EPISODE · Feb 28, 2024 · 21 MIN
Dexter Gordon
from Jazz Legends · host Jazz Legends
Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon was one of the most quintessential performers on that instrument for over 40 years. Born in Los Angeles on February 27, 1923, he was initially heavily influenced by Lester Young, but soon developed his own bebop vocabulary and a room filling sound befitting his 6’6” frame, his playing heavily influenced Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. He was one of a number of American jazz musicians to become an expatriate, spending 14 years in Copenhagen and Paris. His bravura performance in the film Round Midnight earned him a best actor nomination, in 1986. On Sunday, the Jazz Evensong Quintet will perform a selection of his compositions from his over 90 recordings as a leader.
What this episode covers
Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon was one of the most quintessential performers on that instrument for over 40 years. Born in Los Angeles on February 27, 1923, he was initially heavily influenced by Lester Young, but soon developed his own bebop vocabulary and a room filling sound befitting his 6’6” frame, his playing heavily influenced Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. He was one of a number of American jazz musicians to become an expatriate, spending 14 years in Copenhagen and Paris. His bravura performance in the film Round Midnight earned him a best actor nomination, in 1986. On Sunday, the Jazz Evensong Quintet will perform a selection of his compositions from his over 90 recordings as a leader.
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Dexter Gordon
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