Table of Contents
Come join us now, and enjoy playing your beloved music and browse through great scores of every level and styles!
Can’t find the songbook you’re looking for? Please, email us at: sheetmusiclibrarypdf@gmail.com We’d like to help you!
Best Sheet Music download from our Library.
Dexter Gordon Jazz Saxophone Solos
Please, subscribe to our Library.
If you are already a subscriber, please, check our NEW SCORES’ page every month for new sheet music. THANK YOU!
Dexter Gordon: The Sophisticated Giant of Tenor Saxophone
In the pantheon of jazz greats, few figures embody the spirit, history, and sheer cool of the music quite like Dexter Gordon. Standing literally and figuratively tall at 6’6″, “Long Tall Dexter” was more than just a saxophonist; he was a pivotal architect of bebop, a master storyteller through his horn, and an enduring symbol of jazz’s elegance and resilience.
From Swing to Bebop: Forging a Sound (Early Years – 1940s)
Born in Los Angeles in 1923, Gordon’s musical journey began early. Immersed in the vibrant Central Avenue scene, he absorbed the language of swing giants like Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins. By 17, he was touring with Lionel Hampton’s big band, where his powerful sound first turned heads. However, the 1940s saw a revolution brewing – bebop. Dexter, alongside legends like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, was at the vanguard.
His time with Billy Eckstine’s groundbreaking orchestra (1944-45) was crucial. This band was a bebop incubator, featuring future icons like Parker, Gillespie, and Art Blakey. Here, Gordon honed his bebop vocabulary: intricate, harmonically adventurous lines delivered with his signature robust, warm, and slightly behind-the-beat phrasing. His tone was monumental – a rich, velvety vibrato that could roar with bluesy intensity or whisper with lyrical tenderness. Tracks like “Blow Mr. Dexter” and “Dexter’s Deck” from this era established him as a leading tenor voice of the new movement.
The Blue Note Years: Peak Storytelling (1960-1962)
After battling personal struggles (notably heroin addiction) that led to periods of incarceration and reduced activity in the 1950s, Gordon staged a monumental comeback upon his release in 1960. His return was heralded by a legendary residency at New York’s “Birdland” and, most importantly, a series of classic albums for Blue Note Records. These sessions represent the absolute pinnacle of his artistry:
- “Doin’ Alright” (1961): Exuberant and confident, featuring the timeless ballad “You’ve Changed,” showcasing his unparalleled ability to wring deep emotion from a melody.
- “Dexter Calling…” (1961): Pure, swinging hard bop energy.
- “Go!” (1962): Often considered his masterpiece. The interplay with pianist Sonny Clark is telepathic, and Gordon’s solos on tracks like “Cheese Cake,” “Love For Sale,” and the title track are models of structure, invention, and sheer swing. His solo on “Three O’Clock in the Morning” is a masterclass in ballad playing.
- “A Swingin’ Affair” (1962): Another stellar session from the same period, capturing Gordon at his most relaxed and inventive.
These albums solidified his style: unhurried, thematic solos that unfolded like compelling narratives, built on a foundation of blues and bebop, delivered with that unmistakable big, breathy tone and impeccable time feel. He didn’t just play notes; he told stories.
European Sojourn: Exile and Exploration (1962-1976)
Seeking a fresh start and escape from the temptations of the US scene, Gordon moved to Europe in 1962, primarily basing himself in Copenhagen. This 14-year period was incredibly productive. He became a revered elder statesman, mentoring younger European musicians and recording prolifically, largely for the SteepleChase label. While perhaps lacking the concentrated magic of the Blue Note years, albums like “Our Man in Paris” (1963 – recorded with Bud Powell) and the extensive SteepleChase catalog (“The Apartment,” “The Tower of Power!,” “More Than You Know”) showcase a mature artist exploring standards and his own compositions with deep authority and continued creativity. His sound became even richer, his phrasing more expansive.
The Triumphant Homecoming: Sophisticated Giant (1976-1990)
Gordon’s return to the United States in 1976 was a cultural event. Signing with Columbia Records, he was greeted like a conquering hero. His album “Homecoming: Live at the Village Vanguard” captured the electric atmosphere of his return gigs. He toured extensively, playing to packed houses, his stature as a living legend firmly cemented.
This period also brought unexpected acclaim: his starring role as the fictional tenor player Dale Turner in Bertrand Tavernier’s film “Round Midnight” (1986). Gordon wasn’t just acting; he was channeling his own experiences and those of his peers (like Bud Powell and Lester Young). His performance was hauntingly authentic and deeply moving, earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor – a rare and deserved honor for a jazz musician.
Legacy: The Enduring Voice
Dexter Gordon passed away in 1990, but his influence and presence remain immense.
- The Sound: His huge, warm, vibrato-laden tone remains one of the most recognizable and emulated in jazz tenor history. It’s the sound of jazz authority and soul.
- The Storyteller: He perfected the art of the thematic solo, building solos with logic, drama, and emotional depth.
- The Bridge: He connected the swing era to bebop and carried the torch of acoustic, straight-ahead jazz through decades of change.
- The Persona: His wit, intelligence, and sheer cool – famously captured in his spoken word intro on “The Connection” – made him an icon beyond just the music.
Dexter Gordon’s music is timeless. Whether blowing fiery bebop lines, caressing a ballad with heartbreaking tenderness, or swinging with effortless authority, he spoke a universal language of blues, beauty, and sophisticated swing. He wasn’t just “Long Tall Dexter”; he was, as one of his later album titles declared, the “Sophisticated Giant,” a true colossus of the tenor saxophone whose voice continues to resonate powerfully through the history of jazz. To listen to Dexter Gordon is to hear the very essence of the jazz tradition, delivered with unparalleled style and soul.
Search your favorite sheet music in the category of Jazz, Blues, Soul, & Gospel.
Instruments and mouthpieces
The earliest photographs of Gordon as a player show him with a Conn 30M “Connqueror” and an Otto Link mouthpiece. Later he adopted the standard Conn tenor, the 10M. In a 1962 interview with the British journalist Les Tomkins, he did not refer to the specific model of mouthpiece but stated that it was made for him personally. He stated that it was stolen around 1952.
In the Tomkins interview, he referred to his mouthpiece as a small-chambered piece with a 5* (.085″ under the Otto Link system) tip opening. He bought a Selmer Mark VI from Ben Webster after he lost his 10M during the trip to Paris. In a DownBeat magazine interview from 1977, he referred to his current mouthpiece as an Otto Link model with a #8 (.110″ under the Otto Link system) tip opening.