Take Five with Pianist Jon Gold

Meet Jon Gold

Jon's story begins in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jon's brother (Jay Gold) was an avid music fan who introduced Jon, as a child, to Delta blues, then r&b, and later jazz. Jon's brother Jay was a producer for Mushroom Records, the label for the pop group Heart. Jon started playing slide blues guitar but early on took up piano.

One of his first big opportunities was to perform with Dizzy Gillespie for a special on KQED-TV in San Francisco.

Jon developed a love for Latin music while working with a number of Latin and Brazilian groups. However, he developed a special love for the jazz-influenced music of Brazil.

He was offered a fellowship by the Brazilian government and taught at PUC-Rio University in Rio de Janeiro. This afforded Jon the opportunity to meet and work with some of the greatest names in Brazil: Antonio Carlos Jobim and Hermeto Pascoal, among others. He performed at the invitation of the U.S. Embassy and appeared on Brazilian national TV shows. He also did considerable work with multi-instrumentalist Carlos Malta, performing at major venues throughout Rio.

After marrying, Jon decided to move back to the U.S., settling about an hour from NYC. He has since released several albums featuring multi-award-winning players such as Dave Liebman, Zach Brock, Jon Irabagon, Howard Levy, Tom Malone and Harvie S, among others. His album Bossa of Possibility Bluejazz, 2012 received 4.5 stars from DownBeat magazine.

Instruments

Piano and keyboards.

Teachers and/or influences?

I started playing classical piano under Francisco de Hollos—a pupil of György Sándor)—who taught in a fearless style and opened my ears to Bartók and the beauty of minor seconds! I count Joe Henderson as my most influential teacher ever, as my time studying and playing with him was so compelling to my teenage self. He was absolutely inspirational and kind.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...

First I ask: what is a musician? I always loved playing, composing and performing music. However, it was not until I lived in Rio de Janeiro and spent time with Hermeto Pascoal that I first learned what a "musician" truly means. Whatever Hermeto touched became music. He was the incarnation of music and manifested music from the spheres. While seeing this made me "want" to be a musician, it was clear that, to be a musician, we cannot merely want it; either we live it or we don't.

Your sound and approach to music.

My sound is all over the place, and I like to keep it that way. Once I stopped thinking of myself as a pianist and more as a composer, the world changed. Everything became fair game. While a big part of my early discography is Brazilian-influenced, I recently released an early-'60s Blue Note-style post-bop album of new originals called Things Are Looking Up. I am also finishing a classical album—one of my compositions was recently recorded by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra in Prague. I don't care about "style." If I can make music that reaches at least one person somewhere in an emotional way, then it is good.

Your teaching approach

I've never officially taught music. I wouldn't have a clue how! However, I did have a "jazz" teacher (Dwight Cannon) at San José State who, once a week, had us put away our instruments, pick up anything on the stage and do a group improvisation. Best class ever!

Your dream band

Johann Sebastian Bach on harpsichord, Oscar Peterson and Sun Ra on piano and Jeff Beck on guitar, Charles Mingus on bass, Tony Williams on drums and John Coltrane on tenor. Julie Fowlis from the Scottish Hebrides on vocals.

Road story: Your best or worst experience

I'll omit names, but when I was about 16, I went on my first road trip with an artist on Blue Note Records. Of course, I was excited. After a 12-hour drive to our first gig, we discovered we had been advertised as "jazz-rock," when in fact the group was extremely "out." The customers ran out, the promoter refused to pay, somehow a knife fight broke out, the police came, etc.—and so began my baptism into jazz on the road.

Favorite venue

There are two. First, as a teenager, I practically lived at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco. My hat is off to Todd Barkan for taking on such a daring venture and especially for allowing us under-21 kids to get in. When I was studying with Joe Henderson, he would regularly take me in during the day to meet my heroes and hang out. Again—so much thanks to Joe!

The second is the Kuumbwa in Santa Cruz, CA. I can proudly say I had a small part in helping Tim Jackson—who went on to become the director of the Monterey Jazz Festival—build that community organization. We played fundraisers in the parks and eventually the club built a world-class reputation, as Tim would book the acts playing the Keystone for Monday nights when they were off. A win-win. Tim Jackson is another unsung hero of jazz, and a great flautist himself. He has always been known to treat the music and artists with complete respect.

Your favorite recording in your discography and why?

Dang—that's like asking a mom which is her favorite kid! Not the answer you are looking for, but what I like about my records in general is that they are eclectic. In some ways, this is a detriment, as critics like consistency. But each of my CDs is quite varied and, as such, I would hope there's a tune or two that might make someone happy. In fact, when I look at which tracks of mine are getting radio play or streaming spins, I am often—and happily—surprised to see tunes I never expected to be popular getting attention.

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?

This isn't for me to say, but for me it is the bringing together of traditions and musicians from all over the world. "Jazz" was born from a bittersweet intersection of cultures. I hope to create music that brings traditions together in unexpected ways. On a personal level, it has been so joyful for me to meet and work with people from all corners of the world and make friends through music.

Did you know...

I am the first person to melt a diamond. It's true. I have led a double life for many years as both a musician and scientist. While at Cornell University, I accidentally melted a diamond for the first time. Details are on my website or easily Googled ("Jon Gold melting of diamond").

The first jazz album I bought was:

Mose Allison's Greatest Hits and Oscar Peterson's Exclusively for My Friends. At about 12, I made the transition from blues to jazz.

Music you are listening to now:

Aca Seca Avenido (Sonisfera, 2008)
NRBQ Tiddly Winks (Omnivore, 2000)
Gary Bartz Coltrane Blues (OYO, 2005)
Ella Fitzgerald Mack the Knife: Live at the Côte d'Azur (Verve, 1995)

Desert Island picks:

Pharoah Sanders Summun, Bukmun, Umyun (Impulse!, 1975)

How would you describe the state of jazz today?

Sad. I am happy to see that there is still great interest among young people in the music. But how are they to survive in this digital world? No one buys CDs; you are better off giving away your recordings than streaming them for $0.003 per spin. A gig, even at a decent club in NYC, is likely going to cost you money to play.

Secondly—and this will cause some consternation!)—I really would like to see schools like Berklee and UT Austin stop their micro-deconstruction of the jazz experience. Technical and theoretical prowess are useful, but ultimately dulling. I'm hearing too much perfection and not enough connection to spirit. As a side note, maybe as a result of this, Corey Henry is my favorite younger musician.

What are some of the essential requirements to keep jazz alive and growing?

Re-express it as a cultural manifestation and not just some minor part of the music marketing pie. Work to keep it in the schools and teach it mainly as part of the Black experience. Stop marketing Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett as "jazz" singers. Make "Fables of Faubus" required listening and reading, and use it to teach the meaning of the words and their context. If we go back to giving value to the arts in general in our society and providing historical context, jazz will grow again naturally.

What is in the near future?

I'm about to release two new CDs (trying to be patient until 2027!). The first is one I'm really proud of, as I wrote an entire set of new tunes with lyrics in both English and Portuguese. The singers are all amazing and I believe it will have broad appeal, as the songs are both beautiful and musically challenging.

What is your greatest fear when you perform?

That people will enjoy my music! Just kidding! Fear is not in the vocabulary.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

So I was in a bar with two other folks. One guy asked the third what he wanted people to say or sing at his funeral. He said, "I'd like them to say that I was a good husband to my wife and a good father to my children." He then asked the other, who said, "I hope people say I was a good member of the community and a friend to all." They then asked me, and I said, "I hope someone pokes me and yells, 'Hey, wait—he's still alive!'"

What is your favorite song to whistle or sing in the shower?

"The Finale to The Firebird" by Stravinsky.

If I weren't a jazz musician, I would be a:

Again, I do not see my identity as tied to being a "jazz musician." I get enormous pleasure from composing and recording jazz music. I get enormous pleasure when a listener from near or far contacts me to tell me a song I wrote made them happy. But I also get enormous pleasure when I suddenly realize that I have grown as a human in other ways. It can be as simple as smiling and saying "hello" to a stranger and watching them come alive. Maybe that is my best work as a "jazz musician"!

If I could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be and why?

J.S. Bach. I cannot imagine a more complete musician. To this day, the maj7 in the first prelude from The Well-Tempered Clavier brings a tear to my eye.

If I could go back in time and relive an experience, what would it be?

Holding hands with my first sweetheart.

What's the song or piece of music you wish you could hear again for the first time?

"Impressions" by John Coltrane from Live at the Village Vanguard.

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

Jazz. Without a listener, there is no sound.

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