Wycliffe Gordon
| Wycliffe Gordon | |
|---|---|
Photo by Frank Kramer
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| Background information | |
| Born |
May 29, 1967 Waynesboro, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Trombone |
| Labels | WJ3, Chesky, Criss Cross |
| Associated acts | Randy Sandke, Maurice Hines, Wynton Marsalis |
| Website | www |
Wycliffe A. Gordon (born May 29, 1967) is an American jazz trombonist, arranger, composer, band leader, and music educator at the collegiate-conservatory level. Gordon also sings and plays didgeridoo, trumpet, tuba, and piano.
Gordon was born in Waynesboro, Georgia into a religious and musical background that influenced the early direction of his music. His father, Lucius Gordon (1936–1997), was a church organist at several churches in Burke County, Georgia and a classical pianist and teacher. Gordon took an interest in jazz in 1980 when he was thirteen, while listening to jazz records inherited from his great-aunt. The collection included a five-LP anthology produced by Sony-Columbia. In particular, he was drawn to musicians like Louis Armstrong and the Hot Fives and Hot Sevens
At that age, he was attending Sego Junior High School in Augusta, Georgia, where his band director was trombonist Don Milford. Gordon graduated in 1985 from Butler High School in Augusta. He performed in New York City as part of the McDonald's High School All-American Band. He then studied music at Florida A&M, where he played in the marching band.
His early works as a professional were with Wynton Marsalis, but in recent years he has expanded beyond swing and has experimented with new instruments. The strongest example of this might be The Search where he plays didgeridoo and covers Thelonious Monk songs. He has also played Gospel music.
In 1995, Gordon arranged and orchestrated the theme song for NPR's All Things Considered. Gordon's arrangement and orchestration is the third version of the melody composed in 1971 by Donald Joseph Voegeli (1920–2009).
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