Sophisticated Giant - The Life and Legacy of Dexter Gordon

"Sophisticated Giant" presents the life and legacy of tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon (1923-1990), a major innovator of modern jazz. Combining biography, history, and memoir, Maxine Gordon has completed the book that her late husband began, weaving his "solo" turns with her own voice and those from past and present. Reading like a jazz composition, this blend of research, anecdotes, and selections 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 you ought to leave your karma to science."