Nadje Noordhuis, a trumpeter/composer from Australia, has a unique combination of cinematic sweep, transportive emotion and rich melodic grandeur. Her deep-felt clarion tone, expressive compositional gift, and jazz expression all combine to create a unique sound that is uniquely hers. Little Mystery Records will release Noordhuis’ long-awaited debut, entitled “Self-titled”, on October 9, 2012. The recording features a stellar lineup of musicians including violinist Sara Caswell and pianist Geoffrey Keezer. Obed Calvaire is the drummer and Obed Calvaire is the bassist. Rupert Boyd and James Shipp are the classical guitarists and percussionists. The album contains eight songs that were composed over a decade. They feature beautiful melodies and vibrant improvisation. There are influences from Pat Metheny, Irish folk songs, tango, and film scores. Noordhuis’ musical journey took her from classical music studies in Australia as a teenager to jazz music that has won her respect in New York. She was among the ten semi-finalists of Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition 2007. In 2010, she was also selected to be a Carnegie Hall Young Artist for a weeklong residency with Dave Douglas, trumpet legend. She also attended an eclectic residency at Omi International Arts Centre in upstate New York in 2007. There she formed musical and personal connections with singer-songwriters from South Africa, an Irish flutist and a flamenco guitarist as well as a trombonist who experimented with electronic music. Noordhuis is a part of many big bands including Darcy James Arche’s Secret Society, Diva Jazz Orchestra and Kyle Saulnier’s Awakening Orchestra. She performs with Josh Paris, James Shipp, vocalists Amy Cervini and Melissa Stylianou, as well as bassist Josh Paris. She was also a featured soloist in the Johnny Mandel: The Man and His Music 2011 CD, which was recorded at Lincoln Center and led by the legendary composer. Noordhuis was commissioned as a composer by the Sydney-based Baroque group ThoroughBass, and the new music ensemble ExhAust. She also received a small ensemble commission from the 2009 Festival of New Trumpet Music. Noordhuis has also composed music for Glass Brass, an Australian-made glass instrument ensemble. She has also composed a suite of Portuguese Fado songs and arranged them for a large band. Noordhuis’ talent for creating music that invokes vivid imagery makes her a great candidate for visual media composition. She composed the live score for The Projectionist, an award-winning film, and also composed the suite that accompanied an animated slidehow of streetscape photography. Noordhuis was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1977. She has had a long, but sometimes difficult, relationship with music all her life. At two years old, she began playing the piano classically and at three entered the Yamaha Music School. She returned from a family vacation aged seven when she discovered that her long-time teacher, and trumpet-player husband, had died in an automobile accident. In his memory, she took up the trumpet when she was asked to pick a band instrument for the third grade. After attending a number of musically-oriented schools she briefly stopped playing to pursue a degree in sound engineering. After graduation, there was not much opportunity in either of these fields. She was inspired by Miles Davis’ iconic Kind of Blue to relocate to Melbourne to study jazz improvisation at the Victorian College of the Arts. A visiting faculty member invited her to continue her studies at Manhattan School of Music while she was attending a summer jazz workshop at Amsterdam’s Conservatorium of Amsterdam. Noordhuis moved to New York in 2003, where she completed her Masters. She studied trumpet with Laurie Frink and composition at Ludmilla Ulehla. from http://littlemysteryrecords.com/nadjenoordhuis
