“[My mother told me] stories about Nat King Cole, and Miles Davis, and seeing pictures in later years with band leaders like Alvino Ray.” YearsStoriesMotherLeaderSeeingKingsBandMilesRays Author:Jon Gordon
“I asked all through third, fourth and fifth grade, when they were asking kids to be in the band, to be in the school band. But they wouldn't let me do it.” KidsSchoolBandThirdsLet MeAskingGradesFourthFifthFifth GradeSchool Band Author:Jon Gordon
“I finally got to junior high and I got to start saxophone. There were a few of us that were in the beginner band in sixth grade that made it to the advanced band, which was called the morning band at our junior high school in Staten Island.” MadeSchoolMorningBandHigh SchoolMade ItIslandsGradesJuniorsBeginnersSaxophoneJunior HighSixth GradeHigh School Junior Author:Jon Gordon
“We had a great educator [in the school band], a man named Larry Laurenzano. He was tough, but we knew that he loved us. And that was the beginning of playing music with people and really being inspired and having fun and being in a community.” PeopleMenSchoolFunCommunityBandToughInspiredHaving FunEducatorPlaying MusicLarrySchool Band Author:Jon Gordon
“We still talk about [school band]. Almost 40 years later. It's like people are talking about, "Man we need to have a morning band reunion".” PeopleMenNeedsYearsStillsSchoolTalkingMorningBandReunionSchool Band Author:Jon Gordon
“Walk down Forest Ave to Joey's Pizza like we used to do after performances, which doesn't exist anymore. We had a sense of community [in the school band].” SchoolUsedCommunityWalksBandPerformancesForestsPizzaJoeySchool Band Author:Jon Gordon
“I got to perform the [Jaques] Ibert Concertino Da Camera with a brilliant pianist at school named Chunga. I got to perform the [Alexander] Glazunov Concerto in senior year with our school orchestra and the Jewish Grossman orchestra. I won a scholarship from the Goldman band to perform the [Paul] Creston Concerto. Which I never played with them, but they still gave me the money.” YearsStillsSchoolBandCamerasBrilliantSeniorOrchestraScholarshipPianistSenior Year Author:Jon Gordon
“I would sit in at a jazz brunch [at sweet Basil] with Eddie Chamblee, who was a great tenor player. Really a kind man. The whole band was great.” MenKindWholePlayerSweetBandJazzTenorsBrunchBasilKind Man Author:Jon Gordon
“I went in [Sweet Basil band] and played with them, maybe half the gig for almost eight years or more.” YearsHalfSweetBandEightGigsBasil Author:Jon Gordon
“Sometimes I would go on Sundays and play with Doc Cheatham. I was also playing in a band of teenagers led by Don Sickler called Young Sounds, and The McDonald's Big Band led by Rich De Rosa and Justin Di Cioccio. All those guys were great educators and musicians and taught me a lot! Simultaneous to all this, another one of my musical fathers came into my life, Eddie Locke.” SometimesPlayBigsYoungGuyFatherSoundRichTaughtGoes OnBandMusicianMusicalTeenagerSundayEducatorMcdonaldsJustinRosaSimultaneous Author:Jon Gordon
“[Manhattan School Of Music] didn't' have a jazz undergraduate program at the time so I played a semester in the big band. There was a graduate program. But I wasn't really that involved in jazz yet.” BigsSchoolInvolvedBandProgramJazzGraduatesManhattanUndergraduateSemester Author:Jon Gordon
“Justin [Di Cioccio] was [at Laguardia School of Arts]. He later took over at Manhattan. But I knew Justin through the McDonald's band, which at the time I was finishing high school and starting college, I got involved with. I was not that heavily involved with the school at MSM my first year there. I took a semester off to start my 2nd year. Took classes I felt like taking during my third semester, but by the start of my third year, September of '86, they began the undergraduate jazz program and I joined that program.” YearsFirstsArtSchoolFeltClassCollegeInvolvedBandHigh SchoolProgramThirdsJazzStartingSeptemberFinishingManhattanMcdonaldsJustinUndergraduateSemester Author:Jon Gordon
“A tenor player named Bud Revels there at the time. A lot of really nice associations amongst the students. Garry Dial was a returning student. He actually got me on Red Rodney's band subbing a little bit. I gigged some with Red when I was 21 in 1988. So I had a lot of nice associations that came from [ Laguardia School of Arts]. But a lot of my education was going on in the clubs. Hearing music and sitting in.” LittlesArtSchoolBitsNicePlayerStudentsBandLittle BitSittingRedClubsHearingAssociationBudReally NiceTenorsHearing Music Author:Jon Gordon
“Hearing Phil [wood] a lot, those few years especially when I was going to hear music and Tom Harrell was in the band. Man that was incredible. Hearing Tom at that period, and hearing Phil in that period, and also [Charles] McPherson. Those three guys were very impactful. Very inspiring to me at the time.” MenYearsGuyThreePeriodsBandIncrediblesWoodsHearingTomsVery Inspiring Author:Jon Gordon
“I did do an off-Broadway show for about 15 months. '91 and '92. It was nice to have a steady paycheck for a while. It was Oliver Jackson and Earl May, Art Barron and myself were the house band. I was 24 and 25 at the time.” MayArtShowsHouseNiceMonthsBandSteadyBroadwayPaychecksBroadway Shows Author:Jon Gordon
“The first jazz cruise that I was on was '91. I played with Maria Schneider and John Fedchock's band. Got to meet some amazing people that week.” PeopleFirstsWeekBandJazzCruiseAmazing People Author:Jon Gordon
