Happy birthday to #DexterGordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990). He was one of the first players of the instrument in the bebop idiom of musicians such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Bud Powell. Gordon's height was 6 feet 6 and was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" and "Sophisticated Giant" and just LTD. Gordon's sound was commonly characterized as being "large" and spacious and he had a tendency to play behind the beat. He was known for humorously inserting musical quotes into his s

In this 1973 show in Paris, deep-toned, lyrical tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon leads his quartet on a powerful journey steeped in his iconic role as an original bebop player who influenced such stars as Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane in their ‘50s youth. What’s significant about this tour was that a year later in 1992 Gordon left the U.S. to become an expatriate in Copenhagen for 14 years. While he had a booming career at the time, over the years many fans and record executives lost interest u