Rising star NYC jazz trumpeter & recording artist brings all-star band to BLU in support of his brand-new album, "Foreign Territory," on Fresh Sound Records!
Labeled “a prepossessing young trumpet player…” (New York Times), John Raymond has been making a name for himself as one of the most promising, up-and-coming jazz musicians in New York.
Originally from Minneapolis, MN, John has recently been a featured artist at the NYC Winter Jazz Festival, FONT Festival and Center City Jazz Festival. Since moving to New York in 2009 he has already performed as a leader at some the nation’s top venues including Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, the Dakota Jazz Club, the Jazz Showcase, Smalls Jazz Club and the Blue Note Jazz Club. John performs regularly with musicians such as Billy Hart, John Abecrombie, Orrin Evans, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Linda Oh, Dan Tepfer and Gilad Hekselman among others. John has also performed at notable events such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival and on NPR’s Toast of the Nation New Year’s Eve celebration.
His debut album “Strength & Song” – released in 2012 – garnered national and international attention – “Possessing a forte that few seasoned musicians have attained…a brilliant talent whose luminosity is endless” (Birmingham Times). Produced by Jon Faddis, the album includes pianist Gerald Clayton and guitarist Gilad Hekselman among others, and it features Raymond’s original compositions that draw on modern jazz and rock influences.
On his forthcoming album, “Foreign Territory,” Raymond is accompanied by legendary drummer Billy Hart, pianist Dan Tepfer and bassist Joe Martin. With mentor and seasoned trumpeter John McNeil serving as producer, Raymond forges a sound that is steeped in the jazz tradition, yet progressive and full of modernity. The album is set for release in April 2015 on Fresh Sound New Talent, and it’s clear that Raymond is making as big a musical statement as he’s made yet.
Raymond is also a sought-after educator and guest clinician for high schools and universities around the country, and he has taught at schools such as New Trier High School, Purchase College and the University of North Texas among others. He has developed curriculum for both the SUNY Purchase Jazz Workshop and the New York Summer Jazz Institute, has been on faculty at the Shell Lake Arts Center, and currently teaches at the United Nations International School in New York. The connection that Raymond establishes with students is personal and authentic, and his unfettered joy for making music inspires every student he interacts with.
Don’t miss your chance to hear some of the biggest names in jazz today together on the BLU Jazz+ stage, get your tickets today!
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ABOUT BILLY HART
William “Billy” Hart (born November 29, 1940 in Washington, D.C.) is a jazz drummer and educator who has performed with some of the most important jazz musicians in history.
Early on Hart performed in Washington, D.C. with soul artists such as Otis Redding and Sam and Dave, and then later with Buck Hill and Shirley Horn, and was a sideman with the Montgomery Brothers (1961), Jimmy Smith (1964–1966), and Wes Montgomery (1966–1968). Following Montgomery’s death in 1968, Hart moved to New York, where he recorded with McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, and Joe Zawinul, and played with Eddie Harris, Pharoah Sanders, and Marian McPartland.
Hart was a member of Herbie Hancock’s sextet (1969–1973), and played with McCoy Tyner (1973–1974), Stan Getz (1974–1977), and Quest (1980s), in addition to extensive freelance playing (including recording with Miles Davis on 1972’s On the Corner).
At age 73, Billy Hart works steadily and teaches widely. Since the early 1990s Hart spends considerable time at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and is adjunct faculty at the New England Conservatory of Music and Western Michigan University. He also conducts private lessons through The New School and New York University. Hart often contributes to the Stokes Forest Music Camp and the Dworp Summer Jazz Clinic in Belgium.
He leads a group with Mark Turner, Ethan Iverson, and Ben Street.
Hart resides in Montclair, New Jersey.
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ABOUT DAN TEPFER
Born in Paris to American parents, “tremendously gifted” (LA Times) pianist-composer Dan Tepfer has translated his bi-cultural identity into an exploration of music that ignores stylistic bounds. His 2011 Goldberg Variations / Variations, which pairs his performance of Bach’s work with improvised variations of his own, has received broad praise as a “riveting, inspired, fresh musical exploration” (New York Times). He has worked with the leading lights in jazz, including extensively with saxophone luminary Lee Konitz, while releasing seven albums as a leader. As a composer, he is a recipient of the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters for works including Concerto for Piano and Winds, premiered in the Prague Castle with himself on piano, and Solo Blues for Violin and Piano, premiered at Carnegie Hall. Bringing together his undergraduate studies in astrophysics with his passion for music, he is currently working on integrating computer-driven algorithms into his improvisational approach. Awards include first prize and audience prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition, first prize at the East Coast Jazz Festival Competition, and the Cole Porter Fellowship from the American Pianists Association. His recent soundtrack for the independent feature Movement and Location was voted Best Original Score at the 2014 Brooklyn Film Festival.
