Jon Faddis, born July 24, 1953, is an American jazz trumpet player and conductor. He also composes music and is an educator. His playing skills are well-known as well as his knowledge in the field. He was first on the scene and became famous for his ability to imitate the sound of Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Kenton trumpeter Bill Catalano. He is also the uncle of Madlib, an acclaimed producer of hip-hop music. Jon Faddis was a born in Oakland, California on December 23, 1953. He joined Lionel Hampton’s Big Band at age 18, before becoming a member of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra’s lead trumpet. Faddis, who had been playing with Charles Mingus during his 20s, became a well-known studio musician in New York. He appeared on many popular recordings in the late 1970s/early 1980s. He left the studios in the mid-80s to pursue his solo career. This led to albums such as Legacy, Into The Faddisphere, and Hornucopia. He was able to grow as a musician and an individual artist through his leadership of the DizzyGillespie 70th Birthday Big Band, and Dizzy’s United Orchestra. From 1992 to 2002, Faddis was the chief trumpet soloist for the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band at Carnegie Hall. The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band presented more than 40 concerts, hosted over 70 guests artists and featured works by over 35 composers. Faddis was also the leader of the Dizzy Giillespie Alumni All-Stars, and the Dizzy Gilpie Alumni All-Stars BIG Band. He was then appointed the Chicago Jazz Ensemble’s artistic director. Faddis was the leader of The CJE from fall 2004 to spring 2010. He created significant new music, led educational initiatives in Chicago public school that focused on Louis Armstrong’s music and brought The CJE to new venues. Faddis also managed the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchester of New York, which is the successor of the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. Faddis is now the leader of the JFJONY. He also continues to lead the Jon Faddis Quintet and the JFQ. The Kennedy Center’s New Years Eve performance in December 2010 featured the JFJONY as the headliner (available as a podcast by NPR’s JazzSet). The JFJONY also performed at the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, Westchester, New York, and the Newport Jazz Festival, among other venues. The 2006 CD Teranga was released by the Jon Faddis Quartet (Koch Records, now called E1). It featured guests such as Clark Terry, Russell Malone and Gary Smulyan. Faddis’ Grammy-nominated Remembrances was released by Chesky Records in 1999. It consisted almost entirely of ballads, and featured work by Carlos Franzetti (Argentinian composer/arranger). Faddis wrote the Jazz opera Lulu Noire in 1997. It was performed at Spoleto USA in Charleston and the American Music Theater Festival. Faddis was featured in Blues Brothers 2000, a 1998 film. He plays the trumpet with The Louisiana Gator Boys in the movie. Faddis is a New York City first call lead player and has a reputation for his ability to play the full range of the trumpet, especially the highest registers. You can hear his distinctive trumpet playing on many themes, including “Lil’ Bill”, “The Wiz,” or “Bird,” as well as other popular ones. Faddis, in addition to his professional playing, is also a well-respected educator for jazz and the trumpet. He also performs as a clinician for Schilke Trumpets (made in Melrose Park, Illinois). Faddis plays a Schilke S-42L in gold-plated with some modifications of his design. Prior to that, he used a B6L with a beryllium bell and a gold-plated S-06L. Scott Laskey of Lombard, Illinois made his mouthpieces. Jon Faddis, a trumpet teacher at The Conservatory of Music at Purchase College SUNY in Westchester, New York for over ten years, continues to teach there. He continues to honor mentors by leading master classes, clinics, workshops and workshops all over the globe. He often brings promising students along to his gigs to allow them to join in. He also produces a number CDs for young musicians. Wikipedia
