Wednesday, September 24
Ibeam: 168 7th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Emerging Players – $10
9pm Sam Neufeld, 10pm Benje Daneman, 11pm Mike Irwin.
9pm:

How did you become a trumpet player? Did you play other instruments before the trumpet? If so, did those instruments inform how you played trumpet? Or did your view of how music is played change once becoming a trumpeter?

As long as I can remember I’ve always loved the trumpet. I had a Conn New Wonder cornet that was given to my family by our downstairs neighbor, Bennie Wallace. I would carry it around the house (and presumably try to play it) all day when I was a toddler. My father bought me a Bb Baritone horn from a thrift store when I was around 9 years old. I loved the sound of that instrument. I learned to play “When the Saints Go Marching In” and a few major scales that he’d written out for me. Shortly thereafter he bought me a trumpet. I think playing the baritone horn first made a big impact on how I thought the trumpet should sound. Other people’s high notes still amaze me.

Were there recordings in the beginning and even years into learning the instrument that drew you into the trumpet’s sound and possibilities?

One of the first records that really drew me in were Clifford Brown’s sessions as a leader on Blue Note. The way that he could play with such drive and attack at fast tempos and then play a ballad so beautifully made a big impression on me.

Before I started playing the trumpet when was 7 or 8, my mom took me to hear Dizzy Gillespie at one of the Jazzmobile concerts at Grant’s Tomb. I remember that as one of the most exciting shows I’d ever seen. His small group recordings were daily listening for me in when I was in middle school. I also really loved Dizzy’s early big band records like “Manteca.” His entrances are electrifying.
Kenny Dorham’s “Quiet Kenny” was a touchstone for me when I first started playing trumpet. My father gave me a tape of that LP and it wasn’t labeled. I remember being in my room and playing it on my boombox for the first time and saying “Yeah, Miles!” thinking it was Miles Davis playing with that sweet, tart tone. I eventually figured out that it was KD; I listen to a lot of his records ever since.

People often talk about how the trumpet is the hardest instrument to play. Do you feel this is true? What doesn’t the general public understand about playing the trumpet that you wish people would realize?

Most people aren’t aware of the high level of discipline it takes to play the trumpet with any degree of proficiency. It’s just not common knowledge. I think this creates a feeling of solidarity among trumpet players that might not always be found in groups of other instrumentalists. It’s like: “Hey, do you blow air into a metal tube every single day of your life hoping to make a beautiful sound?” Me too! Let’s grab a beer!” I think you see that same kind of fraternal feeling among double bass players. It comes from sharing a certain kind of suffering. I love seeing trumpet players share their knowledge with one another in the hopes of making their musical lives easier. Having a good teacher from the very beginning is essential.

If you had to identify with one or two gurus, trumpeters or otherwise, who had the greatest impact on your musical journey to date, who would they be?

My first guru is of course my father, Dennis Irwin. As a child I heard him play with The Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, Chet Baker, Dom Salvador, Johnny Griffin and many other great jazz musicians. My journey in music is a direct outgrowth of his dedication. The beauty of his life, and all the people in it, inspired me to choose music. When I first started playing his friends would give me lessons. I took a few lessons here and there with some really amazing trumpet players, but when he took me to see Laurie Frink I knew I was on the right track. I took only a handful of lessons with her over the years, but those lessons stuck with me. She made me feel, when I was twelve years old, that I could do anything on the trumpet.

Who is your favorite trumpeter today (as in today, the day you are writing this email) and what recorded song available to the public best exemplifies why this trumpeter is so badass?

Louis Armstrong is my favorite trumpet player today and just about everyday. Listen to him play and sing “Stardust.”

How did you become a trumpet player? Did you play other instruments before the trumpet? If so, did those instruments inform how you played trumpet? Or did your view of how music is played change once becoming a trumpeter?

When I was in first grade, I begged my dad to let me get a trumpet and start lessons. Unfortunately, the couple teachers we called said I was too young and should wait until fifth grade to start in concert band.

I’m not sure what it was that attracted me to the trumpet; I do know that my dad has been a jazz fan since at least when I was a a young child. He played Clifford, Dizzy, Miles, and all the great trumpet players. I’m sure that had a large influence.

Wednesday, September 24
Ibeam: 168 7th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Emerging Players – $10
9pm Sam Neufeld, 10pm Benje Daneman, 11pm Mike Irwin.
9pm:

How did you become a trumpet player? Did you play other instruments before the trumpet? If so, did those instruments inform how you played trumpet? Or did your view of how music is played change once becoming a trumpeter?

I started in the public school systems in Grand Rapids, MI. No one in my family was a musician so I learned everything from the schools. I originally wanted to play french horn, but was convinced otherwise to play trumpet by my parents because they thought the size would be better for carrying it on the bus. I can’t thank them enough now!! The only other musical background I had before that was learning the “Mission Impossible Theme” on a keyboard by a family friend – even with that, I had a great sense of excitement creating even that little music. It was just a foreshadowing of what was to come.

Were there recordings in the beginning and even years into learning the instrument that drew you into the trumpet’s sound and possibilities?

In seventh grade I somehow got a “Big Band Classics” CD played by a random orchestra that introduced me to all the big band era classics (“String of Pearls”, “Stardust”, “In the Mood”). It was my first introduction to jazz. Later, a “Best of Maynard Ferguson” CD introduced me to to the jazz trumpet world, then the door blew wide open in high school by listening to Clifford Brown (“A Study in Brown”) and Lee Morgan (“Sidewinder”), while being inspired by the music of Charles Mingus (“Mingus Ah Um”). Later in college, some instrumental steps came with Tom Harrell (“Look to the Sky”) and Chet Baker (“She Was Too Good to Me”).

People often talk about how the trumpet is the hardest instrument to play. Do you feel this is true? What doesn’t the general public understand about playing the trumpet that you wish people would realize?

The trumpet is obviously difficult, but I’ve also found it to be quite a psychological instrument. As I’ve grown as a person, I feel as though my trumpet playing has changed and morphed with it. Specifically, I’ve found as I’ve disconnected myself from personal attachment to my performance and grown more in my personal life, my performance on the horn has become much more consistent and personal.

If you had to identify with one or two gurus, trumpeters or otherwise, who had the greatest impact on your musical journey to date, whom would they be?

Laurie Frink – My time spent studying with her changed my approach to not only playing the trumpet, but the process of growth. She opened up to me the world of “teaching”, “allowing” and “trusting” my body how to do what it knows how to do. The lessons I learned in her apartment truly changed almost all aspects of how I approach the trumpet – definitely physically, but even more so psychologically.

Who is your favorite trumpeter today (as in today, the day you are writing this email) and what recorded song available to the public best exemplifies why this trumpeter is so badass?

Dave Douglas – Not only as a trumpeter, but also because of the all around package. His unique approach and sound to his music and playing is so personal and honest, you get a sense that you know him just by hearing his music. His career reminds me of Miles’ career, where as you look at it in the broad view, you see clearly his continual development musically and artistically – it inspires me to be true and honest in my next musical steps. I’m also inspired by the projects and groups that he initiates – including his non performance projects like Greenleaf Records, FONT and his public masterclasses. His continual movement, direction and tenacity in the music world inspires and reminds me to continually be taking a step forward – whatever it might look like.

Sunday, September 21
Brooklyn Children’s Museum FREE!
12pm and 1pm – Blast of Brass: An interactive concert featuring the science and fun of making music with the brass family of instruments at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum: 145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213 (718) 735-4400.

Featuring: Jesse Neuman, Elizabeth Frascoia (trombone), John Altieri (tuba), and Brian Adler (drums).

How did you become a trumpet player? Did you play other instruments before the trumpet? If so, did those instruments inform how you played trumpet? Or did your view of how music is played change once becoming a trumpeter?

​When I was in 4th grade, they lined up all of the different instruments and let students try them. The trumpet was the only one that I could get a sound out of, so that became the obvious and only choice. It was pretty random, but in retrospect it’s probably better that I wasn’t heart-set on the trumpet in particular. It took me a while to get into it, and growing an interest slowly and steadily worked out.

Were there recordings in the beginning and even years into learning the instrument that drew you into the trumpet’s sound and possibilities?

In middle school I listened to a Miles Davis’ Greatest Hits album my parents had quite a bit. It had that live version of My Funny Valentine where he plays the melody solo with lots of dramatic pauses, and then rips into a super high phrase when Tony Williams comes in. That was pretty powerful, and definitely got me thinking about how playing a jazz solo could really command a lot of focus and attention. ​When I was in high school and began to get more serious about playing the trumpet, I took the train from the suburbs where my family and I lived into Manhattan to see live shows. I saw Graham Haynes at the (old) Knitting Factory, and later bought the album he had just put out, “Tones for the 21st Century.”​ ​He was–and still is–one of the most unique influences on me. On the surface, his use of electronics was pretty exciting (I played a solo with my high school jazz band plugged into my friend’s guitar fx pedals–it was groundbreaking, and awful!), but even more significant is the absolute solidity and commitment he makes to every single phrase.​ I loved Dave Douglas’ “Five” and “Tiny Bell Trio” records a lot (really, I’d say that even if he wasn’t the founder of FONT :), especially because they opened my eyes to how versatile the role and sound of the trumpet can be. I also went to see Maria Schneider’s Jazz Orchestra when they were still playing every Monday night at Visiones in the Village. Up until that point, big band was mostly about playing loud and high and obnoxiously, but seeing Maria’s band was like a revelation. She had Tony Kadlek, Greg Gisbert, and Dave Ballou in her trumpet section. Any one of them would be a windfall, but to have 3 of the most polished, fearless, and complete trumpeters in the world all lined up in the back row of your band is just ridiculous. The way they played–both the ensemble parts and improvised solos–was so clean and lush, it made a big impression on me.

People often talk about how the trumpet is the hardest instrument to play. Do you feel this is true? What doesn’t the general public understand about playing the trumpet that you wish people would realize?

​

My best friend still teases me…”You only have 3 buttons, what more do you need to practice!?” The trumpet is an incredibly difficult instrument to play. I always tell new students that unlike a piano (where you touch a key and it sounds good), the trumpet takes a looooooong time to sound anything but horrible. Mastering the trumpet, technically speaking, is based on micro-precise manipulation of a set of muscles in your face that are designed by nature for smiling and chewing. It’s a miracle that anyone sticks with it!​ ​ The upside though is that when you finally do acquire a modicum of technique, the possibilities for sound are endless. Your body, from the thickness of your lips, to the weight of your hands, determines to an enormous degree how your instrument will sound. Not only that, but your brain and sense of hearing dramatically shape the sound that comes out at the end of the day, because there is a tremendous amount of ‘room’ on each note and attack to personalize the sound. I think that many people think that the trumpet is just loud and macho, but in fact there is a world of nuance available to a good trumpeter.

If you had to identify with one or two gurus, trumpeters or otherwise, who had the greatest impact on your musical journey to date, whom would they be?

​

Ralph Alessi is a monster trumpet player, but he is also a deep, deep improviser in the truest sense of the word. He questions everything, and would rather ‘miss’ reaching for 1 new idea than sound great repeating any of the 99 amazing ideas he already had. I took a workshop with him before my senior year in high school, and it literally changed my life. I thought that improvisation meant making something new-ish with a few tricks you picked up from scale books (and man, I thought I was pretty good at it!). Ralph, in his typically subtle way, showed me that real improvisation meant to step out on a limb, and use tools as means to get to new, risky, unfamiliar, but ultimately thrilling ends.

Laurie Frink was my true, once in a lifetime role model. I can’t put into words the depth of impact she had on my life–as a trumpeter, musician, teacher, friend, son, husband, and person. She came from very bleak and limited circumstances and became a flawless technician, consummate professional, and guru-like teacher with a following ranging from orchestral principals to high school students. It’s a testament to her character that so many of her students recall how she helped them overcome difficult musical obstacles, as well as personal troubles. Laurie has a way of making it feel like you and her were the only people on the planet, and her only goal was to help you succeed. She was a truly extraordinary human being, and her death was devastating for the music community. I had her initials tattooed on the inside of my arm, and I think about her every day.

Who is your favorite trumpeter today (as in today, the day you are writing this email) and what recorded song available to the public best exemplifies why this trumpeter is so badass?

​

Can I get away with 2 if they are from the same state? There must be something in the water in Colorado, because it produced Shane Endsley and Ron Miles. Shane has a truly unique language on the trumpet. When he plays, it’s like every sentence starts with something you know and then winds up on a completely different–but equally interesting–topic. He never seems to be playing very loudly or working very hard, but everything that comes out of his horn is pin-point accurate and compelling. His band Kneebody gives all of us trumpeters hope that we can still be in a rock band when we grow up. Ron Miles has the most luxurious and earnest trumpet sound I have ever heard, and his playing evinces a patience and maturity that is breathtaking. One of his records was recorded in a room so dry that it makes my teeth hurt worrying that he’ll crack a note…but I think he’s just happy to put out his trumpet sound ‘as-is’ because he is so confident in his message. His compositions are gorgeous, and they way he floats along lyrically gives us plenty of perspective on how the trumpet can function as a leader, background voice, or texture in between. ​ ​And while they are not from Colorado, if you haven’t heard Eric Biondo or Nate Wooley then you are missing out.​​

Thursday, September 18
Smoke Jazz and Supper Club – $9 Cover.
7pm Paul Williamson , 9pm Steve Fishwick,
10:30pm Keyon Harrold , 11:30pm Nadje Noordhuis.

Today, I was listening to Louis Armstrong. It’s impossible to have a bad moment while listening to him. I have the “All Time Greatest Hits” album. It’s fabulous.

Thursday, September 18
Smoke Jazz and Supper Club – $9 Cover.
7pm Paul Williamson , 9pm Steve Fishwick,
10:30pm Keyon Harrold , 11:30pm Nadje Noordhuis.

How did you become a trumpet player? Did you play other instruments before
the trumpet? If so, did those instruments inform how you played trumpet?
Or did your view of how music is played change once becoming a trumpeter?

I started playing trumpet aged 8.  I came home from school one day with
a letter offering trumpet lessons, I don’t really know why I initially
wanted to play but I’ve played it ever since!

Were there recordings in the beginning and even years into learning the
instrument that drew you into the trumpet’s sound and possibilities?

Yes, Miles Davis live in Europe, Woody Shaw Night Music, Freddie
Hubbard, Clark Terry, Donald Byrd, Wynton Marsalis (his classical and jazz
recordings)

People often talk about how the trumpet is the hardest instrument to play.
Do you feel this is true? What doesn’t the general public understand about
playing the trumpet that you wish people would realize?

Yes I feel it’s one of the hardest instruments.  I would like people to
realise the amount of work, daily routines and drills we have to do in
practice every single day just so that we can play the instrument to a
certain standard and make a good enough sound that people might want to
listen to.

If you had to identify with one or two gurus, trumpeters or otherwise, who
had the greatest impact on your musical journey to date, whom would they
be?

As I’m from the UK and have never lived in the US I haven’t really
studied with any of the recognised brass gurus.  I would consider myself
self taught, but I have read and practised a lot from the methods and
ideas of Arnold Jacobs, Vincent Chicowicz, Laurie Frink and Carmine
Caruso.  I’ve picked a lot of other trumpet players brains when I’ve had
the opportunity too!

Who is your favorite trumpeter today (as in today, the day you are writing
this email) and what recorded song available to the public best
exemplifies why this trumpeter is so badass?

For sound Wallace Roney, I especially love his record ‘The Village’.
For technique Wynton Marsalis, I love his classical recordings.  For pure
musicality and feeling it’s hard to beat Tom Harrell, my favourite record
of his is called ‘Form’.

I became a trumpet player because of Clifford Brown. I heard him on the radio and thought it was the slickest ever. Joy Spring was the tune I later found out.

I played violin when I was 3 or 4 years old. When I started playing trumpet my whole view of music changed by listening to more jazz and having a wider variety of music to check out.  The trumpet is pretty difficult at times but any instrument can be, it’s all about how you look at it. If you put the time in the easier it gets. It’s a very physical instrument you have to play it daily to keep up.

I would say the two biggest impacts on my musical life are Gary Thomas, a saxophonist/ flutist and composer, his approach to music is genius and has given me a whole new approach to music. The other is Doobie Powell, a God send of a musician whose music has inspired me greatly. Keyon Harrold is probably my favorite trumpet player out now, I’ve known him since 1998 and has been incredible since then.

How did you become a trumpet player? Did you play other instruments before the trumpet? If so, did those instruments inform how you played trumpet? Or did your view of how music is played change once becoming a trumpeter?

I always wanted to be a musician. I started out improvising at the piano and this goes back longer than I can remember. My mom recently gave me a picture of me playing piano when I was 2. I used to steal my older brother’s trombone until he switched to flute because I didn’t have any desire to steal that. I originally wanted to be a drummer but  after attending his big band concert I was really attracted to the trumpet because the trumpet players looked the coolest. They got to stand for the whole concert while the other horns had to seat. So I got my first trumpet when I was 12 years old and my first cornet when I was 13 and I immediately began to improvise on them.

The first great trumpet player that I heard was Al Hirt, my dad had a bunch of his records and he was eager to share them with me when I showed interest in the trumpet but al scared me because he was so good. Dig this clip!! Everybody plays great but Al just dominates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aea21Btwf-4

You can also hear that Wynton got more than just his first horn from Al.

After that I went to be more attracted to Chet Baker playing. The subtlety really appealed to me. I learned every note on “Chet Baker with Strings” and I could play the whole cd from start to finish without ever writing anything down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzSGB7bW5Oo

Listen to that sound!

 

I do think it’s the hardest, luckily a lot of my friends that play other instruments agree. Some friends and I had a competition in high school when we traded instrument to see how fast we can gain a basic level of proficiency so I played saxophone, clarinet and trombone. My friends that borrowed my trumpet couldn’t make it work in the time of the competition. So I won!

I think that the soprano voice on any instrument family (violin, soprano voices, etc.) is inherently more difficult because the notes are closer together and there’s less room for air. But the trumpet has a host of other reasons that make it more difficult than other soprano instruments. Most of all is the constant attention than the instrument needs, you can’t take any time off.

If you had to identify with one or two gurus, trumpeters or otherwise, who had the greatest impact on your musical journey to date, whom would they be?

I dropped out of the college after a year my main man was Ron Miles. I started to hang with Ron when I was 17, he never gave me a trumpet lesson but being around him was always a lesson. He never told me how to play but talked about things to listen to. He introduced me to Steve Lacy and Lee Konitz. Ron and I became good friends and he is still a role model. He even gave me the horn that I play! He is a true master.

When I moved to New York, I met and started to play with Butch Morris. Incidentally Butch told me I was really a cornet player years before I made the switch back. Butch was the first person to want me on record in New York and the first person to take me to Europe. His system of organization changed the way I think about music. Butch was really hard on the band but that’s because he cared about music so much.

It’s difficult to say how much I learned from these two guys, both are cornet players and true individuals.

Today, like many days, is Lester Bowie.  Dig this clip: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3ac_vGlBBI

Listen to his entrance at 1’15”, so sweet and laid back and listen to how expressive he is throughout the track. Lester was never afraid to get his hands dirty, the trumpet is so difficult that players get scared of it and they get more concerned about playing technically correct than playing with emotion. 

www.kirkknuffke.com

• Wednesday, September 17
  Smoke Jazz and Supper Club – $9 Cover.
  7pm Carlos Abadie, 9pm Kirk Knuffke ,
  10:30pm Leon Jordan Jr, 11:30 Theljon Allen

• Thursday, September 18
  Smoke Jazz and Supper Club – $9 Cover.
  7pm Paul Williamson , 9pm Steve Fishwick,
  10:30pm Keyon Harrold , 11:30pm Nadje Noordhuis

• Friday, September 19
  7:30pm- Village Zendo -$16 online/$20 at door.
  An Evening of Improvised music to the 1926 Japanese silent film “A Page of Madness”  with Tim Hagans, Aaron             Shragge and James Shipp.

• Saturday, September 20
  Cornelia Street Cafe – $10 cover/$10 minimum.
  9pm The first bi-annual Laurie Frink Career Grant Awardee! Riley Mulherkar: Two Quartets

•  Saturday, September 20
   Cornelia Street Cafe – $10 cover/$10 minimum.
   10:30pm John McNeil Quartet featuring Ethan Iverson
  Celebrating Laurie Frink.

•  Sunday, September 21
  Brooklyn Children’s Museum FREE!
  12pm and 1pm – Blast of Brass: An interactive concert featuring the science and fun of making music with the brass family of instruments at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. Featuring Jesse Neuman.

•  Sunday, September 21
  Cornelia Street Cafe – $10cover/$10 minimum.
  8:30pm First annual Roy Campbell Commissioning Grant Awardee! Igmar Thomas Quartet

• Sunday, September 21
  Cornelia Street Cafe – $10cover/$10 minimum.
  10pm Trumpets for Roy. directed by Lewis Flip Barnes and Dave Douglas,
  featuring: Dave Ballou, Steven Bernstein, Jackie Coleman, Nicole Davis, Josh Evans, Graham Haynes, Nabate Isles, Matt Lavell, Frank London, Ryan Messina, Stephanie Richards, Angeleisha Rodgers, Aaron Shragge, Igmar Thomas.

• Monday, September 22
  Rockwood Music Hall $15 cover
   7pm FONT’s Electro-Trumpet Sessions: 7pm, Eric Biondo, 7:45pm Shane Endsley, 8:30 Graham Haynes.

• Tuesday, September 23
  Ibeam: Emerging Players – $10.
  9pm Victor Haskins, 10pm Jonathan Saraga, 11pm Jackie Coleman: Chase Experiment.

• Wednesday, September 24
  Ibeam Emerging Players – $10
  9pm Sam Neufeld, 10pm Benje Daneman, 11pm Mike Irwin.

• Thursday, September 25
  Littlefield – Tickets 20$ (15$ for students with ID)
  Doors at 7pm. FONT’S BRASS BEAT BLASTOFF:  Three powerful brass party bands hit the stage as part of
  FONT 2014 featuring No BS! Brass, Font’s premiere Afro-Brass Assembly and Brooklyn’s own Banda de Los Muertos.

• Friday, September 26 – FREE!
   12pm – J. Landress Brass Showroom Anniversary Celebration

•  Friday, September 26
  Mannes Concert Hall: American Brass Quintet plus Practical Trumpet Society. $15.
  7pm: The American Brass Quintet will be performing works by Gunther Schuller, David Sampson & a world premiere of John Zorn’s In Excelsis for large brass ensemble. Opening this evening’s concert will be NYC’s own Practical Trumpet Society premiering a new work by Stephanie Richards and including works by K. Stockhausen and Zorn’s recent Fanfare for the Great Hall.

• Saturday, September 27 at 7pm,
  New School Jazz Performance Space, 55 W. 13th St., 5th floor – $10/$5 students tickets  (with ID) at door.
  8pm New School Trumpet Alumni Trumpet Round Robin
  Featuring: Nick Roseboro, Mike Rodriguez, Sam Neufeld, Alejandro Berti, Aaron Shragge, Kenyatta Beasley, Itamar Borochov and Carter Yasutake.

• Sunday, September 28
  St. Peter’s Church – FREE!
  3pm Panel discussion on Brass Music in the 21st Century.
  Moderator: Richard Kessler, Dean Mannes College The New School for Music.
  Panelists: Raymond Mase, Dave Douglas, Stephanie Richards, Riley Mulherkar, Igmar Thomas.

•  Sunday, September 28
   St. Peter’s Church – FREE!
  5pm Vespers Service with the American Brass Quintet.
  Early Music Edited by Raymond Mase featuring works by Marenzio, Mazzi, Gabrieli, Cangiasi, Gastoldi and others.
  FONT Award of Recognition to Raymond Mase.

Yoshio Toyama’s Jazz Foundation launches fundraising effort for ‘Louisiana Music Experience’ exhibit

http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2014/08/yoshio_toyamas_jazz_foundation.html

Berklee College of Music has named noted trumpeter Sean Jones the next chair of the college’s Brass Department. Jones, who played lead trumpet with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for six years, is an internationally acclaimed trumpeter and composer who just released his seventh album, im•pro•vise = never before seen, on Mack Avenue Records.

http://www.classicalite.com/articles/10361/20140805/berklee-college-of-music-names-jazz-trumpeter-sean-jones-chair-of-the-brass-department.htm