Dexter Gordon

Big and brawny, but never overwhelming, capable of great agility and touching gentleness — that's the sound of Dexter Gordon's remarkable tenor saxophone. Unhurried at any speed and always quick with a musical quote, Dex combined simmering intensity, stately grace, and sly humor into a powerful yet beguiling force.

Gordon's early-'60s work for Blue Note found him at the peak of his powers, playing with incredible conviction, searching creativity, and newfound ambition while never losing sight of the melodies at hand. As exciting as his bop workouts are, his tough-and-tender way with a ballad is truly something to behold.

In the '40s, Gordon was active on the bebop scene of Los Angeles' Central Avenue, ripping through cutting contests with the best of the West Coast. During a stint in New York, he recorded with Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, among others, establishing himself as a fiery tenor player before drug problems derailed his career for most of the '50s.

Gordon left for Europe midway through his successful Blue Note run and stayed there for 15 years, continuing to wax majestic records. He returned triumphantly to the States in 1976, blowing away a whole new generation of fans and revealing that he'd lost few of his skills. From young bebop terror to post-bop titan to celebrated jazz legend, Dexter Gordon's life and career had many phases, and almost all of them produced music of lasting impact.