Saturday, December 23, 2023

The legendary jazz trumpeter leads an all-star ensemble.

John D’earth plays trumpet with a striking, original sound and a technique that he mobilizes for spitfire improvisation and gripping melodies. A consummate jazz artist, composer, and gifted educator, he draws inspiration from collaborators on the bandstand, from students, and from nature. Internationally known for his contributions in straight-ahead jazz (D’earth served as foil to guitarist Emily Remler, added brawn to the George Gruntz Big Band, and played on Bob Moses’ early recordings) he exhibits omnivorous musical tastes including free improvisation, mainstream rock, and modern classical music. Since he joined the musicians union at age fourteen this wildly eclectic musician has performed across the globe. He appears on over 100 recordings on vinyl, CDs, film, and video in a career that spans the analogue and digital eras. Despite a commanding musical presence he possesses an uncanny ability to bring out the best in musicians with whom he shares the bandstand. All of this is evident on his newly released album, Coin Of The Realm, (Cosmology Records 2023). This song cycle of originals, recorded with his long-standing quintet, reveals a musician who, in his seventies, is still evolving and very much in his creative prime.

D'earth’s recordings as a leader for Vanguard Records, ENJA Records, DoubleTime Jazz, and his own Cosmology label reflect an eclectic, searching nature, rooted in the entirety of the jazz tradition and a trumpet sensibility that owes as much to Louis Armstrong as to Lee Morgan and Miles Davis. The list of top-flight musicians he has played with presents its own syllabus of jazz genealogies; they include Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton, Gunter Hampel’s Galaxie Dream Band, Miles Davis/Quincy Jones at Montreaux, Tito Puente, Emily Remler, Bennie Wallace, Eddie Gomez, The George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band (European and China tours), Bob Moses, Pat Metheny, Joe Henderson, Clark Terry, John Abercrombie, and John Scofield, as well as pop stars Bruce Hornsby, Bonnie Raitt, and Dave Matthews.

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