Sat May 3
Jon Faddis Quartet - Gillespiana
7PM / $50 | $7 Fees Get Tickets
Jon Faddis
Jon Faddis is a complete and consummate musician - conductor, composer, and educator. Marked by both intense integrity and humor, Faddis earned accolades from his close friend and mentor John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie, who declared of Faddis, “He's the best ever, including me!” As a trumpeter, Faddis possesses a virtually unparalleled range and full command of his instrument, making the practically impossible seem effortless.
Born in 1953 in Oakland, CA, Faddis began playing at age seven, inspired by an appearance by Louis Armstrong on the Ed Sullivan Show. Bill Catalano (an alumnus of the Stan Kenton band) hipped Faddis to the music of Dizzy Gillespie. Meeting Dizzy Gillespie at the Monterey Jazz Festival and then sitting in with him at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco proved to be a pivotal beginning of a unique friendship between Gillespie and Faddis, one that spanned almost three decades. Two days before his 18th birthday, Faddis joined Lionel Hampton's big band as a featured soloist, moving from Oakland, CA to New York. Shortly after arriving in Manhattan, Faddis was invited to sit in with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra at the Village Vanguard; he rapidly became lead trumpeter for the band, touring the world. He soon formed his own quartet, and began directing orchestras, including the Grammy-winning United Nation Orchestra, the Dizzy Gillespie 70th Birthday Big Band, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars Big Band, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble (2004-2010), the Carnegie Hall Centennial Big Band, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band (1992-2002), and the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra of New York (2003-present). Faddis has also served as guest conductor and featured guest with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony, among others. Faddis has likely performed at Carnegie Hall more than any other living African-American musician (Gillespie and Sarah Vaughan hold similar performance records at Carnegie Hall).
Faddis’ distinctive trumpet appears on hundreds of records and numerous soundtracks for film and television. Faddis' original compositions may be heard on his Grammy-nominated Remembrances (Chesky 1998) and TERANGA (Koch 2006) as well as Hornucopia (Epic 1991) and Into the Faddisphere (Epic 1989).
Faddis is known as one of the most innovative and inspiring jazz trumpeters of our time. He has an unfailing commitment to the education of young musicians and frequently conducts clinics and master classes worldwide to help the next generation of jazz musicians. Faddis is a full-time faculty member at the Conservatory of Music, Purchase College-SUNY, where he began in 1999 as Artist-in-Residence, becoming shortly after a full Professor and Director of Jazz Performance. Among other accolades and awards, Faddis holds an honorary doctorate in Jazz from Manhattan School of Music (which he attended for about a semester when he was 18), where he also teaches. Whatever the context – classroom or concert hall – and whatever the style, Jon Faddis epitomizes the best in Jazz.
Jon Faddis plays Schilke trumpets, hand-crafted in Illinois.
7PM / $50 | $7 Fees Get Tickets
1. Final sale, no refunds, not transferable.
2. $15 food/beverage minimum per person not included in ticket price.
3. Seating first come at the door. Doors open 6 PM & 8:45 PM respectively.
4. Photography or Recording of any kind is prohibited during the performance.
5. Keep conversation to a minimum during the performance.