Dexter Gordon
![Gordon in concert in [[Toronto]] on August 19, 1978](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Dexter_Gordon1.jpg)
Gordon's sound was commonly characterized as being "large" and spacious and he had a tendency to play behind the beat. He inserted musical quotes into his solos, with sources as diverse as "Happy Birthday" and well-known melodies from the operas of Wagner. Quoting from various musical sources is not unusual in jazz improvisation, but Gordon did it frequently enough to make it a hallmark of his style. One of his major influences was Lester Young. Gordon, in turn, was an early influence on John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. Rollins and Coltrane then influenced Gordon's playing as he explored hard bop and modal playing during the 1960s.
Gordon had a genial and humorous stage presence. He was an advocate of playing to communicate with the audience, which was his musical approach as well. One of his idiosyncratic rituals was to recite lyrics from each ballad before playing it.
A photograph by Herman Leonard of Gordon taking a smoke break at the Royal Roost in 1948 is one of the iconic images in jazz photography. Cigarettes were a recurring theme on covers of Gordon's albums.
Gordon was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in the Bertrand Tavernier film ''Round Midnight'' (Warner Bros, 1986), and he won a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist, for the soundtrack album ''The Other Side of Round Midnight'' (Blue Note Records, 1986). He also had a cameo role in the 1990 film ''Awakenings''. In 2018, Gordon's album ''Go'' (Blue Note, 1962) was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Provided by Wikipedia
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41by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 2003
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42by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 2009
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43by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 2008
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44by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 2008
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45by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 2008
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46by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 2008
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47by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 2008
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48by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 2008
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49by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 2008
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50by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 2008
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51by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 2010
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52by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 1977
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54by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 2002
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55by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 2007
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56by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 2001
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57by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 1997
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58by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 1994
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59by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 1992
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60by Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Published 1996
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