Jon Gordon's U.S. debut as a leader is an impressive start. Clearly one to watch on his main instrument, alto sax, he kicks things off with an uptempo, somewhat exotic original, "One for Charles." He also has a nice sound on the soprano on his engaging ballad "The Trust of a Child." The strong supporting cast was a functioning quartet at the time of the recording: pianist
Kevin Hays, bassist
Scott Colley and drummer
Bill Stewart.
Gordon was also clearly inspired by his former teacher,
Phil Woods, who is present on several tracks, including an original dedicated to the younger man, "Pass It On, Jon." ~ Ken Dryden