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Clifford Jordan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clifford Jordan
Jordan performing with Barry Harris in 1980
Jordan performing with Barry Harris in 1980
Background information
Birth nameClifford Laconia Jordan Jr.
Born(1931-09-02)September 2, 1931
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedMarch 27, 1993(1993-03-27) (aged 61)
New York City, New York, U.S.
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentSaxophone
LabelsBlue Note, New Jazz, Riverside, Jazzland, Atlantic, Vortex, Strata-East, SteepleChase, Muse, Eastworld, Bee Hive, Soul Note, Criss Cross, Mapleshade, Milestone

Clifford Laconia Jordan (September 2, 1931 – March 27, 1993)[1] was an American jazz tenor saxophone player and composer. Originally from Chicago, Jordan later moved to New York City, where he recorded extensively in addition to touring across both Europe and Africa. He recorded and performed with Art Farmer, Horace Silver, Max Roach, J.J. Johnson, and Kenny Dorham, among others.[2] In later years, performed with Cedar Walton's quartet Eastern Rebellion,[3] and led his own groups, including a big band.[2]

Early life and career

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Jordan took music lessons from a young age, originally playing piano and later taking up the saxophone at age 13.[4] Jordan attended DuSable High School, where his classmates included John Gilmore and Johnny Griffin.[4] He originally got his start leading a dance band before breaking into the rhythm and blues scene, as well as playing bebop with the likes of Max Roach and Sonny Stitt.[5]

New York City and touring

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After moving to New York City in 1957, Jordan recorded three albums for Blue Note Records, the first of which, Blowing in from Chicago featured Horace Silver and Art Blakey as well as his former schoolmate Gilmore as co-leader.[4] A series of notable collaborations followed - Jordan joined Silver's band, co-led a group with Kenny Dorham,[5] and recorded as a sideman with J.J Johnson, Lee Morgan, Eric Dolphy, and Joe Zawinul, to name a few.[4] In 1960, Jordan began performing with Cedar Walton, a collaboration that would continue for the remainder of Jordan's career.[4]

Jordan re-joined Eric Dolphy in 1964 as part of the Charles Mingus Sextet, which toured Europe and produced a number of live albums.[4] Jordan later toured Africa with Randy Weston for the US State Department.[5] Jordan briefly moved to Belgium in 1969, and during this time he frequently performed in Paris.[6]

Return to New York and later career

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Jordan moved back to New York City in late 1969, signing a deal with Strata East Records to record a trio of albums that mostly featured Jordan's own compositions.[5] The last of these, Drink Plenty Water, was recorded in 1974 but remained unreleased until 2023.[7] The album features spoken-word from actor David Smyrl and singing from Jordan, as well as a small vocal ensemble which included Jordan's daughter, Donna.[8]

Jordan would continue to record prolifically throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with his ambitious Strata East projects contrasted by more straight-ahead offerings, such as the 1981 offering Hyde Park After Dark which saw him return to his Chicago roots, playing hard bop with a group that included Norman Simmons, Victor Sproles, and Cy Touff.[9] He also rekindled his collaboration with Art Farmer around this time, afterwards playing as a sideman on several of Farmer's albums.[4]

In the early 1990s, Jordan began leading a big band in New York City, which would come to be a regular act at Eddie Condon's.[5]

Personal life

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Jordan was married to Shirley Jordan, a designer and former owner of The Clothes Gallery in New York.[6] He later married Sandy Jordan (née Williams), a graphic artist and Honorary Founders Board member of the Jazz Foundation of America.[10] Jordan died of lung cancer at the age of 61 in New York City. He was survived by a daughter, Donna Jewell Harris, (née Jordan), and a son, Eric Jordan.[1]

Discography

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As leader

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As sideman

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With Paul Chambers

With Sonny Clark

With Dameronia

With Richard Davis

With Eric Dolphy

With Art Farmer

With Dizzy Gillespie

With Slide Hampton

  • Roots (Criss Cross, 1985)

With John Hicks and Elise Wood

With Andrew Hill

With J. J. Johnson

With Charles McPherson

With Carmen McRae

With Charles Mingus

With Mingus Dynasty

With Lee Morgan

With Pony Poindexter

With Freddie Redd

With Dizzy Reece

With Max Roach

With Sahib Shihab

With Horace Silver

With Charles Tolliver

With Mal Waldron

With Cedar Walton

With Joe Zawinul

References

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  1. ^ a b "Clifford Jordan, Chicago Be-bop Tenor Saxophonist". Articles.chicagotribune.com. March 31, 1993.
  2. ^ a b Biography at AllMusic by Scott Yanow
  3. ^ Yanow, Scott (2010). "Eastern Rebellion". AllMusic. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Krakow, Steve (2022-11-02). "Saxophonist Clifford Jordan epitomized the Chicago tenor sound". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  5. ^ a b c d e Rosenberg, Ruth (2013-11-26). "Jordan, Clifford". Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  6. ^ a b Simmons, Art (April 16, 1970). Johnson, John H. (ed.). "Paris Scratchpad". JET. XXXVIII (3). Chicago: Johnson: 33. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved August 3, 2010. Arranger, composer, saxophonist Clifford Jordan, a Chicagoan who now lives in Belgium with his wife, designer Shirley Jordan (a former owner of Clothing Manufacturing Corp., New York City), closed at the Chat Qui Peche here. He is a partner in a new record firm, Frontier Records, which records legendary musicians who have not had the proper exposure. Jordan toured Africa with Randy Weston recently...
  7. ^ Linn, Dave. "Clifford Jordan: Drink Plenty Water". AllAboutJazz. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  8. ^ "Clifford Jordan - Drink Plenty Water". Discogs. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  9. ^ "Clifford Jordan - Hyde Park After Dark". Discogs. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  10. ^ "The Board". Jazz Foundation of America. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
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