In the summer issue of dig!, Steve Kirby introduced Jon Gordon, one of the guest faculty at the U of M Summer Jazz Camp in August. The good news is that he’s staying!

Jon Gordon has now been formally named the new saxophone professor in the Jazz Studies program at the University of Manitoba. He brings with him a wealth of experience on stages around the world, an infectious enthusiasm for the music, and a genuine passion for teaching.

He says that teaching is becoming more important to him as his career unfolds. He realizes how fortunate he was to have had some really good teachers (“who were also really nice to me!”) and he feels a certain responsibility comes with that good fortune. “I got to talk to Jay McShann and Benny Carter and Cab Calloway,” he says, “and since those folks aren’t here, at least I can pass along some of that experience second-hand.”

For him, teaching is a valuable pursuit, no matter how high a level you’re achieving as a musician. As he puts it, “teaching is a very humbling thing—you’re always relearning things, rediscovering things, being re-inspired by things…”

Gordon is excited about being part of the jazz renaissance in Winnipeg. He’d heard great things about the city and the Jazz Studies program from Jimmy Greene, George Colligan, and Steve Wilson, plus he knows Steve Kirby from their student days at the Manhattan School of Music.

His first impressions of Winnipeg? The weather has been beautiful, the Jazz Camp students are eager to learn, and he’s finding his way around pretty well. If you missed him at the Jazz Camp Faculty concert in August, make your way to the Cool Wednesday Night Hang, hear him light his saxophone on fire, then welcome him to our community. We’re lucky to have him!