Clifford Laconia Jordan (September 2, 1931 – March 27, 1993)
Early life and career
Jordan took music lessons from a young age, originally playing piano and later taking up the saxophone at age 13.
Jordan attended DuSable High School, where his classmates included John Gilmore and
Johnny Griffin.
He originally got his start leading a dance band before breaking into the rhythm and blues scene, as well as playing
bebop with the likes of
Max Roach and
Sonny Stitt.
New York City and touring
After moving to New York City in 1957, Jordan recorded three albums for Blue Note Records, the first of which,
Blowing in from Chicago featured
Horace Silver and
Art Blakey as well as his former schoolmate Gilmore as co-leader.
A series of notable collaborations followed - Jordan joined Silver's band, co-led a group with
Kenny Dorham,
and recorded as a sideman with J.J Johnson,
Lee Morgan,
Eric Dolphy, and
Joe Zawinul, to name a few.
In 1960, Jordan began performing with
Cedar Walton, a collaboration that would continue for the remainder of Jordan's career.
Jordan re-joined Eric Dolphy in 1964 as part of the Charles Mingus Sextet, which toured Europe and produced a number of live albums.
Return to New York and later career
Jordan moved back to New York City in late 1969, signing a deal with Strata East Records to record a trio of albums that mostly featured Jordan's own compositions.
The last of these,
Drink Plenty Water, was recorded in 1974 but remained unreleased until 2023.
The album features spoken-word from actor
David Smyrl and singing from Jordan, as well as a small vocal ensemble which included Jordan's daughter, Donna.
Jordan would continue to record prolifically throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with his ambitious Strata East projects contrasted by more straight-ahead offerings, such as the 1981 offering Hyde Park After Dark, which saw him return to his Chicago roots, playing hard bop with a group that included Norman Simmons, Victor Sproles, and Cy Touff.
In the early 1990s, Jordan began leading a big band in New York City, which would become a regular act at Eddie Condon's.
Personal life
Jordan was married to Shirley Jordan, a designer and former owner of The Clothes Gallery in New York.
He later married Sandy Jordan (née Williams), a graphic artist and Honorary Founders Board member of the Jazz Foundation of America.
Jordan died of lung cancer at the age of 61 in New York City. He was survived by a daughter, Donna Jewell Harris, (née Jordan), and a son, Eric Jordan.
Discography
As leader/co-leader
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1957: Blowing In from Chicago with John Gilmore (Blue Note, 1957)
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1957: Cliff Jordan (Blue Note, 1957)
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1957: Jenkins, Jordan and Timmons with John Jenkins and Bobby Timmons (New Jazz, 1957)
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1957: Cliff Craft (Blue Note, 1958)
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1960: Spellbound (Riverside, 1960)
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1961: A Story Tale with Sonny Red (Jazzland, 1961)
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1961: Starting Time (Jazzland, 1961)
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1961–1962: Bearcat (Jazzland, 1962)
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1965: (Atlantic Records, 1965)
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1966: Soul Fountain (Vortex Records, 1970)
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1969: In the World (Strata-East, 1972)
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1973: Glass Bead Games (Strata-East, 1974)
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1974: Half Note (SteepleChase, 1985)
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1974: Drink Plenty Water (Harvest Song, 2023)
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1975: Night of the Mark VII (Muse Records, 1975)
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1975: On Stage Vol. 1 (SteepleChase, 1977)
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1975: On Stage Vol. 2 (SteepleChase, 1978)
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1975: On Stage Vol. 3 (SteepleChase, 1979)
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1975: Firm Roots (SteepleChase, 1975)
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1975: The Highest Mountain (SteepleChase, 1975)
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1976: Remembering Me-Me (Muse, 1977)
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1977: Inward Fire (Muse, 1978)
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1978: The Adventurer (Muse, 1980)
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1978: Hello, Hank Jones (Eastworld, 1978)
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1981: Hyde Park After Dark (Bee Hive, 1981)
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1984: Repetition (Soul Note, 1984)
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1984: Dr. Chicago (Bee Hive, 1985)
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1984: Two Tenor Winner with Junior Cook (Criss Cross, 1985)
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1985: The Rotterdam Session with Philly Joe Jones and James Long (Audio Daddio, 1985)
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1986: Royal Ballads (Criss Cross, 1987)
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1987: Live at Ethell's (Mapleshade, 1990)
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1989: Blue Head with David "Fathead" Newman (Candid Records, 1990)
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1989: Masters from Different Worlds with Ran Blake (Mapleshade, 1994)
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1990?: Four Play with Richard Davis, James Williams & Ronnie Burrage (DIW Records, 1990)
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1990: Play What You Feel (Mapleshade, 1997)
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1989-1991: The Mellow Side of Clifford Jordan (Mapleshade, 1997)
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1991: Down Through the Years (Milestone, 1992)
As sideman
With Richard Davis
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Epistrophy & Now's the Time (Muse, 1972)
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Dealin' (Muse, 1974) – rec. 1973
With Eric Dolphy
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Conversations (FM, 1963) – rec. 1963
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Iron Man (Douglas International, 1968) – rec. 1963
With Art Farmer
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Mirage (Soul Note, 1982)
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You Make Me Smile (Soul Note, 1986) – rec. 1984
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(Contemporary, 1987)
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Blame It on My Youth (Contemporary, 1988)
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Ph.D. (Contemporary, 1989)
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Live at Sweet Basil (Evidence Records, 1994) – rec. 1992
With Carmen McRae
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Any Old Time (Denon, 1986)
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Carmen Sings Monk (Novus, 1990) – rec. 1988
With Charles Mingus
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Town Hall Concert (Jazz Workshop, 1964)
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(Fantasy Records, 1964)
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The Great Concert of Charles Mingus (America Records, 1971) – rec. 1964
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Mingus in Europe Volume I (Enja Records, 1980) – rec. 1964
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Mingus in Europe Volume II (Enja, 1980) – rec. 1964
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Astral Weeks (Moon, 1993) – rec. 1964
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Revenge! (Revenge, 1996) – rec. 1964
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Charles Mingus Sextet with Eric Dolphy Cornell 1964 (Blue Note, 2007) – rec. 1964
With Mingus Dynasty
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Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt/Paris, Vol. 1 (Soul Note, 1988)
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Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt/Paris, Vol. 2 (Soul Note, 1988)
With Lee Morgan
With Max Roach
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Percussion Bitter Sweet (Impulse!, 1961)
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It's Time (Impulse!, 1962)
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Speak, Brother, Speak! (Fantasy, 1962)
With Cedar Walton
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Spectrum (Prestige, 1968)
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The Electric Boogaloo Song (Prestige, 1969)
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A Night at Boomers, Vol. 1 (Muse, 1973)
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A Night at Boomers, Vol. 2 (Muse, 1973)
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The Pentagon (East Wind, 1976)
With others
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Paul Chambers, Paul Chambers Quintet (Blue Note, 1957)
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Sonny Clark, Sonny Clark Quintets (Blue Note, 1957) – the three tracks with Clifford Jordan reissued on My Conception, 2008 CD
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Dameronia, Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt Paris (Soul Note, 1994) – rec. 1989
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Dizzy Gillespie, To Bird with Love (Telarc Records, 1992)
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Slide Hampton, Roots (Criss Cross, 1985)
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John Hicks and Elise Wood, Luminous (Nilva, 1985)
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Andrew Hill, Shades (Soul Note, 1987)
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J. J. Johnson, J.J. Inc. (Columbia, 1960)
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Charles McPherson, Con Alma! (Prestige, 1965)
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Pony Poindexter, Pony's Express (Epic Records, 1962)
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Freddie Redd, Lonely City (Uptown, 1989)
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Dizzy Reece, Manhattan Project (Bee Hive, 1978)
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Sahib Shihab, The Jazz We Heard Last Summer (Savoy Records, 1957)
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Horace Silver, Further Explorations (Blue Note, 1958)
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Charles Tolliver, Music Inc. (Strata-East, 1971)
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Mal Waldron, What It Is (Enja, 1982)
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Joe Zawinul, Money in the Pocket (Atlantic, 1966)
External links
