Steve Jordan

One of the last of the acoustic rhythm guitarists, Steve Jordan kept the Freddie Green/Allan Reuss tradition going into the 1990s. He actually studied early on with Reuss (Benny Goodman’s rhythm guitarist), and Jordan was always much more interested in being part of a rhythm section than becoming a notable soloist. He was a member of the Will Bradley Orchestra during 1939-1941, was with Artie Shaw for four months during 1941-1942, and played with Teddy Powell for two weeks before joining the Navy. After his discharge, Jordan worked with Bob Chester, Freddie Slack, Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra, Stan Kenton (1947), Jimmy Dorsey, and Boyd Raeburn. With the end of the big-band era, Jordan became a studio musician for NBC and freelanced. Among the many artists who he recorded with were Gene Krupa, Mel Powell, Vic Dickenson, Sir Charles Thompson (the last three as part of John Hammond’s mainstream series for Vanguard), Buck Clayton, Ruby Braff, Benny Goodman (with whom he played on and off during 1953-1957), Wild Bill Davison, Clancy Hayes, Buddy Tate, Helen Ward (1979), and Ed Polcer. Jordan was less active in the early 1960s (working for a time outside of music as a tailor) but he worked regularly with Tommy Gwaltney at Blues Alley in Washington D.C. during 1965-1972, and appeared in a wide variety of swing and mainstream groups from the mid-’60s on. Steve Jordan (who turned down the opportunity to be Freddie Green’s successor with the Count Basie Orchestra) recorded his only album as a leader in 1972 for Fat Cat Jazz. The guitarist wrote his memoirs, Rhythm Man, which was published by the University of Michigan Press in 1991. ~ Scott Yanow