# Happy birthday Dexter Gordon!!!!



## 10mfan (Jun 15, 2003)

If you have a moment today, put on some Dexter in honor of his birthday.
In the meantime......grab yourself a little Cheese Cake!

What an incredible career!
A legacy that will live on forever.


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## frozen fingers (Oct 26, 2017)

Yes! We're having a family listen of the Carnegie hall concert tonight.


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## 10mfan (Jun 15, 2003)

I wish I could join you!!!!!!!


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## frozen fingers (Oct 26, 2017)

We'll clear a spot on the couch for you Mark!


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## 10mfan (Jun 15, 2003)

Man, i use to love those guys!


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## timboniface (Jan 5, 2009)

Absolutely. If I was only allowed to keep records by one sax player I'd choose Dexter's. Too many favourites to list. Indeed, in lieu of a list here's one of my favourite photos of him - which I must get round to framing sometime!


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## frozen fingers (Oct 26, 2017)

Great pic, thanks for sharing!


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## stomias (Jul 12, 2017)

I've told this on other posts. In the '70's Dex was my favorite. He returned to the USA after quite a while in Europe. After his return, every time he played in Chicago until his death, I saw him live. There was NO ONE quite like Dexter. I was seeing lots of jazz (Jazz Showcase) from 1976-1983, and after, when the Showcase moved to the Blackstone Hotel (nicer room but didn't have the vibe nor history that the Rush Street location had) RIP Joe Segal.....RIP Dexter Gordon


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## 10mfan (Jun 15, 2003)

Amen to that!


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## saxy82291 (Apr 18, 2010)

Happy birthday Dex!! Thanks for inspiring me to pick up a tenor!


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## frozen fingers (Oct 26, 2017)

I love his 70's work as well. I have The Swiss Nights volumes on constant rotation.


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## Mgmarcus (Jan 20, 2020)

Go figure. I was working on the solo from 3 O’clock in the Morning earlier today. I must have known intuitively it was his birthday. But every day is a good day to honor the tall one. Not only my favorite sax player but one of my favorite musicians of all time, period. And a remarkable human. We are fortunate that he went to Europe where people appreciated his art enough to record a lot of it.


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## Mk-Hmmr (Feb 5, 2020)




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## Mk-Hmmr (Feb 5, 2020)




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## dextor (Jan 21, 2007)

Happy Bday, DEX, my collection of your music is still growing, always inspiring.


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## stomias (Jul 12, 2017)




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## mi000ke (Mar 21, 2011)

Always loved this by Tim Price...


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## 10mfan (Jun 15, 2003)

FANTASTIC!!!!!!


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## J-Moen (Mar 9, 2009)

A day late, but I've been working this for months (still not even close to the master)


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## HeyJoe (Jul 5, 2008)

Sounds just like Dexter!


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## OLIVIERMOJOSAX (Nov 11, 2015)

I just bought the french translation of Maxine Gordon's book : "DG : sophisticated Giant"
many informations, many pictures too !


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## OLIVIERMOJOSAX (Nov 11, 2015)

OLIVIERMOJOSAX said:


> I just bought the french translation of Maxine Gordon's book : "DG : sophisticated Giant"
> many informations, many pictures too !


Dexter biography by Maxine Gordon just won the jazz academy award in France these days . 
Dexter loved France and France loves dexter !

"Our Man in Paris" Blue note


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## MM (Feb 2, 2003)

Glad I got to see him at the late, lamented Keystone Korner in SF.


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## buddy lee (Feb 6, 2008)

I'm a bit of a fan I guess


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## frozen fingers (Oct 26, 2017)

Buddy, that is incredible - Respect!


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## JL (Feb 3, 2003)

MM said:


> Glad I got to see him at the late, lamented Keystone Korner in SF.


I also saw him at Keystone Korner (mid-'70s I think). Maybe we were there the same night! I was sitting right in the middle at a table about 3 rows back of stage front. He was in super form that night and it was an unforgettable experience. I also saw him a few years later at Great American Music Hall, but that night at Keystone was special.


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## buddy lee (Feb 6, 2008)

JL said:


> I also saw him at Keystone Korner (mid-'70s I think). Maybe we were there the same night! I was sitting right in the middle at a table about 3 rows back of stage front. He was in super form that night and it was an unforgettable experience. I also saw him a few years later at Great American Music Hall, but that night at Keystone was special.


what was that tone like live? Do recordings do it justice?


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## J-Moen (Mar 9, 2009)

buddy lee said:


> View attachment 101439
> 
> 
> I'm a bit of a fan I guess


I'm jealous, that's a beauty of a tattoo!


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## stomias (Jul 12, 2017)

His tone was HUGE. Like his recordings but better.  I remember him taking a solo once and you could hear a pin drop. At the old Jazz Showcase I would often be at one of the front tables, no more than 5-6 feet from the bell of his horn.


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## JL (Feb 3, 2003)

buddy lee said:


> what was that tone like live? Do recordings do it justice?


The recordings sort of do it justice (it gives you an idea), but not really. His tone is even better live and with all the great players it's very difficult to capture their sound on a recording. Live is/was BEST!


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## buddy lee (Feb 6, 2008)

All you who've seen the greats who are no longer with us are so blessed.


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## JL (Feb 3, 2003)

buddy lee said:


> All you who've seen the greats who are no longer with us are so blessed.


Yeah buddy, no question about that. I feel so incredibly lucky and privileged to have lived in a time and place where I had the opportunity to see (hear) so many of the greatest jazz & blues musicians of the 20th century in live performance. Mostly in small, intimate clubs, drink in hand and ears wide open! I was too young to have seen Bird or Coltrane, but Dizzy, Monk, Miles, Dexter, Rollins, Stitt, Roland Kirk, Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard, Mingus, Horace Silver, and the list goes on and on, were still around and playing in the '70s so I got to see them and many more, going to clubs on almost a weekly basis for several years during that time (someday I'll try to compile of list of all the players I saw).

By far the best way to experience this music is live; nothing like being right there, in person. In some ways, I didn't realize how special and unique it was, although I was always aware I was experiencing something 'transcendent' and truly great. What I didn't fully understand was the fact it wouldn't go on forever. There is nothing like it out there now, unfortunately. But the music does live on to an extent and luckily the recordings exist.


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## AddictedToSax (Aug 18, 2007)

Out of that list I saw Freddie Hubbard. I wish I could have seen some of the others but alas, it never happened. If there was sound I could emulate it would be Dex.


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## MM (Feb 2, 2003)

buddy lee said:


> what was that tone like live? Do recordings do it justice?


I can't remember details of his tone.

This thread got me thinking about the jazz masters I have seen, some still with us, many passed. For me: Chick, Herbie, Wayne, Johnny Griffin, Charlie Rouse, Blakey, Sonny, McCoy, Don Pullen, Pepper Adams, Richie Cole, Phil Woods, Billy Pierce, Billy Harper, Billy Higgins, Billy Cobham, Billy Hart, Diz, Zawinul, McLaughlin, Miles, Sanborn, Joe Henderson, Cedar Walton, the 3 Jones, the 3 Heaths, both Adderlys, Freddie, Dexter of course, David Murray, Liebman, George Adams, Wynton, Branford, Brecker, Kenny Garrett, Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, Dewey Redman .... No particular order and many I am forgetting. Not to mention the great "sidemen" who were terrific players but not big names, for example Dave Kikowski, piano (still with us) and Eddie Gladden, drums.

Are there fewer these days? There are definitely fewer great jazz bands that work together for longer periods of time, sometimes with one or two players rotating in and out. For example Miles' quintets/sextets, quartets of Monk, Trane and Cannonball, the MJQ, Mingus' groups, Weather Report, Return to Forever, Mahavishnu, the Jazz Messengers (great book, so many terrific players), Horace Silver's quintets etc. Instead players are spending more time on various "projects" as the market dictates. Too bad. The players need to make a living in these times that were difficult for jazz player even prior to COVID-19. I might feel different if I lived in NYC where there is still a jazz scene with critical mass.

Let's all make a vow to turn out in the clubs and venues once herd immunity is achieved!


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## OLIVIERMOJOSAX (Nov 11, 2015)

buddy lee said:


> View attachment 101439
> 
> 
> I'm a bit of a fan I guess


Really nice ! do you play a 10M ?

I saw in the 70's Dexter in Quintet with Johnny Griffin in France ( where they both lived at one point in their lives) : both relived the two tenors quintet : What a synergy it was !!!


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## OLIVIERMOJOSAX (Nov 11, 2015)

MM said:


> I can't remember details of his tone.
> 
> This thread got me thinking about the jazz masters I have seen, some still with us, many passed. For me: Chick, Herbie, Wayne, Johnny Griffin, Charlie Rouse, Blakey, Sonny, McCoy, Don Pullen, Pepper Adams, Richie Cole, Phil Woods, Billy Pierce, Billy Harper, Billy Higgins, Billy Cobham, Billy Hart, Diz, Zawinul, McLaughlin, Miles, Sanborn, Joe Henderson, Cedar Walton, the 3 Jones, the 3 Heaths, both Adderlys, Freddie, Dexter of course, David Murray, Liebman, George Adams, Wynton, Branford, Brecker, Kenny Garrett, Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, Dewey Redman .... No particular order and many I am forgetting. Not to mention the great "sidemen" who were terrific players but not big names, for example Dave Kikowski, piano (still with us) and Eddie Gladden, drums.
> 
> ...


There are exceptions, some leaders retain musicians like Maria Schneider Big Band.... and others fortunately...Besides, have you any example in mind ?


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## MM (Feb 2, 2003)

OLIVIERMOJOSAX said:


> I saw in the 70's Dexter in Quintet with Johnny Griffin in France ( where they both lived at one point in their lives) : both relived the two tenors quintet : What a synergy it was !!!


You mean the Griffin/Davis group? Wow, must have been a great show.


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## OLIVIERMOJOSAX (Nov 11, 2015)

MM said:


> You mean the Griffin/Davis group? Wow, must have been a great show.


No : Gordon /Griffin => Giant and little Giant


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## frozen fingers (Oct 26, 2017)

OLIVIERMOJOSAX said:


> I just bought the french translation of Maxine Gordon's book : "DG : sophisticated Giant"
> many informations, many pictures too !


 I've also recently purchased "Sophisticated Giant" as an audio book. I've really been enjoying it.


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## MM (Feb 2, 2003)

Griffin and Lockjaw Davis were in a quintet in the 60's. I didn't know about his work with Dex. It must have been funny to see the two of them standing next to each other.


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## Mgmarcus (Jan 20, 2020)

MM said:


> Griffin and Lockjaw Davis were in a quintet in the 60's. I didn't know about his work with Dex. It must have been funny to see the two of them standing next to each other.


You can Dexter and Griffin together on Dexter's Carnegie Hall concert recording from 1978. Amazing set.


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