Adversity is not a dead end but a detour to a better outcome than you can imagine! — Jon Gordon Adversity Copy Share Image
I remember Art Blakey saying to me, "Just remember, we're blessed to do what we do." — Jon Gordon Art Copy Share Image
I never got discouraged for long, but we all got our butts kicked musically. — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
Sense of community was really fostered by Larry Laurenzano, who was a great educator. — Jon Gordon Community Copy Share Image
A true leader doesn't lead to gain power. They lead to empower and give power away. — Jon Gordon Empowering Copy Share Image
[Charles McPherson] was kind enough to go to a record gig of mine where we recorded a song of his. — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
[Phil Wood] was a great artist, and he knew things. He could be mildly conversant in several languages. — Jon Gordon Art Copy Share Image
You hear about the struggles with substances and all that, but [Phil Wood] was a really a great guy. This was a… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
No challenge can stop you if you have the courage to keep moving forward in the face of your greatest fears and… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
When [Charlie Parker] saw the young guys, especially the ones that were scuffling... "Did you eat today?" And if you hadn't eaten,… — 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
Negative people often tend to create negative cultures whereas positive corporate cultures are created by positive people. — Jon Gordon Corporate 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… — Jon Gordon Care Copy Share Image
I was commuting three to four hours a day, I had jobs for much of it. But I was always involved in… — Jon Gordon Community 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 Art 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 Drummer Copy Share Image
I saw a nice interview with Dave Binney recently. He was saying, "Man it was never easy. It's not like 'Oh wow,… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
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… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
Many of the people I'm gratified to see have gotten acclaim like Mark Turner or Bill Charlap. Ed Simon or Maria Schneider… — 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
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… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
[Charlie "Bird" Parker] would sit down and ask [Phil Wood], "What do you think about this whole secondary Viennese school with Schoenberg,… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
[Larry Laurenzano] gave me a junior high school saxophone to take to high school, because I was always taking one of our… — Jon Gordon Art Copy Share Image
I left school December of 1988. I was 21 at the time. And I hadn't quite finished my degree because I had… — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
There are great jazz educators that I meet all the time. I met a guy named Paul Luchessi who has a high… — Jon Gordon Blown away 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 Art Copy Share Image
I have worked in the homes of many successful people and have seen firsthand that everyone fails in life, but failure can… — Jon Gordon Adversity Copy Share Image
A man goes to the village to visit the wise man and he says to the wise man, “I feel like there… — Jon Gordon Angry 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 Art Copy Share Image
If you are complaining you can't be thinking about or creating what you do want. — Jon Gordon Copy Share Image
The best thing you can do is just go and have fun with [competition]. — Jon Gordon Best thing Copy Share Image
You are not a true success unless you are helping others be successful. — Jon Gordon Being successful Copy Share Image
When you experience resistance, you find the lessons that you are meant to learn — Jon Gordon Education Copy Share Image
One negative person can create a miserable office environment for everyone else. — Jon Gordon Environment Copy Share Image
![“I love to see people recognized [me on scene].” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/jon-gordon-1655_love_i-love-to-see-people-recognized-me-on-sc_3163122.png)
![“[Charles McPherson] was kind enough to go to a record gig of mine where we recorded a song of his.” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21c/jon-gordon-1655_enough_charles-mcpherson-was-kind-enough-to-go_2291176.png)
![“[Phil Wood] was a great artist, and he knew things. He could be mildly conversant in several languages.” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/jon-gordon-1655_art_phil-wood-was-a-great-artist-and-he-knew_576942.png)
![“You hear about the struggles with substances and all that, but [Phil Wood] was a really a great guy. This was a great man.” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/jon-gordon-1655_great-guy_you-hear-about-the-struggles-with-substa_964059.png)
![“When [Charlie Parker] saw the young guys, especially the ones that were scuffling... "Did you eat today?" And if you hadn't eaten, he'd take you and buy you some lunch.” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb1/jon-gordon-1655_charlie_when-charlie-parker-saw-the-young-guys-e_1498226.png)
![“[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)
![“[Eddie Locke] had a huge impact in my life. He was a great jazz drummer. He was mentored by Papa Joe Jones and he played for many years with Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge and actually got me on a gig with Roy Eldridge when I was 20 that I'll never forget.” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c5/jon-gordon-1655_drummer_eddie-locke-had-a-huge-impact-in-my-life_3109910.jpg)
![“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 a leader and had the original versions of Daahoud and Joy Spring that were arranged by Bob's best friend, the West Coast tenor player named Jack Montrose, who I…” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/jon-gordon-1655_believe_we-had-bob-s-gordon-records-and-he-s-on_213132.png)
![“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.” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/jon-gordon-1655_apartment_we-were-poor-with-my-mother-and-we-didn_3229414.png)
![“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.” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fd/jon-gordon-1655_bits_i-m-very-gratified-that-i-had-my-little_744660.png)
![“[Charlie "Bird" Parker] would sit down and ask [Phil Wood], "What do you think about this whole secondary Viennese school with Schoenberg, Berg and Webern? Are you listening to that music and what do you feel about it?" These were the conversations that he was having. And he also said, what he…” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/jon-gordon-1655_asks_charlie-bird-parker-would-sit-down-and-a_1110923.png)
![“[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…” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/jon-gordon-1655_art_larry-laurenzano-gave-me-a-junior-high-s_1950287.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)
![“The best thing you can do is just go and have fun with [competition].” quote by Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/jon-gordon-1655_best-thing_the-best-thing-you-can-do-is-just-go-and_3207190.png)
