dropsonde
Well-Known Member
I had HUGE respect for Dex before and even more now. He was in jail for a large part of the 50s and didn't realize he was in bands with Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Billie Eckstine, and others for the early days. Lester Young is prominently referred to for influences and comes from a generation before Dex. Parker was just starting to gain notoriety and hadn't really hit is peak. I did not realize Dexter was part of that VERY early crowd that defined be-bop and developed it for future musicians. "Legend" defines the man. He had some hard times, and wasn't really appreciated as much here in America, but the mark he made on jazz was undeniable. And he stated his albums for Blue Note would stand the test of time, and endure for generations. He was spot on about that. Even Dex knew that BN was something special in the way that they treated their artists and loved the genre themselves.
I’m curious, does the book have any good stories or info about his time living in Copenhagen and playing at the Café Montmartre?