O ur family is diverse, culturally spanning the globe. Yanti's family is from Indonesia. Indonesia is located in the south-eastern corner of Asia. Being the fourth most populated nation on the planet, Indonesia is an archipelago of more than one thousand islands comprising 27 provinces and 27 different languages, with Bahasa being the universal language. My father's family immigrated to the United States from Russia and Poland during the late nineteenth century. Here, they took advantage of the abundance of economic opportunities and religious freedoms that were not available to them in Europe. My mother's family originated from England and immigrated here in the 1960s.

Yanti was born Suryanti Sofyan in 1969. Yanti's father, Sofyan, is an electrical engineer in Jakarta. Her mother, Rohana, is a housewife. However, Rohana was a vocalist, a chef and caterer. Yanti has four brothers and four sisters (three sisters are step-sisters).

I was born in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. to Richard and Carolyn Gordon. My father was a freelance photographer with a small newspaper, and my mother was a student at UCLA. An interesting factoid is that my grandfather, Irving Gordon, wrote the song Unforgettable.

My Grandmother Claire is an amazing person in her own right. At ninety years of age, she continues to write, lecture and travel the globe. The author of two books, Boy Meets Horn and My Jazz Friends, she is working on her third book. Claire was the secretary for the Duke Ellington Orchestra, a Realtor, and an antique dealer.