Let's make this birthday one to remember.

88 years old (Born on September 16, 1936)

Happy Birthday, Gordon! May your day be filled with as much inventiveness and technical sensitivity as your legendary jazz improvisations. We still haven't recovered from the brilliance of "Experiment with Pops"—your 1968 masterpiece that continues to inspire musicians (and confuse critics) decades later.

Your self-taught genius proves one thing clearly: formal lessons are overrated when you've got talent like yours. Here's hoping this birthday brings you plenty of spontaneous solos, endless applause, and perhaps another groundbreaking experiment or two—just don't blow out the candles in a syncopated rhythm; we wouldn't want anyone fainting from amazement!

Cheers to you!