[My mother told me] stories about Nat King Cole, and Miles Davis, and seeing pictures in later years with band leaders like… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
I went in [Sweet Basil band] and played with them, maybe half the gig for almost eight years or more. — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
[Manhattan School Of Music] didn't' have a jazz undergraduate program at the time so I played a semester in the big band.… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
I would sit in at a jazz brunch [at sweet Basil] with Eddie Chamblee, who was a great tenor player. Really a… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
We still talk about [school band]. Almost 40 years later. It's like people are talking about, "Man we need to have a… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
Walk down Forest Ave to Joey's Pizza like we used to do after performances, which doesn't exist anymore. We had a sense… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
I asked all through third, fourth and fifth grade, when they were asking kids to be in the band, to be in… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
The first jazz cruise that I was on was '91. I played with Maria Schneider and John Fedchock's band. Got to meet… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
We had a great educator [in the school band], a man named Larry Laurenzano. He was tough, but we knew that he… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
I did do an off-Broadway show for about 15 months. '91 and '92. It was nice to have a steady paycheck for… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
I finally got to junior high and I got to start saxophone. There were a few of us that were in the… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
Hearing Phil [wood] a lot, those few years especially when I was going to hear music and Tom Harrell was in the… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
I got to perform the [Jaques] Ibert Concertino Da Camera with a brilliant pianist at school named Chunga. I got to perform… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
Sometimes I would go on Sundays and play with Doc Cheatham. I was also playing in a band of teenagers led by… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
A tenor player named Bud Revels there at the time. A lot of really nice associations amongst the students. Garry Dial was… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
Justin [Di Cioccio] was [at Laguardia School of Arts]. He later took over at Manhattan. But I knew Justin through the McDonald's… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
Joe Henderson, who I maybe, to me, if I had to pick one improviser in my life that I saw live that blew my… — Jon Gordon Copy Share
Benny Carter came up to me and said to me, "You know, in the whole history of the alto, I think Phil is the… — Jon Gordon Copy Share
“know that I’m not a human being having a spiritual experience. I’m a spiritual being having a human experience.” — Jon Gordon Copy Share
It's very unlikely you're a genius, but, if you're ready to work at it hard and you want to listen to music all the… — Jon Gordon Copy Share
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… — Jon Gordon Copy Share
I just lucked into a lot of good people man. In my life and through friends, and in the music, that really embraced me… — Jon Gordon Copy Share
Every morning you have a choice. Are you going to be a positive thinker or a negative thinker? Positive thinking will energize you. — Jon Gordon Copy Share
I was occasionally getting calls for some things. But I would say, 22 to 29 was a lot of scuffling. Hoping to get called… — Jon Gordon Copy Share
There are a lot of people that impacted me. I remember hearing Oscar Peterson live at the Blue Note, which was very expensive, but...… — Jon Gordon Copy Share
There's a lot of good people out here that want to help you grow and to help the music to continue to grow and… — Jon Gordon Copy Share
Ernie Hayes, Jimmy Lewis, and either Belton Evans or Khalil Mahdi on drums [were in Sweet Basil]. All those guys really took care of… — Jon Gordon Copy Share
A true leader doesn't lead to gain power. They lead to empower and give power away. — Jon Gordon Copy Share
We had Bob's [Gordon] records, and he's on Clifford Brown's first record as a leader. I believe it was Clifford Brown's first record as… — Jon Gordon Copy Share
Another classical music teacher from Performing Arts that I've stayed in contact with is Jonathan Strasser. — Jon Gordon Copy Share
![“[My mother told me] stories about Nat King Cole, and Miles Davis, and seeing pictures in later years with band leaders like Alvino Ray.” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e42/jon-gordon-1655_band_my-mother-told-me-stories-about-nat-king_1548773.png)
![“I went in [Sweet Basil band] and played with them, maybe half the gig for almost eight years or more.” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/jon-gordon-1655_band_i-went-in-sweet-basil-band-and-played-wi_1506826.png)
![“[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.” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/196/jon-gordon-1655_band_manhattan-school-of-music-didn-t-have-a_2867269.jpg)
![“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.” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/jon-gordon-1655_band_i-would-sit-in-at-a-jazz-brunch-at-sweet_1147668.png)
![“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".” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1a/jon-gordon-1655_band_we-still-talk-about-school-band-almost-4_2935248.png)
![“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].” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1b/jon-gordon-1655_band_walk-down-forest-ave-to-joey-s-pizza-lik_2834884.png)
![“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.” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dd/jon-gordon-1655_band_we-had-a-great-educator-in-the-school-ba_592776.png)
![“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…” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/jon-gordon-1655_band_hearing-phil-wood-a-lot-those-few-years_2009771.png)
![“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]…” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/jon-gordon-1655_band_i-got-to-perform-the-jaques-ibert-concer_3097906.png)
![“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…” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/275/jon-gordon-1655_art_justin-di-cioccio-was-at-laguardia-schoo_2555432.jpg)