of classical repertoire, tone, and technique. Jordan has performed and recorded with a wide selection of musicians in styles ranging from R&B to avant-garde jazz, including Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, R.E.M., William Parker, Alvin Fielder, Archie Shepp, Fred Anderson, Ornette Coleman, Ellis Marsalis, Cannonball Adderley, Ed Blackwell, and Cecil Taylor. In 2008, he was awarded a lifetime recognition honor by the Vision Festival. In his performances and recordings, his music is entirely improvised: "Everything you hear on my albums is improvised." he explains. "It's collective improvisation, but there are no tunes. I tried writing down ideas a long time ago but I don't do that anymore.". The French Ministry of Culture recognized Jordan as a Knight (Chevalier) of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1985. The French government bestowed him with their highest artistic award for his impetus as a visionary educator and performer. Jordan taught Donald Harrison and Branford Marsalis while the two were teenagers, and was an instructor at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). As an instructor of jazz studies at Southern University at New Orleans, Jordan encouraged his students to pursue new approaches to traditional musical forms. One of Jordan's students was trombonist Charles Joseph, who would go on to co-found the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Jordan composed "Kidd Jordan's Second Line" for the Dirty Dozen Brass Band prior to their first European appearance in 1982, and has also performed with the band. In 2006, Jordan lost his home and most of his possessions during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. A few weeks after the hurricane, he recorded the album Palm of Soul in Brooklyn with William Parker and Hamid Drake. Jordan later returned to Orleans. In 2007, Kidd Jordan went west with Alvin Fielder and William Parker (musician) to play with Prince Lasha and John Handy in The Eddie Gale All Star band for the San Jose Jazz Festival On November 7, 2010, Kidd Jordan was Inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame in an event at Montrele's Bistro in New Orleans. In 2011, the television series Treme featured a track from Palm of Soul, "Last of the Chicken Wings." Jordan later made a brief appearance in Treme. Jordan's son Kent Jordan (de) is a jazz flautist. Discography As leader or co-leader New Orleans Festival Suite (Silkheart, 1999) Kidd' Stuff (Danjor) The All-Star Game (Eremite, 2003) Live at the Tampere Jazz