Clifford Jordan
*On this date, in 1931, Clifford Jordan was born. He was a Black jazz tenor saxophone player.
Clifford Laconia Jordan was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. While in Chicago, he performed with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some rhythm and blues groups. He moved to New York City in 1957, after which he recorded three albums for Blue Note.
He recorded with Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson, and Kenny Dorham, among others. He was part of the Charles Mingus Sextet, with Eric Dolphy, during its 1964 European tour. Jordan toured Africa with Randy Weston and performed in Paris while living in Belgium. In later years, he led his groups, performed with Cedar Walton's quartet Eastern Rebellion and led a big band.
Jordan married Shirley Jordan, a designer and former owner of Clothing Manufacturing Corporation in New York. He later married Sandy Jordan (née Williams), a graphic artist and Honorary Founders Board member of the Jazz Foundation of America. Clifford Jordan died of lung cancer at 61 in New York City on March 27, 1993.
