In this episode of Jazz Cruises Conversations, recorded live on the recent Journey of Jazz cruise, trumpeter and educator Sean Jones interviews fellow brassman Wycliffe Gordon about his remarkable life and storied career in music. Jones and Gordon share a similar background, both having Georgia roots and musical beginnings in the church and gospel tradition. The conversation covers Wycliffe Gordon's formative years, his pivotal experiences playing with Wynton Marsalis, and his successful solo career.
Key Takeaways
- Early Musical Roots: Wycliffe Gordon grew up in rural Georgia, in towns like Wesboro and Augusta. His father played and studied classical music, using a reel-to-reel recorder to play music by composers like Beethoven, Mozart, Schuman, and Schubert. His introduction to hearing live music was primarily through the church, where his father played the piano and organ.
- The Trombone and Jazz: Gordon was introduced to the trombone in the seventh grade (age 12). His fundamental musical syntax is rooted in the church. His introduction to jazz came around age 13 or 14 from a five-record compilation set, likely on Columbia or CBS, called an "anthology of jazz, 10 sides," which spanned from early slave chants to modern jazz. He was captivated by the music of Louis Armstrong, particularly the tune "Keyhole Blues".
- High School Experience: Wycliffe Gordon participated in the McDonald's All-American High School band in the summer of 1984, his senior year. This experience offered him many "firsts," including his first time on an airplane and his first trip to New York. His future wife was also in that band, as one of the two participants from Kentucky.
- Work with Wynton Marsalis: Gordon was the seventh member to join Wynton Marsalis’s Septet. Later, he was part of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JALCO), having first dibs on a spot when the Septet disbanded in 1995.
- Transition to Solo Career and Education: He left Wynton's band to pursue other things, including a teaching position at Michigan State. He started his own record company because a Blue Note executive told him that the "trombone just doesn't sell".
- The Wynton Tip: Wycliffe recounts the story of meeting Wynton Marsalis during a workshop at Florida A&M, where Marsalis was impressed by his ability to quickly generate a riff based on the call-and-response tradition of the church. This led to a brief trial gig in Texas, where he was initially sent home for not being ready, but returned after dedicated practice, eventually leading to his first recording with Marsalis on Crescent City Christmas Card in 1989.
- Multi-Instrumentalism: Gordon discusses playing various trombones (tenor, bass, alto) and the slide trumpet, emphasizing that the one he likes most is the one he is playing at the time. Sean Jones highlights that Wycliffe is also an amazing trumpet player, citing his tribute album, Hello Pops.
- Education Philosophy: When asked about encouraging fundamentals and individuality in students, Wycliffe and Sean Jones discuss the challenge of engaging young people and fostering accountability and critical thinking skills. Sean Jones shares a story about vulnerability and emotional expression with students in the National Youth Orchestra of Jazz (NYO
Send us a text
- Listen to more episodes of Jazz Cruises Conversations on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. The back catalog contains more than a hundred interviews from past sailings.
- Theme Music: Provided by Marcus Miller from his song "High Life" on his album Afrodeezia on Blue Note.
