Figur 1 Dexter Gordon ‐ Live at the Village Vanguard again1

Dexter Gordon - Live at the Village Vanguard again was taken in June 1977 by Tom
Marcello. Dexter (1923-1990)2 was one of the greatest American jazz tenor saxophone
of the history. He was also known as Long Tall Dexter because his height.

In this black and white photograph, Dexter Gordon is playing a tenor saxophone to some
people. At the top-left corner is a lamp, which is illuminating the right side while the left
side is dark. At the middle are two tables with some things on them as well as one person
seeing towards the pianist who is staring to Dexter. On the wall are some pictures of
different kind of people.

In the photograph, the very distinct shapes and lines reach to moving the viewer’s eyes
towards Dexter. The pictures on the wall frame him and the music sheets are like lines
pointing to Dexter’s face. On the other hand, the light makes an asymmetrical balance
illuminating only the right side of the photograph. As a result, the tenor Saxophone takes
a wonderful shine. In addition to brightness, the value play an important role too. There
is a stark contrast between the Dexter’s white shirt and the darkness of the photograph,
which further draws our attention towards Dexter’s face.

Dexter is totally concentrated playing the saxophone, it seems like he is not there. On
the contrary, the other two man are paying attention to some things that are happening
in the club. Music is wonderful, according to Johnny in the Julio Cortazar’s tale “El
perseguidor3” when He played Saxophone He felt like He was into an elevator which took
him to the one, two, three, …, fifty floor while his body was with the rest of people.
Dexter is playing without the music sheets He does not need them He just need to take
his saxophone to take off to the happiness.

                                                            
1
 Dexter Gordon ‐ Live at the Village Vanguard again June, 1977. (2007, August 26). Retrieved November 5, 
2014 
2
 Dexter Gordon. (2014, October 14). Retrieved November 5, 2014, from 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexter_Gordon 
3
 Cortazar, J. (n.d.). El Perseguidor. Retrieved November 10, 2014, from 
http://www.literaberinto.com/Cortazar/elperseguidor.htm