{"product_id":"sophisticated-giant-the-life-and-legacy-of-dexter-gordon-9780520350793","title":"Sophisticated Giant: The Life and Legacy of Dexter Gordon","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"An occasion to appreciate Dexter's resounding musical genius as well as his wish for major social transformation.\"--Angela Y. Davis, political activist, scholar, author, and speaker\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eSophisticated Giant\u003c\/i\u003e 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 colorful life and legendary times. It is clear why the celebrated trumpet genius Dizzy Gillespie said to Dexter, \"Man\u003cb\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003e you ought to leave your karma to science.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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 humor 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMaxine Gordon\u003c\/b\u003e 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, \u003ci\u003eSophisticated Giant\u003c\/i\u003e fulfills the promise she made to her late husband, jazz saxophonist and Academy Award-nominated actor Dexter Gordon, to complete his biography.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of California Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50726810943762,"sku":"9780520350793","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_2684bcc4-05ac-4376-bb4c-324c70477b07.jpg?v=1734884387","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/sophisticated-giant-the-life-and-legacy-of-dexter-gordon-9780520350793","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}