Dexter Gordon

Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He was among the earliest tenor players to adapt the bebop musical language of people such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the instrument. Gordons height was 6160feet 6160inches , so he was also known as Long Tall Dexter and Sophisticated Giant. His studio and live performance career spanned overyears.

Dexter Keith Gordon was born on February 27, 1923 in Los Angeles, California. His father, Dr. Frank Gordon, was one of the first African American doctors in Los Angeles who arrived in 1918 after graduating from Howard Medical School in Washington, D.C. Among his patients were Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. Dexters mother, Gwendolyn Baker, was the daughter of Captain Edward Baker, one of the five African American Medal of Honor recipients in the SpanishAmerican War. Gordon played clarinet from the age of 13, before switching to saxophone at 15. While still at school, he played in bands with such contemporaries as Chico Hamilton and Buddy Collette.

Source: Wikipedia