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Duke Jordan
Jordan (seated), in the Charlie Parker Quintet at the Three Deuces in 1947. (photo William P. Gottlieb)
Background information
Birth name	Irving Sidney Jordan
Born	April 1, 1922 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	August 8, 2006(2006-08-08) (aged 84) Valby, Copenhagen, Denmark
Genres	Bebop
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Piano
Labels	Signal, Blue Note, SteepleChase

Irving Sidney "Duke" Jordan (April 1, 1922 – August 8, 2006) was an American jazz pianist.

Biography

Jordan was born in New York and raised in Brooklyn where he attended Boys High School. An imaginative and gifted pianist, Jordan was a regular member of Charlie Parker's quintet during 1947–48, which also featured Miles Davis. He participated in Parker's Dial sessions in late 1947 that produced "Dewey Square", "Bongo Bop", "Bird of Paradise", and the ballad "Embraceable You". These performances are featured on Charlie Parker on Dial.

Jordan had a long solo career from the mid-1950s onwards, although for a period in the mid-1960s he drove a taxi in New York. After periods accompanying Sonny Stitt and Stan Getz, he performed and recorded in the trio format. His composition, "Jordu", became a jazz standard when trumpeter Clifford Brown adopted it into his repertoire. Another of his compositions, "No Problem", has been recorded several times, notably by Art Blakey, under the title "No Hay Problema", and Chet Baker as well as others.

Beginning in 1978, he lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, having recorded an extensive sequence of albums for the SteepleChase label; his first record date for the company was in 1973. He was reported not to have changed his style over the course of his career.

From 1952 to 1962, he was married to the jazz singer Sheila Jordan. Their union produced a daughter, Tracey J. Jordan. He died in Valby, Copenhagen.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Source:

As sideman

With Gene Ammons

• Blues Up and Down, Vol. 1 (Prestige PR 7823)
• The Happy Blues (1956, Prestige PRLP 7039)
• All Star Sessions (1956 Prestige PRLP 7050)

With Ernestine Anderson

• It's Time for Ernestine (Metronome (Swd))

With Chet Baker

• No Problem (SteepleChase, 1979)

With Paul Bascomb

• Bad Bascomb (Delmark DL 431)

With Eddie Bert

• Eddie Bert (Discovery DL 3024)
• Eddie Bert Quintet (Discovery DL 3020)

With Art Blakey

• Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960 (Fontana, 1959 – Original Soundtrack with Barney Wilen)

With Tina Brooks

• True Blue (Blue Note, 1960, BLP 4041, CDP 7243 8 28975-2)

With Kenny Burrell

• Blue Lights Two volumes, (Blue Note 1958, BLP 1596 and BLP 1597)
• Swingin' (Blue Note, 1956 )

With Joe Carroll

• Joe Carroll (Charlie Parker CP 201)

With Teddy Edwards

• The Inimitable Teddy Edwards (Xanadu 134)

With Rolf Ericson

• Rolf Ericson and his American All Stars (Metronome (Swd) JMLP 2–105, EmArcy MG 36106)

With Art Farmer

• Art Farmer Quintet featuring Gigi Gryce (Prestige, 1955)

With Stan Getz

• Duke Ellington 25th Anniversary Concert (FDC (It) 1005)
• Getz Age (Roost RLP 2258)
• Hooray for Stan Getz (Session Disc 108)
• Move! (Natasha Imports 4005)
• Sweetie Pie (Philology (It) W 40-2)
• The Complete Roost Recordings (Roost CDP 7243 8 59622-2)
• Stan Getz Plays (Norgran, 1952)
• Stan Getz Quartet (Queen Disc (It) Q 013)
• Live at Carnegie Hall (Fresh Sound (Sp) FSCD 1003)
• Live at the Hi-Hat 1953, Vol. 1 (Fresh Sound (Sp) FSCD 1014)
• Live at the Hi-Hat 1953, Vol. 2 (Fresh Sound (Sp) FSCD 1015)
• That Top Tenor Technician Stan Getz (Alto AL 704)

With Gigi Gryce

• Doin' the Gigi (Uptown, 2011)

With Coleman Hawkins

• Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra (Decca 27853)

With Joe Holiday

• Holiday for Jazz (Decca DL 8487)

With Howard McGhee

• The Return of Howard McGhee (Bethlehem BCP 42)

With Charles McPherson

• Beautiful! (Xanadu 115)

With Barry Miles

• Miles of Genius (Charlie Parker PLP 804)

With Sam Most

• Mostly Flute (Xanadu 133)

With Charlie Parker

• Complete Charlie Parker on Dial, Charlie Parker on Dial (Jazz Classics, Spotlite)

With Cecil Payne

• Patterns of Jazz (Savoy, 1956)
• Bird Gets The Worm (Muse, 1976)
• Shaw 'Nuff (Charlie Parker PLP 506)
• The Connection (Charlie Parker PLP 806)
• Cecil Payne Performing Charlie Parker Music (Charlie Parker PLP 801)
• Cecil Payne Quartet and Quintet (Signal S 1203)

With Oscar Pettiford

• Oscar Pettiford (Bethlehem, 1954)

With Doug Raney

• Introducing Doug Raney (SteepleChase, 1977)

With Dizzy Reece

• Comin' On! (Blue Note, 1960 )

With Louis Smith

• Here Comes Louis Smith (Blue Note BLP 1584)

With Sonny Stitt

• Stitt's Bits (Prestige 1958 , PRLP 7133)
• Sonny Stitt & the Top Brass (Atlantic 1963 , SD 1395)
• The Champ (Muse 1974 , MR 5023)

With Clark Terry

• Live at the Wichita Jazz Festival (Vanguard 1974, VSD 79355)

With Doug Watkins

• Watkins at Large (Transition TRLP 20)

With Julius Watkins

• Julius Watkins Sextet (Blue Note CDP 7243 4 95749-2)

With Barney Wilen

• Barney (RCA (F) 430053)
• Un Temoin dans la Ville (Fontana (F) 660 226-MR)

With Teddy Williams

• Touch of the Blues c/w Dumb Woman Blues (Prestige 715)

With The Birdlanders

• The Birdlanders, Vol. 1 (Period SPL 1211)
• The Birdlanders, Vol. 2 (Period SPL 1212)
• The Birdlanders, Vol. 3 (Period SPL 1213)

Various

• Various Artists Birds Night: A Night at the Five Spot (Signal S 1204) Savoy (1958) (Savoy Jazz 2 LPs Celebration of Music of Charlie Parker)
• Various Artists International Jam Sessions (Xanadu 122)
• Various Artists Lestorian Mode (Savoy MG 12105)
• Various Artists The Piano Players (Xanadu 171)
• Various Artists Birdology vols. 1&2 (Birdology, Verve 1990 CDs)

References

1. ^ Weiner, Tim (2006-08-12). "Duke Jordan, 84, jazz pianist who helped build bebop". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
2. Randy Weston and Willard Jenkins, African Rhythms: The Autobiography of Randy Weston, Durham, N.C., Duke University Press, 2010, p. 25.
3. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 234/5. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
4. Charlie Parker on Dial: The Complete Sessions at AllMusic
5. "Duke Jordan Discography". jazzdisco.org. Retrieved January 23, 2019.

• 1922 births
• 2006 deaths
• American jazz pianists
• American male jazz pianists
• Bebop pianists
• Hard bop pianists
• Savoy Records artists
• SteepleChase Records artists
• Xanadu Records artists
• Prestige Records artists
• Blue Note Records artists
• 20th-century American pianists
• American male jazz composers
• 20th-century American male musicians
• 20th-century American jazz composers
• American expatriates in Denmark