Jon Gordon
A native New Yorker, saxophonist and composer Jon Gordon was born into a musical family and began playing at age ten. In addition to private saxophone studies, he attended Performing Arts High School and won numerous competitions, including the Julius Grossman, Goldman Band, and Performing Arts Concerto competitions. This led to performances as a soloist with the Julius Grossman Orchestra, Goldman Band, and the Performing Arts Orchestra.
In his mid-teens Jon’s love for jazz was sparked after a friend played him a Phil Woods record. He began sitting in regularly with Eddie Chamblee at Sweet Basil and started lessons with Phil Woods. From 1984-88 he attended Manhattan School of Music. During this time Jon began sitting in with Charles McPherson, Doc Cheatham, Phil Woods, Mike Stern, Jacky Terrason, and others, as well as working professionally with Red Rodney, Roy Eldridge, Barney Kessel, Al Grey, Eddie Locke, Mike LeDonne, Mel Lewis, Doc Cheatham, Leni Stern, Larry Goldings, Ben Monder, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart, Billy Drummond, Bill Mays, Leon Parker et al. Since that time, he has worked with Maria Schneider, Clark Terry, Benny Carter, Phil Woods, Ron McClure, T.S. Monk, Tana Reid, The Vanguard Orchestra, Bill Charlap, Ray Barreto, Mark Turner, George Colligan, Chico Hamilton, Jimmy Cobb, Ben Riley, Harry Connick jr., Bob Mintzer, Bill Mobley, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett, Corrine Bailey Rae, John Scofield, Kenny Wheeler, Lewis Nash, Roland Hannah, Peter Washington, Kenny Washington, The Prism Saxophone Quartet, The Carolina Philharmonic, The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Pops Orchestra among many others.
Jon also appears regularly as a member of the Jazz Nativity, whose other featured artists have included Tito Puente, Ron Carter, Dave Brubeck, Savion Glover, Slide Hampton, Steve Turre, Wycliffe Gordon, Ingrid Jensen, Harold Nicholas and others. Jon has led his own groups at various European, Canadian, and U.S. jazz festivals and clubs including Ronnie Scott’s and Pizza Express (London), Sunside/Sunset and La Villa (Paris), the Brecon Jazz Festival (Wales); the Oslo Jazz Festival, the Ottowa Jazz Festival; the Royal Caribbean Floating Jazz Festival, Savannah on Stage, the Savannah Jazz Festival and the Wolftrap Festival. He has performed as a sideman at dozens of other festivals, clubs and concert halls around the world. New York appearances include stints at the Blue Note, Birdland, Iridum, Smalls, The Jazz Standard, Jazz in July at the 92nd Street Y, the JVC Jazz Festival, the Village Vanguard, Fat Cat, The Kitano, Dizzy’s Club, and the Charlie Parker Festival. In November of 1996, Jon won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. Judges for this event were Wayne Shorter, Jackie McLean, Joe Lovano, Jimmy Heath, and Joshua Redman.
In addition to performing, Jon Gordon is an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba.
Visit jongordonmusic.com for more information.
