“If I could have picked two guys on the planet, to have some exposure to at that age, those were the two right guys [Phil Woods and Charles McPherson].” IfsTwoAgeGuyPlanetsWoodsIf I CouldExposureTwo GuysRight Guy Author:Jon Gordon
“Ernie Hayes, Jimmy Lewis, and either Belton Evans or Khalil Mahdi on drums [were in Sweet Basil]. All those guys really took care of me.” CareGuySweetJimmyBasilMahdi 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
“I just lucked into a lot of good people man. In my life and through friends, and in the music, that really embraced me and took care of me. I'm a lucky guy.” PeopleMenCareGuyLuckyGood PeopleLucky Guy 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
“Benny Carter came up to me and said to me, "You know, in the whole history of the alto, I think Phil is the guy we should all be emulating." The king! So look, I'm so blessed that my first hero took me in.” ThinkingKnowsShouldFirstsLooksSaidWholeGuyKingsHeroBlessedCarter Author:Jon Gordon
“When [Charlie Parker] saw the young guys, especially the ones that were scuffling... "Did you eat today?" And if you hadn't eaten, he'd take you and buy you some lunch.” IfsTodayYoungGuySawsLunchCharlieYoung Guys Author:Jon Gordon
“You hear about the struggles with substances and all that, but [Phil Wood] was a really a great guy. This was a great man.” MenGuyStruggleWoodsSubstanceGreat MenGreat Guy Author:Jon Gordon
“Percy France told me, similarly, he and Bird used to hang out. They were good buddies. And he said, "Man, we'd just walk through town, sometimes with our horns. And we'd walk by past an Irish bar. And you'd stand outside and check out the music. And Bird would go in and sit in with these traditional Irish musicians. Then we'd past a Greek restaurant and we'd hear that. And Charles "Bird" Parker would go sit in with those guys. He was just listening to everything, reacting to everything.” MenSaidSometimesPastUsedGuyWalksListeningMusicianBirdTownsBarsChecksTraditionalFranceGreekRestaurantsHanging OutStanding OutHornsBuddyJust ListenReacting Author:Jon Gordon
“I was [ on Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition] with Ralph Bowen, and Joel Frahm, Jimmy Greene, John Ellis. You can't play the saxophone better than any of those guys play. So many of those things that those guys could do I wish I could do now, let alone then.” PlayGuyWishCompetitionInternationalMonkJimmySaxophone Author:Jon Gordon
“A guy like Scott [Robinson] plays the whole history of music on every instrument you've ever heard of. He's just kind of an unparalleled genius.” KindPlayWholeGuyHeardGeniusInstrumentsHistory Of Music Author:Jon Gordon
“Now we also need people who just love to listen to the music. And we need people that want to work to facilitate it. That want to do work, have somebody like Bret Primack, the jazz video guy.” PeopleWantNeedsGuyJazzVideoFacilitate Author:Jon Gordon
“There are great jazz educators that I meet all the time. I met a guy named Paul Luchessi who has a high school jazz program in Fresno. And Bob Athayde who runs a junior high program in Lafayette, California. And man, we walked into these schools and Paul Luchessi said, "Jon is the composer of Paradox." A hundred or something kids started to applaud. "What? You guys know that? I'm so blown away.” KnowsMenSaidRunningKidsSchoolGuyMetsHundredHigh SchoolProgramJazzCaliforniaParadoxComposerBobJuniorsEducatorJunior HighBlown AwayLafayette Author:Jon Gordon
