Tenor man Dexter Gordon lived from 1923 to 1990. He developed aworldwide fame for his big, gutsy sound, his command of jazz vocabulary,and his ability to inspire audiences.“Tribute to Dexter” takes a signature lick of Gordon’s and works it intoprominence within two contrasting movements. The first movement, Blue,is lyrical and subtle in its treatment, with a steady, patternedaccompaniment created to facilitate ballad-tempo solos (written orimprovised). Boppin’, the second movement, uses offbeat rhythms todisplace the beat and create contrast. An effective and innovative way toend either a concert or to use as an encore.