A Very Dexter Gordon Birthday
“Jazz to me is a living music. It’s a music that since its beginning has expressed the feelings, the dreams, hopes, of the people.” —Dexter Gordon
Those who know me well will tell you I love traditions. Like birthdays, tradition can mark time in thoughtful ways, giving us something to look forward to, however frequent. For me, the best part comes in the form of an origin story — that is, how any tradition is initiated. One of my most beloved traditions is one I started on my birthday nearly ten years ago.
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To set the scene, we’ll need to go back three years prior to that, when my then boyfriend (now husband) Marcus and I had date night in Williamsburg at Zenkichi (RIP). Opened in 2006 by a homesick Tokyo-native, Zenkichi was a modern Japanese brasserie with an authentic dining experience inspired by popular Tokyo establishments.
Like a great jazz club, Zenkichi created an intimate atmosphere, one that was warm and inviting with romantic lighting, cozy private booths, and quality acoustics. The food menu really hit the spot — the two of us savoring it while well-curated jazz numbers crooned along. Short of asking for the playlist itself, we let Shazam work its magic, with Dexter Gordon identified as the artist in question. I would later come to know this as what many of his fans call the “Dexter moment” — what it’s like to hear his repertoire for the first time.
I hadn’t remembered which initial track it was until I searched our chat history. Marcus had presciently sent me the Shazam details (thank you, Google!) for “Stanley the Steamer” by Dexter Gordon. From then on, whenever I wanted a solid jazz playlist, Dexter became my station prompt on Pandora and Spotify.
Fast forward to 2015: I was looking for a place or activity to celebrate my birthday. Upon scouring what Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) had on deck during my birthday week, I saw Dizzy’s Club had the Dexter Gordon Legacy Ensemble playing a few nights in honor of the late musician’s birthday. That’s when I learned he and I share adjacent birthdays — mine on the 26th, his on the 27th. Wanna guess what happened next?
Marcus and my best friend Jess accompanied me to one of his legacy’s band performances that year (and two more, each year after). Albeit short, the set list was all killer, no filler: captivating and gregarious, full of soul and gravitas. His music fills rooms heartily, with a striking long sound and admiring enthusiasts alike.
In the same way “Stanley the Steamer” had left an indelible mark, these five tracks have stayed with me since that first performance at Dizzy’s. I was thrilled to see his legacy ensemble was slated to perform again at the same venue around his birthday the following year and again in 2017, so it naturally emerged as a birthday thing I did. I had become such a huge fan that for my 30th birthday, I gifted myself a limited edition Oris watch, one dedicated to Dexter Gordon with subtle nods to the musician himself.
Unfortunately for the 2017-18 season, The Music of Dexter Gordon: A Celebration was absent from JALC programming. Not wanting to break the celebration streak, I took matters into my own hands. At the time, I had recently purchased a record player and started building a collection of vinyls. While I wished to acquire many of Dexter’s albums, I only wanted to do so gradually, savoring and appreciating each addition over time.
It was ultimately decided that I would treat myself during my birthday month to a “new” Dexter Gordon vinyl. The goal was to have a dedicated listening session for enjoying it, in full, on or around his birthday. In subsequent years, I’ve paired the new vinyl with Negronis or dessert, but more recently wine.
2018:
💿 Dexter Gordon, Body & Soul (1988)
2019:
💿 Dexter Gordon, Sophisticated Giant (1977)
🥃 Negroni with Greenhook Ginsmiths gin, Carpano Antica vermouth, & Cappelletti Aperitivo bitter (1:1:1)
2020:
💿 Dexter Gordon Quartet, At the Subway Club 1973 (2019)
2021:
💿 Dexter Gordon Quartet, Tokyo 1975 (2018)
🍷 Chartogne-Taillet NV Champagne ‘Sainte-Anne’ Brut
2022:
💿 Dexter Gordon, Clubhouse (1979)
🍷 Gruet NV ‘Sauvage’ Rosé
2023:
💿 Dexter Gordon Quartet, Biting the Apple (1977)
🍷 Valdespino NV Oloroso ‘Solera 1842’ Medium Sweet
🍽️ baked apple cider doughnuts
2024:
💿 Dexter Gordon, Take the ‘A’ Train (1989)
🍷 Stéphane Regnault NV Champagne ‘Lydian No. 62’ Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut Nature
Later in 2018, Maxine Gordon had published the long anticipated biography of her late husband. When I had the opportunity to meet her during a McNally-Jackson book signing in SoHo, I was excited to share my birthday tradition, but mostly to ask about any future performances by the legacy ensemble. She was engaging and delightful, sadly relaying the shows won’t likely be returning. Big bummer!
Having listened intently to his music these past few years, I’ve become a human Shazam — I can usually tell when it’s one of his compositions or tracks playing in a cocktail bar, a film score, or a television episode. I quickly recognized “Tangerine” in The First Wives Club, only played by The Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. I even laughed when a Bosch episode (S3x07) had two police officers named Dexter and Gordon on a stakeout as an easter egg given the eponymous character’s penchant for jazz.
THE CONCEPT
Ten years after (what I’d like to call) A Very Dexter Gordon Birthday had started at Dizzy’s, I unwrapped my highly anticipated purchase (thank you, Discogs!) for 2025: The Tower of Power! featuring “Stanley the Steamer”, the very song that had turned me onto his music at the onset.
2025:
💿 Dexter Gordon, The Tower of Power! (1969)
🍷 Marc Hébrart 2015 Champagne ‘Rive Gauche / Rive Droite’ Grand Cru Extra Brut
🍽️ assorted dishes inspired by Japanese brasserie fare from Zenkichi
To commemorate my tin anniversary with Dexter Gordon, I paired this year’s listening session with ‘Rive Gauche / Rive Droite’, a 2015 Champagne from Marc Hébrart. As a hat tip to this Champagne cuvée, “Montmartre” is the first track on The Tower of Power! as well as a charming Parisian neighborhood located on the southern bank of the Seine called Rive Gauche. Another curious tie-in: Dexter had returned to the United States from Europe in the spring of 1969 to create his first studio recordings in nearly a decade, including The Tower of Power!
THE MENU
I also reimagined some of the dishes we had at Zenkichi all those years ago.
1ST COURSE (paired with Champagne)
spicy edamame: green soy bean pods with chili garlic seasoning
nagoya teba chicken wings: crispy chicken wings with blend of Japanese spices
2ND COURSE (paired with Savoie white blend)
maguro carpaccio: yellowfin tuna with yuzu kosho dressing
3RD COURSE (paired with Merlot)
wagyu beef tataki: thinly sliced & lightly seared with sesame oil, ponzu sauce, & sea salt
jidori chicken: air-fried free-range, boneless, skin-on chicken thighs with lemon & yuzu kosho
DESSERT (paired with Angelica)
Maeda-En black sesame ice cream
Sugimoto roasted genmaicha green tea
THE WINEUP
/ February 23, 2025 @ Paulus Hook, Jersey City /
Marc Hébrart 2015 Champagne ‘Rive Gauche / Rive Droite’ Grand Cru Extra Brut
$100 @ Chambers Street Wines
Skurnik Wines (New York) | 🇫🇷 sparkling white (dég 10/2022)
Chardonnay / Pinot Noir
sultry & suave ・ ripe cherry ・ almond croissant
Domaine Les Aricoques 2023 Vin de Savoie ‘Pan! Le Blanc’
gifted (TYSM, Christina!)
Corkhoarder (New York) | 🇫🇷 still white
Altesse / Jacquère
alpine acidity ・ floral & nutty ・ luscious texture
Nelsen Barter 2021 Merlot Bedrock Vineyard Sonoma County
$38 @ Nelsen Barter
Nelsen Barter (California) | 🇺🇸 still red
Merlot
not Miles Raymond’s Merlot ・ spiced red fruits ・ old school Cali
Sabelli-Frisch 2018 Mission ‘El Aliso’ Angelica [Dessert Wine] Mokelumne River
$49 @ Sabelli-Frisch (500mL)
Sabelli-Frisch (California) | 🇺🇸 fortified red
País (Mission)
“diet” Port ・ plum pudding ・ nutty sweetness
THE CODA
Recreating some of our favorite dishes from one of our most memorable date nights was a total thrill tonight. Now having had nearly thirteen years of more advanced cooking since, I was able to improvise “recipes” where there may not have been one in found during my quick Google searches — not far from the spirit of how Dexter Gordon riffs in his many tracks. I even made a quick trip this morning to Mitsuwa Marketplace in Edgewater to source authentic Japanese ingredients for dinner.
I’m grateful to my younger self for documenting our meals so thoroughly that I’m able to even reimagine this impressionable meal. In that same vein, I now find myself re-documenting notable experiences anew. A mediocre photographer at best, I make do (case in point: my post on Zenkichi over at my defunct food blog), but what I really desire now is to make my mark through a realm where I truly thrive: in and with wine.
I couldn’t tell you what we drank all those nights ago (except for a pot of genmaicha with dessert), but tonight’s thoughtful pairing exercise is one for the books: a 2015 Champagne blend with tie-ins up the wazoo (see above) for spicy edamame and nagoya teba chicken wings; a Savoie white blend of Altesse and Jacquère for maguro carpaccio drizzled in a yuzu kosho dressing; a Sonoma Merlot for air-fried jidori chicken and wagyu beef tataki; and an Angelica dessert wine for black sesame ice cream.
I love my annual listening sessions with Dexter Gordon — always an intimate evening with my favorite jazz artist (and fellow Pisces) where I feel my soul at its deepest and inevitably realize something new about myself, especially alongside some excellent wines. Tower of Power — wowza! What an album. It is no wonder “Stanley the Steamer” stuck out in our minds that 2012 evening in Williamsburg. “Montmartre” goes straight into its upbeat yet seductive rhythm, while “The Rainbow People” rests for a beat, allowing for relaxed head swaying. “Stanley the Steamer” picks things back up with casual yet lively fanfare. Then “Those Were the Days” concludes with a slower synchronicity that has you thinking of wonderful days past and hopeful for ones to come.
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Cheers,
Stefie aka ‘Two Bottle Stef’ 💁🏻♀️✌️🍾
This is so cool! Let's listen to music together sometime!