Claude E. Gordon was a trumpet player, band director, educator, lecturer, and author. He was born on April 5, 1916 in Helena, Montana. His father was a clarinet player and orchestra director. Claude's mother was a pianist. His siblings were also musically inclined and they formed a family orchestra led by their father. They performed as the staff orchestra for a local radio station. Claude was given his first cornet at the age of five and three years later while in fifth grade he was featured as a soloist playing with the Helena High School Band. While in his early teens, Claude played professionally and taught both cornet and accordion. Claude studied with Herbert L. Clarke from 1936 until Clarke died in 1945. During the era of live radio and television, Claude worked as a studio trumpet player. He performed with the studio orchestras on shows including Amos and Andy and I Love Lucy. In 1939, Claude was cast as the gypsy accordion player in the Universal Studio's motion picture musical an Old Spanish Custom, later renamed In Rhumba Land. Claude formed his own big band in 1959 - albums include "Jazz For Jean-Agers" and "Sounds Of The Big Band Era". The Claude Gordon Orchestra was awarded, Best Big Band of 1959. Claude worked with the Benge and Selmer companies designing trumpets and both companies produced a Claude Gordon model. Claude designed trumpet and cornet mouthpieces originally made by Benge. As a teacher Claude emphasized the need for brass players to do physical exercise to stay in shape and prescribed daily breathing exercises to develop wind-power. He considered brass players to be athletes that needed to practice to stay in shape. His method "Systematic Approach To Daily Practice" is published by Carl Fischer Music. The Claude Gordon Personal Papers and Music Instrument Collection consists of music, correspondence with Herbert L. Clarke and other notable trumpet artists, educational material, performance contracts, publicity material and memorabilia and is housed at the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Claude died from cancer on May 16, 1996.
Quotes
"Big breath, chest up!"
"Hit it hard, and wish it well."
"Brass playing is no harder than deep breathing."
"Watch the tongue."
"The air does the work. The tongue channels the pitch."
"Let the air save your lip."
"Let the air do the work."
"Rest as much as you play."
"Lift fingers high, strike valves hard."
"Don't stop where I have, but go further."
"You could have a lip strong enough to lift that piano and still not be able to play a low C!"
