Steve Jordan
Born(1919-01-15)January 15, 1919
New York City, U.S.
DiedSeptember 13, 1993(1993-09-13) (aged 74)
Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Guitarist

Steve Philip Jordan (January 15, 1919[1] – September 13, 1993)[2] was an American jazz guitarist.

Career

Jordan was born in New York City.[1] He considered himself a rhythm guitarist whose biggest influences were George Van Eps and Allan Reuss.[3] He received lessons from Reuss, who played rhythm guitar for Benny Goodman[4] In the early 1940s Jordan was a member of bands led by Will Bradley, Artie Shaw, and Teddy Powell.[3] After serving with the Navy in World War II, he returned to music as a member of bands led by Bob Chester, Freddie Slack, Glen Gray, Stan Kenton, Jimmy Dorsey, and Boyd Raeburn.[3]

When jobs for rhythm guitarists disappeared as big bands dwindled, Jordan became a studio musician for NBC.[3][4] During the 1950s, he worked with Gene Krupa, Mel Powell, Vic Dickenson, Charles Thompson, Buck Clayton, Ruby Braff, and Benny Goodman.[3] In the 1960s, he earned a living as a tailor, but from 1965 to 1972 he performed routinely with Tommy Gwaltney at Blues Alley in Washington, D.C.[3] His last job as sideman was with DC area band leader/drummer Brooks Tegler where he played strictly rhythm guitar for eight years and recorded two CD's ("Keep Em Flying" and "And Not Only That!"),[5] with Tegler, in that capacity. He was offered a job replacing Freddie Green in the Count Basie Orchestra, but he rejected it because he said he was too old to tour again.[3][4] His memoir, Rhythm Man, was published in the early 1990s.[3][4] Here Comes Mr. Jordan was his only album as a leader.[3]

Discography

As leader

  • Here Comes Mister Jordan (Fat Cat's Jazz, 1972)

As sideman

With Ruby Braff

  • At Newport (Verve, 1958)
  • Braff!! (Epic, 1956)
  • Hi-Fi Salute to Bunny (RCA Victor, 1957)

With Buck Clayton

  • How Hi the Fi (Columbia, 1954)
  • Jumpin' at the Woodside (Columbia, 1955)
  • All the Cats Join in (Columbia, 1956)
  • Cat Meets Chick (Columbia, 1956)
  • Buck Meets Ruby (Family, 1973)
  • Just a Groove (Vanguard, 1973)
  • Jam Sessions from the Vault (Columbia, 1988)

With others

References

  1. 1 2 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1325. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. "Steve Philip Jordan; Jazz Guitarist, 74". The New York Times. September 16, 1993. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Yanow, Scott (2013). The Great Jazz Guitarists. San Francisco: Backbeat. pp. 104–105. ISBN 978-1-61713-023-6.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Yanow, Scott. "Steve Jordan". AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  5. Tegler Tom Scanlan-'Rhythm Man'
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