DEXTER LIVES! The Dexter Gordon 50th Anniversary Concert

Welcome to DEXTER LIVES! The Dexter Gordon 50th Anniversary Concert! Join us on Sat, Feb 22, 2025 at 1:30 PM at Scarboro United Church as we celebrate the life and music of the legendary jazz saxophonist, Dexter Gordon. There will be a preshow chat on Dexter Gordon at 1:30 pm and the program starts at 2:00 pm.

ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS JAZZ MASTER saxophonist Dexter Gordon is widely known in jazz as being the musician to translate alto saxophonist Charlie Parker’s and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie’s BEBOP music innovations to the TENOR SAXOPHONE. In 1986, he was nominated for an ACADEMY AWARD for Best Actor for his role as fictional character (saxophonist) Dale Turner in Bernard Tavernier’s film ‘ROUND MIDNIGHT. Mr. Gordon is the only jazz musician ever to be nominated for that award. The musical score for the film won the Oscar for pianist Herbie Hancock.

Mr. Gordon performed only once in our fair city: in November 1974 -- 50 years ago. The producer of that event was our current Artistic Director and saxophonist, John Reid, and the bass player that performed in that concert, John V. Gray, is resident in Calgary and is ready, willing, and able to perform at the proposed event.

The Nebula Repertory Ensemble Association's resident ensemble (John Reid, saxophone and flute; twice JUNO-nominated Al Muirhead, trumpet; Jon Day, piano; John Gray, bass; Ed Batley, drums) will reproduce the repertoire of that concert 50 years on from that momentous event in Calgary's cultural history.

These kinds of musical repertory explorations are at the core of the society's mission (see Mission Statement). Mr. Reid did his Master's thesis (Jazz History and Research from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey) and is well equipped to develop lucid commentary, as part of the society's educational mission (see Mission Statement).

• To facilitate musical repertoire explorations and investigations in a repertory ensemble for public and community performance and to provide educational and informative enrichment at each and every event.

• To curate, preserve, present, revive, and repeat those expositions in multiple performances where possible.

• To present educational and other events to the public from time to time as deemed relevant by the association.

A gig in 1962 at Ronnie Scott’s Club in London was a new experience for Dexter and he began to travel and work in Europe. Eventually, he settled in Copenhagen where he lived until his return to the U.S. in 1976. During that period in Europe, he traveled extensively, worked for long periods at the historic Jazzhus Montmartre and recorded for European labels as well as Prestige Records.

In 1976, Dexter enjoyed a hero's welcome in the U.S. when he made his return engagement at Storyville in New York City with Woody Shaw, Louis Hayes, Ronnie Mathews, and Stafford James. He subsequently played the Village Vanguard, signed with Columbia Records, and was officially back in town. He organized his first working band during this period with George Cables, Rufus Reid, and Eddie Gladden. He considered this band to be his best band and he toured extensively with them and recorded Live at the Keystone (Mosaic) and Manhattan Symphonie (CBS Sony) with the group.

Host or Publisher Nebula Repertory Ensemble Association