When you think of a be-bop tenor saxophone player, you probably think of John Coltrane. But one of Coltrane's early influences, and a giant (literally and figuratively) of modern tenor playing was an expatriate by the name of Dexter Gordon.
"Long Tall Dexter," as the six-foot-six maestro was called, began his career in the early 1940s, recording solo albums by 1945 and playing alongside Charlie Parker in New York. But after finding major critical success in the early Sixties, he spent the next fifteen years living in Europe, where he escaped drug addiction and felt freer of racism than he had in the States. Upon his return to America in 1976, he quickly returned to the top of the jazz scene, and was regarded as one of the tenor greats before his death in 1990.
On Wednesday night, Chicago saxophonist Glenn Burris is bringing his quartet to the Jazz Showcase, a venue as old as Gordon's first solo records, for a tribute to the late virtuoso.
The group will play three sets, starting at 7 p.m. and lasting until after 11. Cover's cheap, and the music promises to be great -- maybe not as great as the Sophisticated Giant, but that's a pretty tall order.
What: Glenn Burris Quartet Tribute to Dexter Morgan
When: Wednesday, March 9, 7 p.m., 9 p.m., and 11 p.m.
Where: Jazz Showcase
806 S. Plymouth Ct., Chicago
Price: $10 for all three sets