John D'earth

Jazz trumpeter and composer John D'earth was born in Framingham, Massachusetts in 1950. He studied, as a teenager, with saxophonist Boots Mussulli (Stan Kenton, Charlie Ventura, Teddy Wilson,) with John Coffey (principal trombonist BSO) and arranging with Thad Jones. He attended Harvard University and, later, moved to New York City where he studied with Carmine Caruso, Vince Penzarella and Richie Beirach.* D'earth has performed and recorded internationally and appeared on over fifty CDs working with Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis/Quincy Jones, Tito Puente, Bruce Hornsby, Emily Remler, Bennie Wallace, Eddie Gomez, The George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band, Bob Moses, Pat Metheny, Joe Henderson, Clark Terry, John Scofield and John Abercrombie, among many others. He has composed and arranged music for the Kronos String Quartet, The Kandinsky Trio, The Charlottesville Chamber Festival, Bruce Hornsby, The Dave Matthews Band, The San Diego, Atlanta, Richmond and Roanoke Symphony Orchestras, The University of Virginia Jazz Ensemble, The Great American Music Ensemble and The Charlottesville-Albemarle Youth Orchestra. Among his original works are the five movement *Natural Bridge*, commissioned by the Kandinsky Trio and *Suite Rakalam*, in four movements, for string septet, trumpet and drumset commissioned by the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival. He recently completed a two hour score for five instruments to be performed live with Mernau's 1926 silent film masterpiece, *Faustus*. D'earth has recorded as a leader for Vanguard Records, ENJA Records, DoubleTime Jazz and his own Cosmolgy label.

Currently residing in Charlottesville, Virginia he is a co-founder of the Free Bridge Quintet, is the music director for the Thompson D'earth Band with his wife, vocalist and composer Dawn Thompson, leads the Charlottesville Swing Orchestra, the jazz/poetry project and his own quartet/quintet. As the Director of Jazz Performance at the University of Virginia Mr. D'earth teaches improvisation, jazz trumpet and directs the UVA Jazz Ensemble. As a jazz musician and composer he is interested in the nexus of composition and improvisation and in working with musicians who are committed to pushing their own boundaries in both of these areas. John D'earth's career in music is documented in the recently published Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz*, (Oxford Press) by Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler.

For more information visit John D'earth's Webpage