Jordan, Steve (actually, Stephen Philip)
Jordan, Steve (actually, Stephen Philip)
Jordan, Steve (actually, Stephen Philip), jazz guitarist; b. N.Y., Jan.15, 1919; d. Alexandria, Va., Sept. 13, 1993. He studied with Allan Reuss. In 1939, he landed his first professional job with the Will Bradley-Ray McKinley Band for two years, then spent a year with Artie Shaw. From 1942-A5, he was in the navy, serving in “Saxie” Dowell’s Service Band. After WWII, he worked with a number of bands, including Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Band (1945–48), Stan Kenton (1948), and Boyd Raeburn (1949), and then worked on production staff at NBC for two years (1950–52). He played with Benny Goodman from summer 1954 until spring 1957. Jordan worked as tailor in N.Y. and Washington in late 1950s and early 1960s. In 1965, recommenced regular playing with group led by clarinettist/vibist Tom Gwaltney at the Blues Alley Club, in Washington, D.C. He worked in the club’s house band in the 1970s. Late in life, he returned to the stage for a concert tour of Japan in 1992. He died of heart failure at his home.
—John Chilton, Who‘s Who of Jazz/Lewis Porter