NYC trumpet festival has St. Louis flavor

One of the most creative trumpet players of the
second half of the 20th century, the late Lester
Bowie is being honored by this year's Festival
of New Trumpet Music.

St. Louis has a tradition of producing fine jazz trumpet players, so it's no surprise that while the third annual Festival of New Trumpet Music will take place from August 2 - 27 in faraway New York City, there's a bit of a St. Louis influence there, too.

For starters, the first week of the FONT Music festival organized by trumpeters Dave Douglas, Roy Campbell and Jon Nelson is dedicated to St. Louis native Lester Bowie. Events will take place that week at the NYC club The Jazz Standard and will feature bands led by Douglas, Campbell, Bill Dixon, Graham Haynes, Cuong Vu, Bobby Bradford and others in performances that, in part, will attempt to evoke the spirit and/or substance of Bowie's approach to music.

Former St. Louisan, Black Artists Group co-founder, and trumpeter Bakaida Carroll will lead his group in concert on August 6, and other St. Louis natives appearing during that week of the festival include drummer Gene Lake, who's the son of former Oliver Lake and will perform with Douglas, and reedman Marty Ehrlich, a University City native who will play with Bradford. During the Festival's third week, young trumpet phenom Keyon Harrold, another St. Louis export, will perform with his group at Spark on August 17.

In a press release, FONT co-founder Douglas sums up the festival's premise this way:

"The Festival of New Trumpet Music is, for me, a chance to hear many facets of contemporary trumpet music, regardless of style. This festival disproves the idea that there are only two kinds of trumpet players, inside and outside. In fact, this festival demonstrates the explosion of unique visions that currently coexist. FONT Music encourages each trumpeter to explore their own point of view and to be truly 'themselves.'

"In this way we feel that this festival is a celebration of the many ways forward in music. From a week-long celebration of Lester Bowie at the Jazz Standard, to an indescribable series at Tonic, to a week of new and emerging trumpeter/bandleaders at Spark, to a week of seminars and concert music at Yamaha, culminating in a one-of-a-kind final concert with conductor and cornetist Butch Morris leading improvisations by an ensemble of many of today's most adventurous, engaging and controversial trumpeters."

All in all, August sounds like a fine month to be a trumpet fan - or a trumpet player - in New York City, and it's always good to see St. Louis players in the mix and Bowie's contribution to the music being recognized.