In her memoir, Sophisticated Giant, Maxine Gordon writes this about her late husband, tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon:
“Dexter Gordon was known as 'Society Red.' He got this name when he was with the Lionel Hampton band as a 17-year-old in 1940—just about the same time Malcolm X (then Malcolm Little) was being called Detroit Red. Dexter wrote a tune with that title and, decades later, when he began working on his autobiography, he decided to name it The Saga of Society Red. The irony of that nickname has many levels and it became an inside jazz nod to an earlier time when young Black men konked their hair and wore zoot suits.”
Gordon had an artful politesse and cool confidence that defined his personality and music. He could be as elegant as royalty but also could drive a stake through his bandstand competition. Whether recording or performing, Gordon meant business.
Society Red first appeared on Gordon's Doin' Allright, recorded for Blue Note in May 1961 with Freddie Hubbard (tp), Dexter Gordon (ts), Horace Parlan (p), George Tucker (b) and Al Harewood (d).
The song is a majestic blues that displays both a swinging hipness and martial rigidity. Three brief notes: Gordon is at his peak on this album, with fluid ideas and a brash, rich tone. Hubbard has a particularly piercing sound accenting Gordon's self-portrait blues. And Parlan's piano solo is exceptional. Taken together, the track is perfection from start to finish.
Here's Society Red from Doin Allright...
“Dexter Gordon was known as 'Society Red.' He got this name when he was with the Lionel Hampton band as a 17-year-old in 1940—just about the same time Malcolm X (then Malcolm Little) was being called Detroit Red. Dexter wrote a tune with that title and, decades later, when he began working on his autobiography, he decided to name it The Saga of Society Red. The irony of that nickname has many levels and it became an inside jazz nod to an earlier time when young Black men konked their hair and wore zoot suits.”
Gordon had an artful politesse and cool confidence that defined his personality and music. He could be as elegant as royalty but also could drive a stake through his bandstand competition. Whether recording or performing, Gordon meant business.
Society Red first appeared on Gordon's Doin' Allright, recorded for Blue Note in May 1961 with Freddie Hubbard (tp), Dexter Gordon (ts), Horace Parlan (p), George Tucker (b) and Al Harewood (d).
The song is a majestic blues that displays both a swinging hipness and martial rigidity. Three brief notes: Gordon is at his peak on this album, with fluid ideas and a brash, rich tone. Hubbard has a particularly piercing sound accenting Gordon's self-portrait blues. And Parlan's piano solo is exceptional. Taken together, the track is perfection from start to finish.
Here's Society Red from Doin Allright...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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