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John Raymond

John Raymond is making a name for himself as one of the most promising, genre-bending musicians in jazz today. With a singular voice as a trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer, Raymond is “steering jazz in the right direction” (Downbeat Magazine) by pushing its boundaries, seamlessly incorporating indie-rock, folk and electronic influences into his music. “This is jazz, yes, but jazz with an open mind." (Something Else). He has performed with jazz artists such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Billy Hart, Linda Oh, and Dave King, and has also recorded or performed with Sara Bareilles, Cory Wong and S. Carey.

Raymond has released six albums under his own name since 2012 - four with his primary band Real Feels - each receiving praise from Stereogum, the New York Times, Downbeat, JazzTimes and more. He has also participated played and composed for Grammy-nominated recordings, the most recent being the Orrin Evans Captain Black Big Band album "Presence" in 2018. In addition to being a recognized player and composer, Raymond has established himself as a sought-after educator, both as Professor of Jazz Trumpet at Indiana University, and as an active guest clinician & soloist at schools around the world.

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19
Album Review

Buselli / Wallarab Jazz Orchestra: The Gennett Suite

Read "The Gennett Suite" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


This is where music for mass consumption--recorded music--started, in Richmond, Indiana, in the 1920s, in a piano factory by the railroad tracks in a glacier-carved gorge. Established in 1887, in the beginning Starr Pianos' bread and butter was pianos, but they branched out to selling other instruments and eventually photographs and records--their own records, recorded in the piano factory, taking breaks in the process when a train came by. At first, they called their recording side of the business Starr ...

4
Album Review

Kind Folk: Head Towards The Center

Read "Head Towards The Center" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


Kind Folk is a quartet consisting of trumpeter John Raymond, alto saxophonist Alex LoRe, bassist Noam Wiesenberg and drummer Colin Stranahan. They recorded their first album in 2018, then went their separate ways for various reasons. They finally reconnected in June 2021 and came up with the simmering blend of jazz, rock and folk sensibilities that makes up this album. Generally, there is a subdued but close-knit feel to this music. Tracks such as “Mantrois" and “Around, Forever" ...

3
Album Review

Zacc Harris Group: Small Wonders

Read "Small Wonders" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


Accompanied by the hugely conversant John Raymond on trumpet and flugelhorn, saxophonist Brandon Wozniak, Expressionism-steeped pianist Bryan Nichols and the fluid viscosity of rhythm brothers bassist Chris Bates and drummer JT Bates, Zacc Harris—whose tonal voyage could be immediately likened to that of John Scofield (if only Harris didn't harken and manage all his influences so damn well)—creates on Small Wonders a very lucid, warm and easy vibe one cannot help being explicably drawn to. It is a vibe many ...

6
Album Review

Zacc Harris Group: Small Wonders

Read "Small Wonders" reviewed by Mark Corroto


There is a theme of currents to the music of Small Wonders, although it is not stated in the titles. Minneapolis guitarist Zacc Harris pours the music from this album into your ears, metaphorically speaking. At times it is a cascade, in other places just a trickle. Either way, listeners are encouraged to float along, and going with the flow is a natural reaction to this music. Small Wonders is the second release by the Zacc Harris Group, following The ...

6
Album Review

John Raymond and Real Feels: Live Vol. 2

Read "Live Vol. 2" reviewed by Peter J. Hoetjes


After releasing his album Joy Ride (Sunnyside Records) early in 2018, John Raymond took his band Real Feels on the road to experiment with the songs they created. Their philosophy seems to be predicated on the song rather than the instrument, as of utmost importance. Thankfully, none of the tunes they play here seem rigid or too tightly structured, as this approach can sometimes cause. Worth noting is that while Live Vol. 2 is a live recording, the audio quality ...

3
Album Review

Kind Folk: Why Not

Read "Why Not" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


Back in 2014, trumpeter John Raymond, alto saxophonist Alex LoRe, bassist Noam Wiesenberg, and drummer Colin Stranahan gathered in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn to test out their chemistry and let the music flow. Four years later, after some more sporadic get-togethers and a bump or two in the road, we have their debut. Opening with the buoyant and clear-headed Kenny Wheeler tune that serves as the name (and something of a directional beacon) for this collective ...

12
Album Review

John Raymond & Real Feels: Joy Ride

Read "Joy Ride" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


There's something to be said for the centered and warm sound qualities born of a flugelhorn fronting a bass-less trio. Even when John Raymond ratchets up the intensity on his original compositions--the choppy title track in five, the circuitous “Follower"--there's a sense of sonic evenhandedness reflecting both the instrument's depth of character and the artist's depth of soul. Of course, it helps when you also have players of the caliber of guitarist Gilad Hekselman and drummer Colin Stranahan filling out ...

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2

Recording

"Real Feels": The Roots of Success for John Raymond

"Real Feels": The Roots of Success for John Raymond

Source: JazzINK by Andrea Canter

"I feel like the album captures the seed of something on its way to becoming more honest and beautiful, and I think there's a certain “magic" to that that makes it special to me." —John Raymond “Electrifyingly new and strangely familiar at the same time…with his mix of modern sounds and old-fashioned feeling, Raymond is steering jazz in the right direction.” —Downbeat Magazine Few young musicians truly find success when they spread their wings in the Big Apple. That Twin ...

1

Performance / Tour

The Lead Sheet: Twin Cities Live Jazz, July 17-23

The Lead Sheet: Twin Cities Live Jazz, July 17-23

Source: JazzINK by Andrea Canter

Happy to report there is now another venue with significant jazz bookings to include in the Lead Sheet— Vieux Carré opened earlier this week; the websiteis up and running, and the club calendar is pretty much filled for July with music five nights per week, jazz at least two of those nights and often more. Add those gigs to the regularly scheduled action at the Dakota, Jazz Central, The Nicollet, Black Dog, Parma 8200, Icehouse, The Tangiers, Crooners Lounge, Normandy ...

2

Recording

Trumpeter/Composer John Raymond Takes a New Look At Jazz Tradition On "Foreign Territory"

Trumpeter/Composer John Raymond Takes a New Look At Jazz Tradition On "Foreign Territory"

Source: All About Jazz

Raymond's Second CD, out April 28 via Fresh Sound/New Talent, features pianist Dan Tepfer, bassist Joe Martin, and legendary drummer Billy Hart Inspiration doesn’t have to come from reshaping the ground beneath one’s feet; the creative spark can also be ignited by exploring well-trod terrain with fresh eyes. On his sophomore CD, Brooklyn-based trumpeter/composer John Raymond ventures into Foreign Territory, taking a refreshing and exciting look at the jazz tradition with a set of original music that retains the music’s ...

1

Performance / Tour

John Raymond Debuts Chordless Trio at Bar Next Door in NYC, October 18, 2012

John Raymond Debuts Chordless Trio at Bar Next Door in NYC, October 18, 2012

Source: Two for the Show Media

"A prepossessing young trumpet player..."-New York Times “Possessing a forte that few seasoned musicians have attained... a brilliant talent whose luminosity is endless." —Birmingham Times Over the past few months trumpeter John Raymond has performed to raving audiences with a new quartet at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, his trumpet/guitar front-lined quintet at Smalls Jazz Club as a part of the 10th annual FONT Festival, and he will now debut a chordless trio at the intimate Bar Next Door on Thursday October ...

53

Recording

Trumpeter/Composer John Raymond Releases Debut CD "Strength and Song"

Trumpeter/Composer John Raymond Releases Debut CD "Strength and Song"

Source: Two for the Show Media

"A dynamic and soulful musician, both as a trumpet player and a composer. John Raymond uses his knowledge of the jazz tradition to forge a style that honors the masters of our music as well as being creative, unpredictable and compelling. John has a unique voice, and he is definitely saying something that is worth listening to." —Jon Faddis, World-Renown Trumpeter & Educator “John is among the more expressive and inventive of the young cats on the scene now." —Scott ...

"Electrifyingly new and strangely familiar at the same time." (Downbeat Magazine)

"A prepossessing young trumpet player" (New York Times)

"The unpredictability and unaffected assurance of Minneapolis-born trumpeter John Raymond’s flexible lines have made him one of the most compelling new talents to come along in a while." (Arts Fuse)

"Possessing a forte that few seasoned musicians have attained...a brilliant talent whose luminosity is endless" (Birmingham Times)

"Raymond's trumpet voice immediately separates him from the pack" (All About Jazz)

"A rapidly maturing artist with his own artistic vision." (Jazz Police)

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Primary Instrument

Trumpet

Location

Indianapolis

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Credentials/Background

Assistant Professor of Jazz Trumpet Jacobs School of Music Indiana University

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

The Gennett Suite

Patrois Records
2023

buy

Head Towards The...

Fresh Sound Records
2022

buy

Small Wonders

Shifting Paradigm Records
2021

buy

Live Vol. 2

Sunnyside Records
2019

buy

Joy Ride

Sunnyside Records
2018

buy

Why Not

Fresh Sound Records
2018

buy

Dippermouth Blues

From: The Gennett Suite
By John Raymond

The Void

From: Small Wonders
By John Raymond

Foreign Territory

From: Foreign Territory
By John Raymond

Onward

From: Strength & Song
By John Raymond

Already & Not Yet

From: Strength & Song
By John Raymond

Videos

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