyncrasies was reciting the lyrics of all
ballads before performing them.

Gordon notably made two appearances in cinema
during his life. The first movie appearance
occurred, oddly enough, while in prison for
possession of heroin. He portrayed an inmate
playing in the prison band in Unchained, though
the soundtrack was later overdubbed.

He was composer, musician, and actor in the play
'The Connection' in 1960.  After that, he spent 15
years playing and living in Europe, mostly in
Paris and Copenhagen. He played regularly with
fellow expatriate jazzmen such as Bud Powell,
Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Kenny Drew,
Horace Parlan and Billy Higgins. He also visited
the States occasionally for recording dates,
resulting in several albums being released under
his name. Generally, the seven albums he recorded
for Blue Note Records in the 1960s (Doin'
Allright, Dexter Calling..., Go, A Swingin'
Affair, Our Man in Paris, One Flight Up, and
Gettin' Around) are regarded as his finest
sessions.

Gordon finally returned to the United States for
good in 1976, and appeared in the Village
Vanguard, NY for a gig that was dubbed as his
'homecoming'.  Dexter 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, he would release
several more albums that proved he was as good if
not better than before his years in Europe and
finally gained appreciation as one of the great
jazz tenors.

In 1986, he starred in the movie Round Midnight',
in which he played the role of a musician much
like himself; some have suggested the role is
thinly veiled autobiography, though Lester Young
and Bud Powell were the main inspirations for the
role of the expatriate jazz musician.  He recieved
a nomination for Academy Award for Best Actor for
his role. Gordon is a member of the Jazz Hall of
Fame, and was voted musician of the year by 'Down
Beat' magazine in 1978 and 1980.

==Trivia==

*Gordon's height was 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) and
consequently he was nicknamed known as 'Long Tall
Dex'.
*When he lived in Denmark, he became friends with
the family of then-future Metallica drummer Lars
Ulrich, and subsequently became Lars's godfather.

==Quotations==

*'Dexter always had that big sound, from the early
days. He's a big man. Stands to reason he's gotta
lot of lungs' - Zoot Sims on Dexter's unique
sound.