Music
Dexter Gordon was influenced by Lester Young and in turn influenced John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. The tenor sax-player enjoyed an upswing in popularity late in his career, following an Academy Award nomination for his acting performance in “Round Midnight”, a movie that’s notable for its use of real jazz musicians playing live in Dexter’s fictional backing band (among them, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, John McLaughlin and Tony Williams). Dexter is also the subject of a recent biography, "Sophisticated Giant", written by today’s guest, his widow Maxine Gordon…