Growing up in a few different places, Jordan didn't get into Jazz until high school in Bellingham, WA.
"My first influences were a group of local musicians who had a regular Tuesday night gig at a place called Stuart’s coffee shop. They included drummer Julian MacDonough and trumpeter Kevin Woods who are still active in the Pacific Northwest jazz scene. Stuart’s was a fun place to hang out and eventually some musicians I met there and in high school jazz band started jamming together regularly. We became a band called the “Jazz Omelette” and inherited the Tuesday night gig. Around the same time, I auditioned for bassist Chuck Israels’ college big band and he became a big early mentor of mine. His influence eventually lead me to attend William Paterson."