Biography

We now know we can add one more name to that

line of trumpet royalty that began with Joe “King” Oliver

and continued through Louis, Roy Eldridge and Gillespie.

With Jon Faddis we are hearing the jazz tradition reborn,

the flame rekindled, and carried forward. (Melody Maker)

jon faddis

If any musician can be said to exemplify the continuum of jazz, from its roots to the 1990s, it is certainly Jon Faddis. The main stops on this trumpeter extraordinaire’s career encompass strong associations with Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, Charles Mingus; recordings with Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra and Clark Terry. As composer, Faddis recently completed a collaboration with writer/director/librettist Lee Breuer on a new jazz opera titled Lulu Noire. Adapted from the Wedekind Lulu plays, the piece - written for 6 voices and ten musicians - updates the setting from turn-of-the-century Berlin to the world of the New York jazz clubs. The work premiered at the Spoleto Festival and at the American Music Theater Festival in Philadelphia in May ‘97.

Born in Oakland, CA on July 24, 1953, Jon Faddis began playing trumpet at age eight, inspired by an appearance of Louis Armstrong on The Ed Sullivan Show. Three years later, his trumpet teacher Bill Catalano, an alumnus of the Stan Kenton band, turned Faddis on to Dizzy Gillespie. By his mid-teens, Jon had met Dizzy and sat in with his combo at the famed Jazz Workshop in San Francisco.

Soon after graduating from high school in 1971, two days before his eighteenth birthday, Faddis joined Lionel Hampton's band as a featured soloist, touring widely and appearing on a Canadian television special, One Night Stand in the company of Roy Eldridge, Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Mel Torme, Milt Hinton and other jazz greats many years his senior. That same year Faddis moved to New York and responded to an invitation from Mel Lewis to drop by the Village Vanguard to sit in with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band on one of their regular Monday night sessions. That turned into four years of playing with the band, with which he toured internationally and recorded. During this period he also studied at the Manhattan School of Music and worked with Gil Evans, Charles Mingus and recorded on the Pablo label with Dizzy and Oscar Peterson.

By age 20, Faddis had already garnered myriad accolades from the critical press, recognition in the jazz polls, burgeoning numbers of international fans and heady praise from jazz greats. Mel Lewis called Faddis “the greatest young trumpet player I’ve heard since Dizzy.” Dizzy himself declared, he’s the best ever - including me! A performance with the Charles Mingus Sextet at the Loosdrecht (Holland) International Jazz Festival drew raves, “The audience at Loosdrecht has witnessed the birth of a giant....” (Coda, December 1972). In 1974 and 1975 Jon was voted #1 Trumpet in the Downbeat International Critic’s Poll for Talent Deserving Wider Recognition.

Other highlights include filling in (at the tender age of 18) for an ailing Eldridge in an all-star concert led by Charles Mingus at New York's Philharmonic Hall; a Carnegie Hall gig with Sarah Vaughan; an historic duet with Eubie Blake at Dick Gibson's Colorado Jazz Party; performances with Gil Evans’, Count Basie’s and Benny Carter’s big bands; an appearance at Radio City Music Hall with Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Art Blakey, Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock and Charles Mingus; and appearances at festivals here and abroad.

From 1975-1982, Jon became one of the most in-demand session musicians in New York, exposing him to a diverse spectrum of music. His distinctive trumpet voice would be heard on albums by performers as disparate as Duke Ellington, the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, Quincy Jones, Billy Joel, Paul Simon and Stanley Clarke, to name a few. Later his horn was heard on the theme of The Cosby Show, and on the soundtracks of Clint Eastwood’s films The Gauntlet and Bird.

In 1977, Faddis toured Europe with Gillespie, performing and recording with him at the Montreaux Jazz Festival. In 1982 he responded to an invitation from Dizzy to accompany him on a visit to the White House for the PBS series In Performance at the White House in which Dizzy and several other major American artists showcased young colleagues they believed to be “on the verge of exceptional careers.” Within a year he formed a working group that debuted at the Village Vanguard in October 1983. The following year he recorded in a quintet led by McCoy Tyner and Jackie McLean and in 1986, recorded and toured with Clark Terry. In 1987, Jon played the major role in organizing and rehearsing Dizzy's big band that celebrated the legendary bebopper's 70th birthday on tour here and abroad. He later assumed the same position as musical director of Dizzy's United Nation’s Orchestra, another international all-star group formed in 1989. That same year he played in a tribute concert, Hearts for Ella, at Avery Fisher Hall. Faddis served as musical director for the Carnegie Hall Centennial Jazz Band, which paved the way to an ongoing gig with the world-renown music hall.

In December 1991, Carnegie Hall announced the formation of the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, an 18-piece all-star orchestra with Jon Faddis as its music director. The band made its debut October 22, 1992 and has since played to packed houses and been praised for its swinging sound, tight ensemble work and original arrangements. The band recently released its first album on the Blue Note label and will embark on a tour of the U.S. and Europe in the fall of 1996. Frequently tapped for his conducting prowess, Faddis also served as music director for the 1995 Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra “The Majesty of Louis Armstrong Tour”, the “Newport Jazz Festival 40th Anniversary Tour”, the "Tribute to King Oliver" concert for the Olympic celebrations in Savannah, featuring Doc Cheatham and James Moody, and for the 50th anniversary Dizzy Gillespie Tribute Band at the 1996 Chicago Jazz Festival. He currently tours with the sextet, Faddis, Hampton & Heath featuring Jon with Slide Hampton and Jimmy Heath, forming one of the greatest front line horn sections in jazz.

Known for his quick wit and wicked sense of humor, Jon has frequently traded barbs and riffs on the TV talk show circuit including the Merv Griffin Show with Herbie Hancock, and on the Tonight Show, Arsenio Hall Show, Saturday Night Live and Late Night with David Letterman. He also served as musical director for the concert and video: Diana Ross Live: Stolen Moments.

Jon Faddis has an enduring commitment to the education of young musicians and frequently conducts clinics and master classes devoting personalized attention to teaching the next generation of jazz musicians. The Jon Faddis Award for Musical Excellence is presented each year by Highlights in Jazz to the Most Promising Jazz Trumpet Talent in the New York area. In addition, in the fall of 1999, he became the first artist-in-residence at The Conservatory of Music at Purchase State University of New York and also serves on the institution’s faculty.

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