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Frank Kofsky: This is interview with Jimmy Gordon, 10th of April, 1969 Yeah, Pacific, daylight time. Let me just ask him kind of fill in the standard biographical thing you know, like where you're from and how long you've been playing and how

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old you are, what your training was. Jimmy Gordon: Okay, I'm 23 here. Lamb, born in Washington, DC. I lived here since I was two, and I started playing drums

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14 years. It's years I started with concert bands Frank Kofsky: and symphonies. Well, you were legit, legit, Jimmy Gordon: well, at least my training was legit. And then I

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went into I was in a couple of youth bands, a couple of junior symphonies and things, and playing some gigs on the side jazz. I started out playing jazz, and then I got turned around with rock and

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roll. Just when it started. I really got interested. Played in some clubs around town, around LA, around LA, when did you come to LA? When I was two? Oh yeah. I was 47 Yeah. Semi native, oh yeah, San Fernando Valley. Started in a

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little, rocking, little club called mom and two year olds and others. And from there, I met a lot of people in the record business. And from that job, I worked another little club and got a job with the everybody.

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With them every summer, finally, and went on the road for three years with them, and then coming back into town. I would do demo dates. I really wanted

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to get into the studios, and so I did. I was like the demo king of the village. I did all the non union demo two for 35 Sure. And from there, I just snowballed into this. Frank Kofsky: How do you go about getting into the studios?

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Since I'm sure there are a lot Jimmy Gordon: of people who wish partly luck, I have to say, and time at the right place, at the right time, you had some good contacts on that, yeah, the Everly Brothers and Lee

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Hazelwood and that people at Werner brothers really got me, got me going. And a couple of publishing companies. Well, I did the demos for the publishing companies, and they would hear like the demo and ask who the drummer is, or this and that in

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there, I got a lot of record and, you know, just like word of mouth, and there was a need for another rock and Weldon, Frank Kofsky: you probably, my guess is you work as much or more than any other rock and roll a Do you know anything

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about that? Jimmy Gordon: Probably as much. Frank Kofsky: I can't think of anybody who works more. Really, there's

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Jimmy Gordon: drummers that make more money I put at least the last couple of years, it's been that way all my time. I really enjoy

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it. Yeah, it's versatile. You know, I like to play all different kinds of music. It's like, it's this album, a bunch of different things.

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Frank Kofsky: Tell me a little about the album. Since I didn't have I wasn't I'll hear the dub, of course. Jimmy Gordon: Rodeo, the album is,

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well, they're just songs that I really like or feel the tempos that I like to play Frank Kofsky: you your lines original, or taught us, or I Jimmy Gordon: have an original on it. Tom's got a couple

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originals, and the others are, I got a couple of traditional rock and roll, couple of Latin tune and a jazz just like I've tried to get a varied variety of things, Frank Kofsky: I noticed this thing had a very, very much of a

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Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, John Coltrane and afield. But the tune just before it was much more, yeah, really. Jimmy Gordon: I played in the nightclub, traditional rock, and this thing was Gary Burton,

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Frank Kofsky: yeah, I really dig Jimmy Gordon: the things that he gets into, jazz life, the space, loose thing. Frank Kofsky: He had a very comfortable feeling about her,

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Jimmy Gordon: yeah, the line was comfortable. Tom, did the arrangements? Mall did great. Dodie, I played on this is your first album. Yeah, yeah, I did. I did another thing under a group

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name the swamp people. Did Frank Kofsky: you pick the sign? Myth? Yeah, most Dodie. Fact, I picked them all. Jimmy Gordon: I was very happy it wasn't the same. Overall.

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Frank Kofsky: You ever think about doing anything in a group permanently, or is Studio seem attractive? Jimmy Gordon: The grass is always greener. I thought about a group thing, and they had some office

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three or four groups, but I've always turned it down, because I figured I get locked into doing one type of music, just one thing. I really, I like the money in this, and I like

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the variety. It's really, you know, the most exciting part I thought about, you know, I'd like to, I miss the road going on the road? And when I was on the road with the air release, it was just at the end of the big rock show. We did some shows

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in England one night. It was big package, tulips. It was really exciting. 10,000 people. I'm insisted playing for an audience. Frank Kofsky: I can imagine, one gets a feeling for the isolated

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in the setting, Jimmy Gordon: really, because there's something about your adrenaline, or something playing in front of an audience, she feeds back more. Yeah, it's more context. But this is really

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rewarding, not only, I guess monetarily, but the satisfaction is doing a good job. Yeah, really like a tree.

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Frank Kofsky: One of the things that impressed me about your playing is that you seem to have a style all your own. I was wondering how that evolved, who you started listening to at first, and when you were in jazz, and then you got into rock

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and roll, got turned around, what? Who the people were who impressed you there. Jimmy Gordon: Gee, I have to name Buddy Rich for once.

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Joe, I like, like the old bebop and Jack sprung is a technical engine. Buddy Rich. That surprised you say Buddy Rich, because striking as the antithesis of Buddy Rich,

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you're so seem to be so loose. Yeah, well, buddy's a loose player. Really. He's just technically so tight fast. You know, he sounds tight and but he's very clean. You know, I've always been a fan of clean playing and Christmas all

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together. I like a good sound that's the track rock and roll. Have to see al Blaine, Frank Kofsky: yeah, that would be the closest analog, Jimmy Gordon: yeah, I would

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say so. Because when I was trying to get in the studios, you know, he's been the king, he kind of, I'm not idolized. Frank Kofsky: Well, just for economic survival, you had to be

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able to do somebody wanted Hal blame, couldn't Yeah, well, that's one of the reasons I got in. Like Tom says playing, but style is the way studio call Jimmy Gordon: that's that's the key to getting in the studio,

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first being able to read into and to play versatility, and the next to cover somebody else's who's popular. So when you go into a studio, nobody panics, yeah? Like you play something that's familiar to him.

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Frank Kofsky: He did. He kind of patented all a lot of the standard fills, hell yeah. I mean, whatever you play there really Jimmy Gordon: creative. I'm gonna use the most creative

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drummer around in this town, like for rock and roll. Technically, he doesn't play anything like earth shaking. What he plays is solid and Frank Kofsky: what about drummers and groups, rock and

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Gavin? You hear very many of them. Jimmy Gordon: Yes, there's Frank Kofsky: talking about rock groups. Well, I'll just ask you what you've been listening to. Now. I. Okay,

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Jimmy Gordon: good, good. There wasn't enough time. Yeah, Frank Kofsky: I try and listen to whatever's Jimmy Gordon: current, you know at the time, what's happening right now, I dig. I like buddy miles. I like the German he ran

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through buddy original. Tony Williams just knocks Frank Kofsky: me out. What's that drum? Linley, Bobby Columbo, something like that. Columbus. He plays nice. Yeah. They done a good job recording a sound. Yeah, it's

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Jimmy Gordon: almost too sterile. Yeah, it's a sound. Yeah, very drums up fronting, yeah, but that's true. Everything's like in a separate place, telling criticism. He's good Bobby combo Tony Williams and Buddy miles.

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I like to German with Jimmy Frank Kofsky: Henze Mitchell. That leads me to ask you, what do you think about Elvin Jones, because Mitch seems very much Mallea, yeah.

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Jimmy Gordon: I like you mean looseness. Frank Kofsky: Well, listen, three against two. Feeling Jimmy Gordon: Yes, well, that's yeah, that whole school, yeah. Frank Kofsky: That basically derives out of Elven, I guess my

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favorite things, yeah, Jimmy Gordon: ginger, big, yes. Just for his I saw his last concert, incredible. Yeah, the salmon in the Forest City,

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which Barak is involved with. That really is like a powerhouse. But I really try and do my own thing. Frank Kofsky: And obviously you don't categorize yourself as a

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rock summer. Jimmy Gordon: This kind of thing make any difference. No, just as long as I can play enjoying yourself, I like to play it all. I really I would hate to play one particular style, and I hate

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to be caught in just a rock scene, just the jazz. Enjoy it all. And this, this seems to be the way for me to get to play there. Frank Kofsky: What are you thinking of for the future,

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besides investing in portfolios? Jimmy Gordon: Yeah, yeah, right. He's smart. But I like to, I'd like to eventually do, do some group. I

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want to keep recording as long as I can, but I like to get involved with a group of some players and play live. Doesn't necessarily mean I want to go on a world or get involved with that, but I would like to play live.

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Frank Kofsky: I imagine a lot of other studio musicians who feel that way, yeah, kind of everybody. I think we've all a lot of guys who work a lot, you know, you think that they could kind of pool their resources.

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Jimmy Gordon: Doesn't happen. Not that easy. No no. Like, when you want to play and try and get somebody to play, they've made other plans, you know, like, you have to spend some time with your family. It's hard to arrange. If you're busy, it's

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hard to arrange some time to play. Really, really difficult, unless you just take a night or take a day. Don't accept any work. But eventually I want to,

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Frank Kofsky: like, get in some little Yeah, right, yeah. Really do want to do that? Yeah. I don't think there's very many people outside of studio scene who know who Jimmy Gordon is, Jimmy Gordon: which is, I'd like to let him know

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too. I've got my ego. I'd like to play with a dance but that chance just doesn't come along. Frank Kofsky: You can't take a sabbatai and come back in a year

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and know that you're going to get your place back here, because by then they Jimmy Gordon: replace I could probably go for six months or something, but nothing's coming to my way that I want to take

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advantage. There's been some rock groups, but musically, they just went into what I wanted to do, or whatever. Frank Kofsky: There really aren't very many rock groups

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that are that worse at all, the mothers, Jefferson Airplane. Jefferson's good Jimmy Gordon: mothers, yeah, mother's music there, but they're on another trip.

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I don't know. I don't idolize any one group. I like the whole thing that's Hans. Anything right now seems to be better for playing R and D, and the soul music is really getting I'd like to really get into playing that.

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And he gets my next step. Because up until now, I've known about the museum. Always listen to it. Frank Kofsky: I'd like to play it. Things were pretty

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segregated. Anyhow, yeah, for the most part, really were white. Jimmy Gordon: I've never any roots into that music, but I'd like to I played the blues and things like that. Never was the

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color group. I sure did the music Otis and Aretha Franklin. Frank Kofsky: Well, I imagine it'll come to Bay recording

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studio, just like anybody else right now. The Mystique is all Nashville, but I'm sure that'll pass. I Jimmy Gordon: don't know. It's strange. It's think R and B is going to stick around.

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I think it's going to bring rock and roll close to the jazz blood sweat here. Gary Coleman, yeah, really, neither. Think the way he's going is great, because I think if he got to do another album, he could develop it a

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little more. Hello. Frank Kofsky: Yep, still going. I know. Yes, I just kind of wanted to pick your brain. I'm pretty well,

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Jimmy Gordon: yeah, stuck in the studios Frank Kofsky: for three years. I'm kind of surprised nobody thought Bob approach you by reviewing an helmet. I'm kind of surprised nobody thought about it before, but I guess the

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mentality, as I said, if they figure your studio drummer, that's in your studio drummer, Jimmy Gordon: I was approached a couple of times things, but not really the way I wanted to do

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Frank Kofsky: this. This is the closest, at Jimmy Gordon: least. It's free to play. You know, I got to choose a tune. I to be caught up with trying to make it commercial endeavor. I don't want to do that. I just want to

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play. I think that's me. Frank Kofsky: Well, if it's like it was like Tom's album too, I'm sure that you'll get a lot more freedom on your second Jimmy Gordon: Yeah, yeah. I think so too.

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But it's a matter of me doing what I want to you know, it's my first album, like a little up in the air about just what I want. Now I can sit back and listen to this

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and see where I want to go. Frank Kofsky: Yeah, it's like a first draft of a paper that you got a first draft, and you can't criticize and see what needs to be done the second semester.

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Jimmy Gordon: I always try getting too involved, like I pick it apart, and I'm really over critical. And this one, I tried to stay away away from me, come in and

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play the drums best I can without getting too far into the charts. And you know, worrying about this, how it's going to be it's

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all right, I think Tom did a good job. I just like to have more time. Frank Kofsky: Well, I think after you say, have six months to live with this one, probably the second one will be a lot

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easier, and you'll be a little more definite and thought out about what you want to do. Jimmy Gordon: First one was like, up first one I was like up in the air, a little

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nervous, sure, overall, I'm happy. Some people by Sure, Frank Kofsky: some people will, they're interested, especially with mom behind

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Jimmy Gordon: us. Yeah, he's good, man. I got I like his attitude loose. Frank Kofsky: Oh, I can pick up with him. You don't have to worry about Haven't you anything more to say? You want anything

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more to say, just say, Jimmy Gordon: so cut it off. I guess it's about all okay.