trumpetdoc

Just wanted to bring to everyone's attention (a rant maybe?):

Often times I curse moving to NYC and having to deal with the chaos, crowdedness, expense, and frantic lifestyle. However...

Last week I had the priviledge to attend 3 evenings of fantastic music performed by the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra at the Jazz Standard.

The trumpet section was: Tony Kadleck - lead, Jon Owens, Laurie Frink, and Ingrid Jensen.

Wow!!! The music is great, not big band music but truly original music that happens to be scored for big band instrumentation. The entire band is great with some world class soloists like Ingrid Jensen, Charles Pillow, Ben Monder, and Richie Perry, one of my all time favorites.

Best of all, I got to listen to maybe the best trumpet section going today. Sound, pitch, time, phrasing, everything just at the highest level. I've had the honor of playing this music in this section and I can tell you there is none like it.

But, more importantly, I got to listen to my favorite lead trumpet player of today (not counting Gozzo, Snooky, and Porcino), Tony Kadleck. You can have Bergeron, Ingram, etc., they are great players with amazing chops. But, Tony has all the chops and is also the most expressive/musical lead player out there. I never tire of hearing him play because besides the fact that he has a great sound and his time and pitch is dead on, he swings and plays beautiful phrases. Like a great orchestral principal or an opera singer.

Too many trumpet players today are wowed by chops, highnotes, and the like. Tony is the consumate musician. He plays the music, not the trumpet.

Please make the effort to hear this band and hear Tony play. I'm very fortunate to have had the opportunity.

Leon