Dexter Gordon Collection
Catalog Record: http://lccn.loc.gov/2006560610
General International Standard for Archival Description
Music Division Library of Congress Washington, D.C.
Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Music Division, 2011
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Dexter Gordon Collection circa 1940-1996 (bulk 1960-1988)
Gordon, Dexter, 1923-1990
Biographical History for: Dexter Gordon Collection circa 1940-1996 (bulk 1960-1988)
Biographical Note Date Event 1923, Feb. 27 Born in Watts, Los Angeles, Calif. 1936 Studied music with Lloyd Reese Played in rehearsal band with Charles Mingus and Buddy Collette 1940 Quit high school and joined Lionel Hampton’s touring band 1942 Made recordings with Lionel Hampton’s band 1944 Moved to New York City Appeared with Billy Eckstine’s big band 1945-1946 Recorded album Long Tall Dexter 1947 Recorded album The Chase with Wardell Gray circa 1950-circa 1959 Struggled with drug addiction 1955 Featured in the film Unchained Recorded album Dexter Blows Hot and Cool 1960 Actor, musician, composer, for Jack Gelber’s play, The Connection, Los Angeles, Calif. Recorded album The Resurgence of Dexter Gordon 1961 Began series of recordings for Blue Note records, including albums Doin' Allright and Dexter Calling 1962 Recorded album Go! Toured Europe Moved to Copenhagen 1963 Recorded Our Man in Paris 1967 Recorded Body and Soul 1968 Featured in the film Jag älskar, du älskar 1970 Appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival 1971 Recorded Just Jazz segment for PBS television 1972 Appeared at the Tangier Jazz Festival 1974 Recorded album The Apartment 1975 Toured Japan 1976 Moved to New York Recorded album Homecoming 1978 Honored at the White House Jazz Festival 1979 Published Jazz Saxophone Solos. Hollywood, Calif.: Almo Publications (transcriptions from original recordings) 1980 Named “Best Tenor Saxophonist” and “Jazz Musician of the Year” by Down Beat magazine Recorded album Gotham City 1986 Starred in the film 'Round Midnight 1990, Apr. 25 Died, Philadelphia, Penn.
Scope and Content Note Most of the materials in the Dexter Gordon Collection were collected by Dexter Gordon’s wife, Maxine Gordon, from the late 1970s until Dexter Gordon’s death in 1990. The materials date from the early 1940s to 1996, with the bulk falling between 1960 and 1988. Of particular interest in the Biographical Materials series is an unfinished autobiography entitled “The Saga of Society Red,” a project which Gordon began in 1983. It is composed of a number of interrelated vignettes which recount various incidents in Gordon’s life and career. It also deals with his relationships with a number of jazz musicians, including Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, and Lester Young; his European tours; and meetings with celebrities. The Awards and Honors series contains various awards, citations and honors that Gordon received over his career. It spans 1977 to 1990. The Music series contains works composed by Gordon and by others and includes scores, lead sheets, parts, and fragments of pieces. It contains manuscripts, holograph manuscripts, printed items, and photocopies. Many of the items are annotated. There are full scores and parts for Gordon’s works Rainbow People, Montmarte, and Soy Califas. The music by other composers includes works from the film 'Round Midnight. In addtion, there is a collection of music manuscripts handwritten by Gordon that were found in Gordon's briefcase that he always carried with him to rehearsals and on the road. Most of these original manuscripts were written by Gordon, with the exception of two pieces. The music is arranged alphabetically by title. Included in the Correspondence series are letters, greeting cards, postcards, telegrams, notes, and related materials sent to and from Gordon and his wife Maxine. In addition, there are letters of sympathy sent to his family upon his death. Correspondents of interest include Jimmy Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Ronald Reagan, and Bertrand Tavernier. There are also original typescripts and photocopies of correspondence between Gordon and various record companies, agents, managers, and performing venues, including a cache of material between Gordon, his agent Bob Leonard and Blue Note Records executives Francis Wolff and Alfred Lion. This material includes handwritten letters from Dexter Gordon from various locations, including Los Angeles, Paris and Copenhagen. It also contains recording contracts. Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent, except for the Blue Note material which is arranged chronologically. The Clippings series contains an extensive collection of clippings dating from 1976 to 1988, with a few materials from the early 1940s. The Serials, Periodicals, and Magazines series contains a number of national and international publications, many of which are jazz-related. These contain articles on Gordon, his music, and related subjects. The Scripts series includes Gordon’s personal copies of scripts for the motion pictures Awakenings, To Sleep with Anger, Paris Jazz, Crime Story and Leonard VI. The Business Papers series contains an extensive amount of bills and receipts, mostly dating from 1976 to 1989, as well as a collection of performing and recording contracts. These materials provide a glimpse into Gordon’s performing activities during this period. The Iconography series includes photographs, contact sheets, watercolors, sketches, posters, and miscellaneous items that bear Dexter Gordon's image. These date from the early 1940s until the 1990s. The collection of photographs is particularly extensive and features mostly black and white prints of Gordon in formal portraits, candid shots with family and friends, and in performance. A group of color snapshots documents Gordon's marriage to Maxine in the early 1980s. Many photographs and contact sheets feature other jazz musicians, including Charles Mingus, Billy Eckstine, and Woody Shaw. The photographic materials are arranged by photographer when available. Michael Ferrando, processing technician Robert Saladini, music specialist July 2001
series
Biographical Materials
Materials relating to Gordon’s personal life, including an unpublished autobiography, promotional materials, and a memorial book.
file
Funeral and memorial arrangements for Dexter Gordon
Ms. Management press kit
Press releases, assorted
'Round Midnight promotional materials
Vignettes ("The Saga of Society Red")
Memorial book, 1990
Mosnes, Terje. Jazz i molde. Ålesund: Nordvest-informasjon, 1980.
Awards and Honors, 1977-1990
Awards, honors, and citations given to Dexter Gordon.
Various awards and honors, 1977-1990
Music
Music composed and arranged by Dexter Gordon and by others. Contains manuscripts and photocopies of full scores, parts and lead sheets.
Music Composed by Dexter Gordon
A la modal
Bananas (oversize)
Bikini
Bossa Nova
Boston Bernie
Cao Purange
Clubhouse
Dedication
Ernie’s tune
Evergreenish
Fenja
Fried bananas
The group
Hanky panky
Montmartre
Mrs. Miniver
The panther
Rainbow people
Red top
Society Red
Soy Califas!
Tivoli
Valse Robin
Winter’s calling
Arrangements of Gordon's music by others
Dexter Gordon compositions
Music Manuscripts Gordon Carried in his Briefcase
Manuscripts handwritten by Dexter Gordon
Le apartment
Benjie's bounce
Candle light lady
Happy madness, by Jobim.
Purple eyes
Sticky wicket
You've changed, by Fischer/Carey
Music by Others
A-Dee
Dex-L
M-R
S-Z
Hour of victory, by James T. Anderson
Arrangements by Emmett (Lee) Bailey
Ellingtones by David N. Baker
East St. Louis Toodle-oo, by Duke Ellington; arr. by David N. Baker (oversize)
Now sounds and then sounds and Songs for an African family, by M.D. Reita (oversize)
Unidentified music
Miscellaneous parts
Music from the film 'Round Midnight
Printed Music
Printed sheet music by various composers
Gordon, Dexter; solos transcribed by Lennie Niehaus. Jazz saxophone solos. Los Angeles, Calif.: Almo Publications, 1979
Photocopied pages from Carl Fischer instructional book
Correspondence, 1960-1988
General, family, and business correspondence.
Correspondence primarily between Dexter Gordon, agent Bob Leonard, and Blue Note Records executives Francis Wolff and Alfred Lion, 1960-1967
1 3-ring album inside slipcase containing sleeves that house correspondence
A. L. Nellum and Associates
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Aebersold, Jamey
Allen, Roz Kirkland
American Cinematheque
American Federation of Musicians
Angello, Terri
Annenberg, Norman see Silverman, Bernice
Associated Booking Corporation
Baldwin, [Pappy]
Barkan, Todd
Bentley, Charles
Berganza, Gustavo Adolfo
Berman, Sandy
Bernard, Alain
Bernice, Norman
Berry, Lee
Bethea, Mingo
Bettelheim, Wilhelm
Bianca’s Jazz Club
Birks, John see Gillespie, Dizzy
Bloch, David
BMI see Broadcast Music Inc.
Bougeant, Gérard
Bourboulon, Frederic
Boustedt, Christer
Bridgewater, Dee Dee
Britt, Kaye
Broadcast Music Inc.
Burrows, R.
Butler, George
California State University, Sacramento
Carson Production Group
Carter, Jimmy
CBS Records
Chandler, Marvin
Charismic Productions
Chick Corea Productions
Colburn, Brita
Columbia Records
Composers Forum in Albany
Conciertos GAMA
Copyright Service Bureau Ltd.
Corneille, A.
Corral, Rosalind
Council, William
Crampton, Gil
Crime Story (Michael Mann Co.)
Darius Productions Inc.
de Casseres, Joe
DeCaro, Louis
DeNoyelles, Griffith G., Jr.
Diamond, Monty
District of Columbia, Dept. of Corrections
Dury, Monique
Elgort, Arthur
Embassy of Paraguay see United States. Embassy (Paraguay)
Farmer, Art
Festival Productions Inc.
France. Ministère de l'intérieur see République Française Ministère de l'intérieur
Friedman, Carol
Gaudry, Michel
Gentry, Theodore
Giddens, Billy
Gillespie, Dizzy
Gitler, Mary Jo
Goodwin, Jill
Gordon, Benjamin
Gordon, Dexter
Gordon, Lorraine
Gordon, Max
Gottlieb, Carol
Grosney, Paul
Group Dynamics, Inc.
Gruntz, George
Hagiwara, Youichi
Hamill, Pete
Hand, Kevin
Hannigan, [?]
Harding and Kurnos
Harris, Ora
Harvard University Radio Broadcasting Co. see WHRB (Radio station : Cambridge Mass.)
Hay, Curtis
Hishinuma, Taeko
Hoffler, Irene
House of the Crossroads
Howard University
Hudnut, William
Hultin, Randi
Hutcherson, Bobby
Hutcherson-Zuniga, Rosemary
International Communication Agency see United States. International Communication Agency
Jackson, Cliff
Jacob, John E. (“A Night of Stars” at Lincoln Center)
Jazz India see Jazz Yatra
Jazz Institute of Chicago
Jazz Yatra
John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie Center
Johnson, Carl
Johnson Publishing Company
Johnston, Glen
Jordan, Clifford
Jorgensen, Finn
Kabat, Julie
Keane, [?]
Kellaway, Roger
Knight, Larry
Konde family
Kurzenberger, Paul
Lambros, Pete
LaMothe, Brenda
Lazar, Irving
Lee, David
Leroux, Alain
Levenstein, Lev
Lewis, Larry Dan
Lind, Jack
Livérant, Babs
Lundvall, Bruce
Maizeret, Dan
Malone, Skip
Manno, Dana
Marable, Sheryle Ann
Mason, Konda
Matthews, Onzy
McLaughlin, John
McLean, Jackie
Meara, Anne
Metcalf, Lila
Metcalf, Oz
Mexican Consultate (New York) see Mexico. Consulado (New York, N.Y.)
Mexico. Consulado (New York, N.Y.)
Michelot, Pierre
Milioti, Clark
Miller, [?]
Milling-Bey, Darlene
Mingus, Sue Graham
Mondale, Joan
Moreau, Jacqueline
Morh, Francis
Mosely, Jon
Mullins, Diane
Muylaert, Roberto
NAACP see National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Nanneth, Anthony
National Endowment for the Arts
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Public Radio
Nevada. Motion Picture Division
Neves, Renee
Newark (N.J.). Municipal Council
Newport Jazz Festival (New York)
Noel, Dan
Norman Annenberg Law Offices
Ohio State University
Parker, Charlie
Passman, Ray
Payne, Tyler
Pearce, Dorothy
Peter Levinson Communications
Pikuzinski, Eunice
Pilot, Joan
Pimental de Castro, Mario
Playboy Jazz Festival
Porte, Isabelle
Preston, Frances
Queens College (New York, N.Y.)
Radio Free Europe
Radiologica Clinica (Cuernvaca, Mexico)
Reagan, Ronald
Reardon, Patrick
Reaves-Phillips, Sandra
Redd, Vi
Reid, Rufus
Reitman, Linda R.
République Française Ministère de l'intérieur
Rollins, [?]
Ross, Steven
Salou, Michel
Samuels, Jim
Santiago, Mel
Screen Actors Guild
Shirew Publishing
Sidran, Ben
Silverman, Bernice
Sjøgren, Thorbjørn
Sloane, Carol
Smith, Mary Alice
Solfors, Mikael
Spitzer, Michael
Stephens, David
Stiller, Jerry
Stoop, Norma M.
Strone, Daniel
Tavernier, Bertrand
Temple University Jazz Festival
Thayler, Carl
Time (magazine)
Townsend, Larry
Traberg, Ebbe
Turner, Carl
Twin Cities Public Television (Saint Paul, Minn.)
Ullman, Michael
United States. Embassy (Paraguay)
United States. International Communication Agency
University of California, Berkeley
Vallint, Glenn
Vason, Lou
Wanamaker, George
Ware, Ron
Warner Bros.
Watson, Marian
WBGO-FM
Weisman, Donald
Weston, Paul
White House (Washington, DC)
Whittemore, Jack
WHRB (Radio station : Cambridge Mass.)
Wilson, John S.
Wright, Bruce Mc M.
Wright, Leo
WRVR Jazz Radio
Yass, Judy
Zárate, Pedro
Zinglersen, Kai
[no last name], Anders
Cards and condolences, assorted
Unknown and/or unidentified
Programs, 1962-1996
Programs from concerts and other events.
Undated
Clippings, circa 1940, 1976-1988
Newspaper and magazine clippings.
1988 (Japan tour)
Serials, Periodicals, and Magazines
National and international serials and magazines, mostly dealing with jazz, that contain articles about Dexter Gordon.
Business Papers, 1976-1989
Financial receipts, contracts, and related materials.
Bills and Receipts
1986 ('Round Midnight)
Tour Books
Apr.-Oct., undated
May-July, 1977
Bank account books
Contracts
Scripts, 1985-1989
Film scripts.
Awakenings, by Steven Zaillian; adapted from the book by Oliver Sacks, Oct. 2, 1989
Crime Story, by Gail Hickman, 1987
Leonard Part 6, by Jonathan Reynolds, 1987
Paris Jazz, by David Rayfiel and Bertrand Tavernier, undated
'Round Midnight, by Bertrand Tavernier, 1985
To Sleep with Anger, by Charles Burnett, 1989
Iconography, circa 1940-circa 1990
Contains photographs, contact sheets, negatives, drawings, posters, and artwork.
Photographs, Contact Sheets, Negatives
Dexter Gordon, In Performance, Alone
Dexter Gordon, In Performance, with Others
Dexter Gordon, Not Peforming, Alone
Dexter Gordon, Not Peforming, with Others
K. Abe photographs of Dexter and Maxine Gordon in Tokyo, 1988
Four mounted and two unmounted black and white photographs
Ronald Eckstein photographs and contact sheets
Four black and white photographs and four full or partial contact sheets
Arthur Elgort photographs of Dexter Gordon, alone
Jean-Pierre Leloir photographs, 1960s-1980s
Jean-Pierre Leloir contact sheets, 1963-05-30
Jean-Pierre Leloir contact sheets, 1963-11-07
Jean-Pierre Leloir contact sheets, 1973-02-11
Jean-Pierre Leloir contact sheets, 1982-03-22
Photographs by Kirsten Malone
Photograph of Dexter Gordon getting a haircut, 1962
Photograph of Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen, 1962
Photograph of Dexter Gordon playing the sax
Jan Persson prints, 1963-1964
Jan Persson prints, 1964-1967
Jan Persson prints, 1967-1968
Jan Persson prints, 1968-1970
Jan Persson prints, 1970-1974
Jan Persson prints, 1974-1975
Jan Persson prints, 1975-1983
Twenty-two black and white and color prints
Thierry Trombert contact sheets, 1970s and undated
Thierry Trombert contact sheets, 1967, 1977, and undated
Francis Wolff photographs, 1960s
Photograph from the "One for Dexter" concert, 1991-06-28
Bob Douglas photograph of Dexter Gordon performing with others, circa 1950
Charles "Teenie" Harris' photograph of Billy Eckstine's jazz band showing the saxophone players, including Dexter Gordon, circa 1944
Miscellaneous photographs of Dexter Gordon and others
Five black and white and three color photographs
Five black and white and five color photographs
Photographs of Dexter and Maxine Gordon's wedding, a trip to Cuernavaca, and other events, 1983-1988
Bernie Moss photographs of Dexter Gordon taken in Boston, 1962
Maxine Gordon's photographs of Paris, undated
Stills from the film 'Round Midnight
Assorted photographs
Dexter Gordon photo album
Dexter Gordon mounted photoprints (oversize)
Contact sheets (oversize)
Negatives (oversize)
Assorted Artwork
Art boards for advertisements (oversize)
Pen and ink sketches
Watercolors
Miscellaneous items bearing Dexter Gordon's image (oversize)
Watercolor of Dexter Gordon (oversize)
Posters
Binder with Dexter Gordon portrait on cover