Who is this Gordon character?

I bet you know Sting, a famous British musician who wrote Shape of My Heart and Englishman in New York. But did you know he is actually Gordon Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner? Many journalists called him Gordon in interviews, to which he replied usually - My children call me Sting, my mother calls me Sting, who is this Gordon character? I was never called Gordon. You could shout 'Gordon' in the street and I would just move out of your way.

I knew his music since I don't even remember when. It was always popular and recognizable. The same about his voice. Sting once told - God didn't gave me good voice, but recognizable one. His manner, depth, honor, and gentlemanliness are retained in all his songs. To me, he is one of the examples if you talk about quality music. And he deserves that, since he was always obsessed with music, and performed jazz for a living during summer breaks of his college. He knows how to make good music, for sure.

In 2017 I had a work trip to Houston to meet my colleagues. One of them - very good and kind guy from Indonesia - lived in Houston for work while his wife and kids were in Thailand. We worked together and went for lunches and such. At the very beginning of that trip he told me, he's got a ticket to Sting's concert, but cannot go. And he gave me that ticket! Oh my God, I was super happy. Especially because, it was not a stadium concert, not a festival with millions of people too happy from consuming beer. It was a concert hall, specially built for musical performances and theatre. Sting played there with the help of some Mexican band, which I don't really remember. I have a seat in about row 10, on a side. I got there in advance, took a seat, and listened.

If you ask me which songs he performed that night - I wouldn't remember. I was too busy looking at his fingers playing bass. It is incredible. You know all these modern bands thriving to get better instruments, 5-string basses, 6-string basses, 8-string guitars to play better and more interesting music... But they are just kids smoking a first cigarette while hiding behind the shed compared to Sting. He plays so naturally, so easily. I think he can play the whole thing with just one bass guitar. And you will recognize a melody and won't feel it empty and boring. His Fender Precision Bass just feels like a continuation of his body, when Sting stands on stage, touching strings gently, without hurry.

I hope you did notice the jazz section in Englishman in New York. I don't know for sure, but I bet he wrote it right before buying a penthouse in front of Central Park in NYC. Song expresses himself as a Proud British character very well - a noble gentleman, who feels like an alien, but no matter what he would keep being and behaving like a man of honor. The jazz section and overall classical jazz vibes in the song is all about it. Then he steps on the asphalt of New York streets and here is when the drums bridge is played - booms and bangs of drums look like metal barrels rolling on 5th Avenue. But noble man from British Island can survive that and remain himself, so that jazz vibe is closing the song.

But the pure gold to me is Sting's album of folk songs called If on a Winter's Night. He gathered a bunch of Christmas and winter-themed songs mostly written by others, including folk songs, madrigals, and religious hymns from past centuries. He performed and recorded it with orchestra. They even had a great performance held in the old Church. It's very nice to listen during the long and snowy winter. Especially I like a prayer song Soul Cake. It looks like a very simple song, not many notes, nothing special. But it is something like old time hallelujah - cold and broken prayer for being well.

But why Sting, not Gordon? He played jazz on weekends and college breaks with other guys and he had a habit of wearing something recognisable. Quite frequently it was a black jumper with yellow stripes. It made him look like a bee, a wasp as other musicians called him. This wasp has transformed into Sting quite soon.