"Jon is one of the greatest alto players ever." -Phil Woods
"Gordon has embraced the history of his instrument, carrying with it the ability to extend music as a universal language."
- Wayne Shorter
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, Larry Goldings, Ben Monder, Peter Bernstein, Leon Parker et al.
Since that time, he has worked with Maria Schneider, Ron McClure, Clark Terry, Benny Carter, Phil Woods, T.S. Monk, TanaReid, Bill Mays, The Vanguard orchestra, Bill Charlap, Ray Barreto, Mark Turner, George Colligan, Chico Hamilton, Jimmy Cobb, Ben Riley, Harry Connick jr., Bob Mintzer, Bill Mobley, and the N.Y. 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, and Harold Nicholas.
Jon has led his own groups at various European , Canadian and U.S. jazz festivals and clubs including, Ronnie Scott's and The Pizza Express (London), The Sunside, The 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 festiival. He has performed as a sideman at dozens of other festivals, clubs and concert halls around the world.
Recent N.Y. 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, And The Charlie Parker Festival.
In November of 1996, Jon won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. Judges for this important event were Wayne Shorter, Jackie McLean, Joe Lovano, Jimmy Heath and Joshua Redman.
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