Dexter (Keith) Gordon (February 27, 1923 - April 25, 1990) was an American tenor saxophone musician. He is considered one of the first bebop tenor players. From 1940 to 1980, he played with such jazz greats as Lionel Hampton, Tadd Dameron, Charles Mingus, Louis Armstrong and Billy Eckstine. He also played with the Fletcher Henderson band in L.A. for a few weeks in 1947.

Life and works

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Gordon was a virtuoso particularly famous for his titanic saxophone duels with fellow tenorman Wardell Gray, which were a popular live attraction that also produced several albums between 1947 and 1952.

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NPR Topics: Jazz

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