“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
“There's a story about when President Lyndon Johnson visited NASA and as he was walking the halls he came across a janitor who was cleaning up a storm, like the Energizer bunny with a mop in his hand. The president walked over to the janitor and told him he was the best janitor he has ever seen and the janitor replied, "Sir, I'm not just a janitor, I helped put a man on the moon." See, even though he was cleaning floors he had a bigger purpose and vision for his life. This is what kept him going and helped him excel in his job.” MenStoriesHandsJobsPurposePresidentVisionWalkingMoonBiggerStormHallsCleaningJohnsonNasaBunniesCleaning UpJanitorPresident Lyndon Johnson 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
“When I was a kid, I always saw these pictures of a man called Bob Gordon with a baritone saxophone, who I understood was my father. Turns out he wasn't. He was my mother's first husband.” MenFirstsKidsMotherTurnsFatherSawsHusbandUnderstoodBobSaxophoneBaritones 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
“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 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
“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
“There's a famous story about Dizzy [Gillespie] and Art Blakey taking him aside, and spending a whole night-long talk with [Phil Wood], "Man we believe in you. You can play. So don't be walking around with a frown on your face or whatever, getting yourself into trouble. You have got a gift, and nobody is going to take that away from you." So that meant the world to him.” MenWorldBelieveLongArtPlayWholeStoriesFacesNightTroubleWalkingWoodsSpendingYour FaceBelieve In YouAway From YouDizzy Author:Jon Gordon
“Sometimes you think "Okay, well I'm going to play my horn, and I'm going to study Charlie "Bird" Parker solos or [John Coltrain] or whatever." But as [Phil Wood] said to me, "Man, Bird listened to everything."” ThinkingMenWellsSaidSometimesPlayStudyBirdOkayWoodsSoloHornsCharlie 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 saw a nice interview with Dave Binney recently. He was saying, "Man it was never easy. It's not like 'Oh wow, the good old days.' What, when certain people couldn't vote?" There was more work for musicians in the '40s, '50s, '60s. But I don't think it was ever easy.” PeopleThinkingMenCertainEasySawsNiceMusicianVoteInterviewsWowOld DaysDaveGood Old Days 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
