Ambrose Akinmusire
Ambrose's conceptual extension into a new musical language is never to the exclusion of beauty. As one who listens intently, he values the fertility of a pause, of communication, of tension. Ambrose began conceptualizing early as a musician, theorizing and experimenting as a catalyst for development. He seeks other genres of music to analyze and expose, drawing inspiration from such musicians as Bjork and Chopin. Ambrose’s music restructures accepted notions of jazz in a way that reflects his ability to recognize nuances, multiplicities, and patterns. First playing piano at the age of three, his familiarity with music began long before putting his mouth to a trumpet. He is relentlessly opposed to stagnation, seeking movement in both his music and his life.
Before he was eighteen, Ambrose had already performed with such famed musicians as Joe Henderson, Joshua Redman, Steve Coleman, and Billy Higgins. After graduating Berkeley High School, he moved to New York to begin a full scholarship at the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Vincent Pinzerella from the New York Philharmonic, Dick Oatts, Lew Soloff, and Laurie Frink.
Throughout his studies, Ambrose continued to tether audiences to his concepts and his sound, performing publicly with Lonnie Plaxico, Stefon Harris, Josh Roseman, Vijay Iyer, Charlie Persip, the Mingus Big Band, and the San Francisco Jazz Collective, to name only a few. His exposure to dynamic modes of playing and to musicians with accumulated experiences only promoted the development of his own distinct musical style. Currently in a Masters program at USC, and a member of the Monk Institute, Ambrose’s instructors include Terence Blanchard, Billy Childs and Gary Grant. In the past year, he has worked with such artists as Jimmy Heath, Jason Moran, Hal Crook, Bob Hurst, Terri Lynne Carrington, Ron Carter, and Wallace Roney, and performed in Vietnam with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.
Read moreTags
Album Review
- Come and See What There Is to See by Mark Corroto
- On The Tender Spot Of Every Calloused Moment by Chris May
Radio
Album Review
- InWhatStrumentals by Karl Ackermann
Live Review
Radio
Album Review
- A Rift in Decorum: Live at the Village Vanguard by Mark E. Gallo
Live Review
Album Review
- A Rift in Decorum: Live at the Village Vanguard by Mark Sullivan
Live Review
Read more articlesDecember 27, 2018
Jessica Jones And Tony Jones Two New Releases January 22! Jessica...
October 22, 2018
Jazz At Princeton University Presents Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire In...
June 14, 2017
Jazz Bakery Receives NEA Art Works Grant
December 15, 2015
Music Education Monday: A master class with trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire
April 20, 2015
Ambrose Akinmusire Headlines Bray Jazz 2015
October 08, 2012
Duke Performances Presents The Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet In Durham,...
June 26, 2012
Newport Festivals Foundation Offers $15 Tickets To Students At Select ...
January 05, 2012
APAP JazzConnect Session: NEA Jazz Masters & Jazz Futures: Paying It...
November 30, 2011
Carnegie Hall & Joyce/George Wein Foundation Present Ambrose Akinmusire...
October 22, 2011
Monterey Jazz Festival's Next Generation Jazz Festival Now Accepting...
Photos
Albums
Watch
Similar

trumpet

piano

guitar

saxophone, tenor

oud

drums

piano

drums

voice / vocals

voice / vocals

bass

piano

voice / vocals

trumpet

piano

ukulele