![]() 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). Cigarettes were a recurring theme on covers of Gordon's albums. ![]() One of his idiosyncratic rituals was to recite lyrics from each ballad before playing it.Ī 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. It was always a conversation simultaneously delightful and intellectual. His improvization was remarkably engaging and intelligent, but never gratuitously complex or unusual. He was an advocate of playing to communicate with the audience, which was his musical approach as well. Gordon was known for his genial and humorous stage presence. ![]() Rollins and Coltrane then influenced Gordon's playing as he explored hard bop and modal playing during the 1960s. Gordon, in turn, was an early influence on John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. One of his major influences was Lester Young. This is not unusual in jazz improvization, but Gordon did it frequently enough to make it a hallmark of his style. He was known for inserting musical quotes into his solos, with sources as diverse as " Happy Birthday" and well known melodies from the operas of Wagner. Gordon's sound was commonly characterized as being "large" and spacious and he had a tendency to play behind the beat. His studio and performance career spanned more than 40 years. Gordon's height was 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm), so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" and "Sophisticated Giant". He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell. Dexter Gordon (Febru– April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor.
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