I am a freelance trumpet artist, these are the some of the local bands/artists that I work with:
Anthology House Band
Haute Chile
The Bi-National Mambo Orchestra
The Steely Damned (Steely Dan Cover Band)
Ruby and The Red Hots
Rockola
Quinazo (formerly Big Mountain)
Elijah Emanual and the Revelations
Superbad (James Brown Tribute Band)
Pocket
The Styletones
Gene Perry and Afro Rhumba
Karin Carson
Allison Adams Tucker
Brett Sanders Funk Soul Project
Upcoming Releases - 2008
Karin Carson - "The Time is Now"
Allison Adams Tucker - "Come With Me"
Upcoming Releases - 2009
Pocket - "Pocket"
Walter Beasley - "Free Your Mind"
Influences
Jimmie Cannon, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Clifford Brown, Horace Silver, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Garrett, Chucho Valdes, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Wayne Shorter, Charles McPherson, Langston Hughes, Cornel West, Muhammad Ali, Terence Blanchard, Nicholas Peyton, Eddie Henderson, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Earth, Wind, and Fire, Count Basie, Bob Dylan, Prince, Weather Report, The Yellowjackets, Tower of Power, Average White Band, Kool and The Gang, Hugh Masakela, Shirley Horn, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Strayhorn, Dexter Gordon, Chet Baker, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, Lee Morgan, MJQ, Debussey, Ravel, Beethoven
Sounds Like
I have no idea. People often say that I sound like Freddie Hubbard.
Put Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, Woody Shaw, Jimmie Cannon, Nat Adderley, Lee Morgan, and Freddie Hubbard into a blender, with a dash of Chet Baker, and I guess you get me. I also grew up listening to a lot of saxophone players so I honestly haven’t got a clue. Miles Davis once said that it takes a long time to sound like yourself, I agree.
I’m still working on that!!!!
According to my mother, as a toddler I would stop whatever I was doing if music was playing and put my head against the stereo speaker in total amazement of what I was hearing.
So, music was indeed my first love. I started playing trumpet in the fourth grade. I heard it on a record when I was eight or nine, and it was love at first sound. My parents wanted me to play the saxophone but I was determined to play the trumpet. My father also plays the trumpet, so I’m sure without even realizing it I was being influenced by him. My good friend and brother Walter Beasley and I used to drive around in my car in high school and listen to George Duke, Ronnie Laws, Earth, Wind, and Fire, the Stylistics, Motown, Charlie Parker, Grover Washington, Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, Tower of Power, and anything else we could get our hands on. We were hungry!!
I grew up in El Centro, California. Yes, I know, a small town with very little culture, but that void was filled by my father who was the high school band director at Central High. The great thing about growing up in a small town is that the local folks support everything you do. By the time I reached High School the band program had been long established as the place to be. We had a Concert Band, Jazz Band, Orchestra, Pep Band, and a Rock Combo. I played in them all.
My father is my musical mentor, and quite frankly the greatest man known to me.
After graduating from Central High, I attended Imperial Valley College and then transferred to San Diego State University where I earned a Bachelors Degree in Music Education, and a Masters Degree in Jazz Studies.
I have served as Director of Jazz Studies at Chicago State University, and I’m currently employed in the same capacity at Grossmont College.
This is a sample of some of the great musicians and teachers I’ve had the pleasure of working with and learning from:
Clark Terry, Christian McBride, John Faddis, Hubert Laws, Charles McPherson, Bill Russo, Hal Crook, Rick Helzer, Bill Yeager, Dr. Eddie Meadows, Daniel Jackson, Felton Offard, Walter Beasley, Kamau Kenyatta
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Hey Derek, hope you are doing ok. I heard about what happened and wish you the best. I want to thank you for really opening me up to Jazz in your class even if I wasn't there all the time haha. Ladybird is one of my favorite songs right now, I can't wait to study in sweden and play around all the jazz clubs! Thanks Derek, and good luck with everything, but I doubt you need luck man you have got mad talent! One day I'll come back and be a crazy jazz cat.
Hi Derek i am truly sorry about your father passing away. he was a good wise bold man that i happend to learn a lot from him this semester i hope your doing good and god bless and he is in a better place now!
Been a while since I've seen you. I hope everything has been well for you. Your dad showed me that recording you did for Walter. That was awesome. I wish there was a way to convince Walter to do a striaght Jazz album because your dad also showed me when you and Walter was in high school, I couldn't believe it was you guys. You guys were amazing even before you became professional.
Hey Derek! Nice to see you on here. I was just raving about you the other day to some of my musical classmates at GVSU way out here in the frozen tundra.
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AHA"D" CANNON!! MI HERMANO! RRRRRRRRRR! YOU WERE KILLING IT LAST NIGHT!! *SABROSO* UUFF! I TOOK THE DAY OFF, JUEGA!! HAVE AN EXCITING WEEK!! TE VEO PAPA!! GPERRY..
VAYA"D" CANNON!! QUE PASO, COMO ESTAMOS, JUST CHECKING IN. HAVE A BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY, AND A PRODUCTIVE WEEK. HEALTH,PEACE, AND LOVE..RRRRRRRRRRRRRR!! GP.
