Max Gordon (12 March 1903 – 11 May 1989) was a jazz promoter who founded the Village Vanguard jazz club in New York City.
Born in Lithuania, Gordon settled with his family in Portland, Oregon, where he later attended Reed College.
Defying his parents' wishes that he become a lawyer, he moved to New York and eventually opened the Vanguard in 1935. The Vanguard initially offered comedy and poetry, segueing into folk music and jazz in the 1950s.[1]