I was also sitting in from the middle of senior year of high school at Sweet Basil, it was a great club… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
Families that I lived with a little bit in junior high and quite a bit in high school and college. Just to… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
I had a great year with Bob Mintzer [at Laguardia School of Arts]. Bob is great. We could have just brought the… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
I wasn't expecting [the Monk competition] would necessarily do that. So I just did what I did and some good things continued… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
I've been thankful to work with some wonderful people and sort of combine forces with some folks that... like in recent years,… — 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
[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 learned some classical music history, which I had done quite a bit at of Performing Arts. But I got some more… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
Everybody wants the quick fix, but it doesn't happen overnight. You have to be willing to put it out there. I call… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
When I got to Performing Arts, within the first week, a few days, Bill Charlap walked in and couldn't read music but… — 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 also met Charles McPherson around that time, end of high school. I was 17 and I had followed Phil around for… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
I did, I was in Europe a lot. I would say, mid 20s to late 30s. Less so in the last ten… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
Earlier that year [1996], Ronnie Scott came to Visiones when I was playing with Maria and he hired me to come and… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
I think we're in a time and place, the last 20 plus years, and certainly now, it's only more so, where it's… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
I think what frustrated me more than anything else in my formative years was that I just had to work. I had… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
By the latter part of high school, by the middle of junior year in high school, Jay Rodriguez played me some Irakere… — 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
I was finishing up at High School of Performing Arts and finally, by the end of junior year and start of senior… — 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
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
[Eddie Locke] had a huge impact in my life. He was a great jazz drummer. He was mentored by Papa Joe Jones… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
Teaching has definitely become a big part of my life in the past ten plus years. As it often does for many… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
We were poor [with my mother], and we didn't have too much. So we sat on the floor and we had a… — 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 Image
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 Image
“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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image