Derrick Gardner is a jazz trumpeter who was inspired by the best hard-working funky bop bands in the 1960’s. He now works to continue that great tradition as a performer, composer, arranger and leader. Derrick Gardner, a remarkable, creative natural talent, quickly made his mark on the New York jazz scene when he arrived in 1991. He began a high-level career in New York, where he performed internationally with Frank Foster’s Loud Minority Band and the Count Basie Orchestra (1991-1999), Harry Connick Jr.’s Big Band, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra (1991-1999), Frank Foster’s Loud Minority Band, Harry Connick Jr.”s Big Band, Harry Connick Jr.”s Big Band, The Smithsonianor player Roman Schwaller’s European Sextetetetetetetetetetetetetetetete. His performances have taken him to Europe, Russia, South Africa, Japan, South Africa, Thailand, and many other premier venues throughout the United States. The last 18 years have seen Derrick work with many artists, including late Dizzy Gillespie and Frank Foster, Jon Faddis (Jon Faddis), Nancy Wilson, Tony Bennett and Rufus Reid, as well as Clark Terry. In 1991, Mr. Gardner founded his own jazz sextet, The Jazz Prophets. It continues to be his primary vehicle for his hard-driving, distinctive music. Since the beginning, the band’s three-man line of horn players, Rob Dixon, Derrick and Vincent Gardner (tenor sax player at Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra), has been together. In 2008, Derrick’s Owl Studios debut was marked by his recording with The Jazz Prophets, “A Ride to the Other Side”. It’s like Slim Goodie’s highly-regarded debut recording as a leader for his Impact Jazz imprint, 2005. It boils down to the long-standing collective’s passion for the soulful, funky Jazz sound that Cannonball Adderly (and Horace Silver) built solid foundations for with their 1950″s/60″s ensembles. The Prophets bring that classic straight forward sound into new, revitalizing territory. Derrick Gardner
