“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
“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
“[Larry Laurenzano] gave me a junior high school saxophone to take to high school, because I was always taking one of our school horns home to practice and I couldn't afford to buy one. He gave my friend, Tyrone, a tuba and he gave me a junior high saxophone for each of us to use at Performing Arts High School with. My audition piece was selections from Rocky. We were not sophisticated. But we had some spirit about it. We enjoyed it, and it was a way out.” WayArtUseHomeSchoolSpiritPracticePiecesHigh SchoolMy FriendsEnjoyedPerformingSophisticatedAuditionsSelectionHornsJuniorsLarrySaxophoneJunior HighPerforming ArtsHigh School JuniorTubas Author:Jon Gordon
“Families that I lived with a little bit in junior high and quite a bit in high school and college. Just to have a safe, sane space with food and things like that. That's what I needed. And people were really kind and really generous. So I think the world kind of opened up my first years of performing arts, studying classical saxophone with Caesar DiMauro.” PeopleThinkingWorldYearsFirstsKindLittlesArtSchoolBitsSpaceStudyCollegeNeededSafeLittle BitHigh SchoolPerformingGenerousSaneJuniorsSaxophoneJunior HighPerforming Arts Author:Jon Gordon
“I never really had a classical saxophone set-up. I just had a middle of the road set up.” MiddleSaxophoneMiddle Of The Road Author:Jon Gordon
“I was finishing up at High School of Performing Arts and finally, by the end of junior year and start of senior year, made some progress as a 16 year-old classical saxophone player. But not really... not like how the legit cats do. But I love the [Jacques] Ibert, love [Alexander] Glazunov, love the [Paul] Creston.” YearsArtMadeEndsSchoolPlayerProgressHigh SchoolCatPerformingSeniorJuniorsFinishingSaxophonePerforming ArtsSenior YearJunior YearLegitFinishing Up Author:Jon Gordon
“I also met Charles McPherson around that time, end of high school. I was 17 and I had followed Phil around for a year and pestered him enough to finally give me saxophone lessons. So all of a sudden I've got Phil Woods and Charles McPherson around me.” GivingYearsEndsEnoughSchoolLessonsMetsHigh SchoolGive MeWoodsSaxophoneHigh School Ending Author:Jon Gordon
“I was studying with Joe Allard, which was great, as a saxophone student. Being able to study with Joe Allard was an incredible experience.” AbleStudyStudentsIncrediblesSaxophone Author:Jon Gordon
“We spent all day together [with Phil Wood] at that one particular lesson, which was maybe the third or fourth lesson, in from 11:00 in the morning to 11:00 at night. We often did a lot of varied things. It wasn't just about jazz language and the saxophone.” TogetherNightLanguageMorningParticularLessonsThirdsJazzWoodsFourthSaxophone Author:Jon Gordon
“[Winning the Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition]definitely opened some doors.” WinningDoorsCompetitionInternationalMonkSaxophone 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
“I'm very gratified that I had my little 15 minutes,or whatever [at the Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition]. It certainly didn't make me rich and famous. But it helped a little bit for a while.” LittlesBitsRichMinutesLittle BitCompetitionInternationalMonkSaxophone Author:Jon Gordon
“I was able to go over [Saxophone Competition] and work a little more in Europe. I'm thankful that those of kinds of things. Simultaneously, some nice things did come in. I got a nice festival that came in, in Virginia through that. There was a club that opened in DC in the famous Willard Hotel near the White House. And the club was called The Nest. I played there a few nights. Some musicians in Philly and D.C. kind of brought me down and got me on a couple things. So things opened up a little bit.” KindLittlesAbleNightHouseBitsWhiteNiceCoupleLittle BitMusicianEuropeDown AndCompetitionClubsHotelWhite HouseFestivalsNestsVirginiaNice ThingsSaxophoneSome NiceCouple Things Author:Jon Gordon
