Happy 73rd Jon

I don't know if there is anything new for me  to write about my friend, mentor, and hero Jon Faddis, but I still feel the urge to pay respect to one of the greatest trumpeters ever. 

Jon has commanded the respect of everyone that has ever played this music (well except one person, but I'll leave that between me and Jon. Jon knows how I feel. LOL). I'll name just a few names of who he has played with but believe me, the list is infinitely longer than anyone could imagine, maybe even to Jon because I've played him things he has no recollection of which means, he has been a little busy the past 50 plus years. 

Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Lionel Hampton, Roy Eldridge, Eubie Blake, Jimmy Heath, James Moody, Frank Wess, Phil Woods, George Benson, Lalo Schifrin, Ron Carter, Aretha Franklin, Grover Washington, Oscar Peterson, and literały could go on for days. 

I was introduced to Jon's music by my late friend Don Gallagher who would take his Dad's albums and give them to me. He was in HS in my Dad's HS band and I was in middle school at the time. One album was Jousts the trumpet kings on Pablo. I always loved those Pablo albums because of the black and white picture covers. I don't know, for me it kind of made them larger than life. Roy Eldridge, Dizzy, Clark Terry, Sweets, and Jon! Not to shabby of a lineup accompanied by Oscar Peterson. Despite not maybe hearing it YET in my playing, it is so much a part of my DNA and the way I hear the music. 

I would meet everyone on that album except Sweets who is a main influence. I got to hear him but not meet him. With Jon, that person who I stared at the LP cover while listening to the record, when I was a kid, not only did I get to hear him play live (which I'm sure is in the hundreds of times), but I got to take some lessons with him, then because of his generosity and I have to think him doing for me and thousands of other, what Dizzy did for him, I have shared the stage for a number multiple times across the country which the honor is never lost on me, but then had the privilege to have him on one of my recordings, and most of all call him friend. 

We have done a lot of life together! I've gotten to know his whole family. I stayed with him Mom out in NV before her passing, I get to see his sister in the Chicago area when Jon is there, I was with him the day he proposed to his wife (or at least got the ring LOL) I attended his wedding, I attended his Father's funeral, He came to my 50th birthday party. He was so faithful to me through Talia's passing. He has bought me so many albums when together record shopping saying you need to know this one.... bought many bacon cheeseburgers for me lol, and just introduced me to so many of the masters in this music and so many memorable moments 

I also get to see the side a lot of people never see. One of my spiritual heroes who I just saw, is Heidi Baker. Her theme for lack of better term is " Stop for the One"  showing the value of every single person. Jon has demonstrated this to me over and over throughout the years. People I didn't even see on the street walking, he will stop and spend 1/2 hour with. Buying gifts for complete strangers at an event to ensure they had a memorable time. These people have no idea who Jon is which is not important to Jon. Jon just wants to love on people! The countless lessons to kids. 

I cannot overstate how much I have learned from Jon about not only music but life. I play his trumpet model, I have his old case model, his old mouthpiece model, his black handkerchief lol, etc... 

I wish I demonstrated better the time invested in me. 

Much love to you Jon! I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for me! Happy Birthday my friend. May God continue to bless you!

​Here is an interview and video bio I put together for work at MSU during covid. 

So the story goes.... I was staying at Jon's house and he wanted me to learn West End Blues. So I went upstairs to a bedroom and I was struggling so he kept having to help me from downstairs yelling up what I was messing up. He says if he didn't help me, he would have had a roommate for life! LOL (this is before Laurelyn) 

No matter where I go to see him now, he will many times call me up, even with no horn (he gives me his), and no warm up, and sometimes haven't played in a few days and has me play Louis Armstrong's West End Blues cold which is a very challenging trumpet call by Pops! I have never played it perfect for him yet and don't use any of those excuses. I am always grateful for the opportunity. Here are 3 of the times. My Birthday party, at The Blues Alley in Washington DC, and at Dizzy's in NYC. Now the Dizzys one, previous to the clip, is the most embarrassing moment of my life, I actually wondered if I'd ever play again after this. I kind of don't know what happened but it was a perfect storm that resulted in me sounding like a 5th grader in front of my hero at one of the prestigious jazz clubs in NYC. I really do have thin skin but you have to develop thick skin (especially being friends with Jon! LOL) I survived and have done much better  since but it was rough! I'm thankful he is patient with me. 

This is what it is supposed to sound like.