“A man goes to the village to visit the wise man and he says to the wise man, “I feel like there are two dogs inside me. One dog is this positive, loving, kind, and gentle dog and then I have this angry, mean-spirited, and negative dog and they fight all the time. I don't know which is going to win.” The wise man thinks for a moment and he says, “I know which is going to win. The one you feed the most, so feed the positive dog.” ThinkingKnowsMenFeelsKindMeanTwoMomentsFightingWinningWiseDogNegativeAngryGentleVillageSpiritedMean SpiritedTwo Dogs Book:The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy Source: The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy
“Did you know you can take your bus anywhere you want to go? Say yes three times with me. Yes, yes, yes. You can take it to the movies, the beach or the North Pole. Just say where you want to go and believe that it will be so. Because every journey and ride begins with a desire to go somewhere and do something and if you have a desire then you also have the power to make it happen.” IfsKnowsWantBelieveHappensDesireThreeJourneyBeachBusThree TimesMake It HappenDid You KnowNorth PoleYes You Can Author:Jon Gordon
“I heard these stories [about musicians from my mother] and somehow music, it was my understanding what my father had done. I didn't know it was misinformation. It sort of inwardly in my psyche laid the template for music being affiliated with my father and my family.” KnowsDoneStoriesMotherFatherUnderstandingHeardMusicianMusic IsMy FamilyMisinformation Author:Jon Gordon
“We were poor [with my mother], and we didn't have too much. So we sat on the floor and we had a record player, and that's all we had in that room in the apartment. But we had whatever we had. Six records and a record player and it seemed like magic. Seven or eight years old, you know.” KnowsYearsMotherPoorRoomsRecordsToo MuchPlayerMagicSixSevenEightSatApartmentOld YouRecord Players Author:Jon Gordon
“When I was 13, 14, 15, I had played in a couple of jazz ensembles. I didn't know anything about harmony, about II-V-I, though I had learned my scales with Caesar [DiMauro].” KnowsCoupleHarmonyJazzScalesEnsemble Author:Jon Gordon
“Barry Harris had a club called Jazz Cultural Theater and there were sessions there on a regular basis. I remember being there and sitting in with [Charles] McPherson and Barry being there, and just smiling at me. He didn't talk to me much at the time, he just came up and gave me a smile, which meant a lot. I've since gotten to know him and been around him a little bit.” KnowsLittlesRememberBitsLittle BitSittingBasesTheaterJazzClubsSessionBeing ThereTalk To Me Author:Jon Gordon
“Phil [Wood] said to me in the car going back, he said, "Look man, you better know why you're playing this music. Because I've known too many who lived and died for it. And if you're not trying to change the world, I'm not interested."” IfsKnowsMenWorldTryingLooksSaidKnownCarMusic IsDiedWoodsChanging The WorldNot InterestedTrying To Change 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
“[Phil wood] put on some [Igor] Stravinsky and say to follow the score, tell me to play me the opening to the Rite of Spring. Or, "I'm going to play you some 20th century obscure classical composer you don't know". Or, "Let's listen to some Charles Ives, let's sight read some Bartok violin duets", etc.” KnowsPlayCenturySpringSightWoodsOpeningScoreEtcComposerObscure20th CenturyViolinRiteDuetsStravinskyClassical ComposersBartok Author:Jon Gordon
“[Charlie Parker] was kind of a sponge and intrigued by it all.That's similar to what Phil [Woods] told me about Bird, too. Like he was into cooking. He was just into a lot of things. Yeah, it's about dealing with bebop and jazz and Trane [John Coltrain] and post-Trane and knowing the history. But you've got to live. You have to experience things. Know something in this world. So it was a very deep education about what it means to try and be an artist.” KnowsWorldTryingKindMeanArtistKnowingThis WorldBirdYeahCookingJazzWoodsPostsCharlieIntriguedVery DeepSpongesBebop Author:Jon Gordon
“I don't know that there was a moment, like one specific moment where I was like "Ugh. Now what do I do?" I was just always like, "I'm just in here and if I have to fight with myself or ask for help or just be lost for a little while, but I'm just going to keep looking." Because music was all I had.” IfsKnowsLittlesMomentsHelpingFightingAsksLostUgh Author:Jon Gordon
“I never got to play with Art [ Blakey], but he was kind and spoke to me a number of times. He said, "You know, the people who are working 40 hours a week. Those are the ones who are really paying dues. Sitting at a desk doing the same thing every day. We're really blessed to do what we do."” PeopleKnowsKindArtSaidPlayHoursNumbersWeekSittingBlessedDuesSpokesDesks 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
