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Sophisticated Giant
The Life and Legacy of Dexter Gordon
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Format: Hardback
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Sophisticated Giant
$5699
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This biography appeals to jazz enthusiasts, music historians, and readers interested in cultural history, as well as anyone fascinated by complex creative personalities and American arts heritage.
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Description
Sophisticated Giant presents the life and legacy of tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon (1923–1990), one of the major innovators of modern jazz. In a context of biography, history, and memoir, Maxine Gordon has completed the book that her late husband began, weaving his “solo” turns with her voice and a chorus of voices from past and present.
Reading like a jazz composition, the blend of research, anecdote, and a selection of Dexter’s personal letters reflects his colourful life and legendary times. It is clear why the celebrated trumpet genius Dizzy Gillespie said to Dexter, “Man, you ought to leave your karma to science.”
Dexter Gordon the icon is the Dexter beloved and celebrated on albums, on film, and in jazz lore—even in a street named for him in Copenhagen. But this image of the cool jazzman fails to come to terms with the multidimensional man full of humour and wisdom, a figure who struggled to reconcile being both a creative outsider who broke the rules and a comforting insider who was a son, father, husband, and world citizen.
This essential book is an attempt to fill in the gaps created by our misperceptions as well as the gaps left by Dexter himself.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Critics praise Sophisticated Giant for its insightful context and affectionate portrayal. David Hajdu of The New York Times commends its sophisticated framing of Dexter's era and extensive interviews, while Kevin Whitehead of NPR's Fresh Air notes the book captures Dexter’s distinctive voice and personality through letters and testimony. The Wall Street Journal describes it as "affectionate, enjoyable and informative," offering an intimate portrait of the artist.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780520280649
Publisher: University of California Press
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 06 November 2018
Country: United States
Imprint: University of California Press
Illustration: 23 b-w illustrations
Contributors:
- Foreword by Farah Jasmine Griffin
- Afterword by Woody Louis Armstrong Shaw III
Audience: Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 15.0mm
Width: 152.0mm
Height: 229.0mm
Weight: 544g
Pages: 284
About the Author
Maxine Gordon is an independent scholar with a lifetime career working with jazz musicians. As an oral historian and archivist in the fields of jazz and African American cultural history, Sophisticated Giant fulfills the promise she made to her late husband, jazz saxophonist and Academy Award-nominated actor Dexter Gordon, to complete his biography.
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