Jason Palmer

Trumpeter/Composer/Educator Jason Palmer is becoming one of the most in demand musicians of his generation. He has performed with Roy Haynes, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Smith (the organist), Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Kurt Rosenwinkel (first trumpeter to ever be hired by this highly acclaimed guitarist), Ravi Coltrane, Mark Turner, Jeff Ballard, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Common, Roy Hargrove, Lewis Nash, etc. Jason was a recipient of the 2014 French American Cultural Exchange Jazz Fellowship and was named a 2011 Fellow in Music Composition by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Jason took 1st Place in the 2009 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition and the June 2007 issue of Downbeat Magazine cited Jason as one of the “Top 25 trumpeters of the Future”. In addition to performing on over a forty albums as a sideman, Jason has recorded eight albums under his own name and is currently a Steeplechase Records Recording artist (three of his recordings receiving 4 stars or better in Downbeat Magazine). Jason is has toured over 30 countries with saxophonists Greg Osby, Grace Kelly, Matana Roberts, as well as a featured guest artists on multiple projects.

Jason’s quintet has been leading the house band every weekend at Boston’s historical Wally’s Jazz Café for the past twelve years. He has presented his band at the Tanglewood Jazz Fest, Sculler’s Jazz Club, the Stone and the Jazz Gallery in NYC, the Studio in Hartford Ct, as well as numerous venues throughout New England. In 2007 Jason Palmer was commissioned by the Festival of New Trumpet Music in NYC to premier a new work (based on a Sudoku game) for his quintet at the Jazz Standard. The music from that suite will be featured on Jason’s 2016 record on SteepleChase entitled Beauty “n” Numbers: The Sudoku Suite.

In addition to a heavy performing schedule, Jason Palmer continues to maintain a busy schedule as an educator/actor/board member at JazzBoston. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Ensembles and Brass at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and a visiting Assistant Professor at Harvard University. He also served on the faculty at the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, the Preparatory Division and the School for Continuing Education at the New England Conservatory of Music in, and the Mission Hill grade school. He has given master classes in Portugal, France, the UK, Russia, and Mexico. Jason was the leading actor in director Damien Chazelle’s (Whiplash) Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench. The movie received great reviews after premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009. Since then the film was screened at film festivals in Greece, Denmark, Austria, Australia, Bratislava, Martha’s Vineyard (MA), Houston, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles, Calgary (Canada), Minneapolis, Mill Valley (CA), as well as theatrical distribution in North America and DVD release worldwide.

Gear

Old NY Bach Trumpet with a Monette B2 mouthpiece.