"When we go out to our favorite restaurant, we all tend to order the same dish. It's good; but we rarely take a chance on something new. The same pattern holds true with music. Next time you're out listening to live music, take a chance on the JRP. You'll like what you hear; and you may never order that old dish again." -Kelly Rossum, Twin Cities recording artist and educator

Photo by Andrea Canter

I remember the first time I heard the Jazz Is Now Orchestra last winter. Most of the musicians were familiar as some of the most innovative in the Twin Cities area. One whom I did not recognize seemed much younger than the rest. Later I learned this young trumpeter, John Raymond, was just a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Raymond has been busy between classes as the leader of the contemporary jazz band, The John Raymond Project, which will perform Sunday, November 27^th at the Bryant-Lake Bowl in south Minneapolis, 10 pm-midnight. With a repertoire combining innovative originals with creative re-arrangements of standards from Miles, Hancock, Coltrane, Shorter and more, the John Raymond Project offers a great opportunity to become acquainted with a quintet of rising stars under the leadership of “a promising young trumpet player who is already attracting attention for his fiery performances” (Jeremy Walker, Jazz Is Now!).

John Raymond began trumpet studies in fifth grade playing in his elementary school band. In his first year of junior high, he was selected to play with the top jazz ensemble, and his interest in jazz slowly grew. When he entered Hopkins High School, he joined the top band and jazz band, and was “immediately humbled at how much I didn't practice!” Raymond cites his summer experience at the All-State Jazz Band Camp in Duluth as a real turning point in his commitment to jazz, particularly the opportunity to work with University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire jazz instructor Robert Baca. “After the camp was the first time I really knew I had to practice to become a musician, and I had to practice a lot… so from that point on I was playing 3-5 hours a day on all sorts of classical, jazz, funk music - pretty much anything I could get my hands on.” Another connection from the summer jazz camp was young saxophonist Kristin Rarick, an Eastview High School student now studying at the Eastman School of Music. Together the two young musicians formed a group that performed as part of the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education “J-Train” series. Says Raymond, “It was just amazing, one of the most life-changing music events of my life.”

Raymond’s decision to pursue jazz education at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has paid off. In the top band and top jazz ensemble in his first semester, he found himself constantly challenged by the rehearsals and performances. “I learned so much that first semester playing concerts, gigs that we'd find out about a couple days before without any music until the gig, recording sessions, etc.” Of his primary group, The John Raymond Project, he says, “I found a core group of guys to play with and things just took off. I began to write like I never had before. I learned about being in a leadership position and how crucial it is to lead well. I learned how to play so much more in-tune with other musicians, and the guys in my group pushed me so much it's hard to believe!” The highlight of his first year at UW-EC was the Eau Claire Jazz Festival with Byron Stripling, Jerry Bergonzi, and Maria Schneider, and particularly the opportunity to play in a band under Schneider’s direction.

Now midway through his sophomore year, John Raymond continues to balance classes, college ensembles, the Jazz Is Now Orchestra, the gospel group The Remnant, and his own bands. The John Raymond Project features fellow UW-EC students Steven T. Hobart on piano, Kevin Rowe on bass, and Josh Vaughn on drums, Eau Claire saxman Matt Rongstad, and of course John Raymond on trumpet. All are involved in multiple music projects: Rongstad and Hobart in a local band The Vehicle, Rowe and Vaughn in the Wisconsin funk jam band Fat Maw Rooney, and Hobart, Rowe, and Raymond with Jazz Ensemble I at UW-EC.

“This group isn't just music. It isn't about gigs or money or fame. It's about our hearts, and from our hearts come our music. Our music is what it is. You may like it, you may not, but we love it. Let us share our hearts with you.” –John Raymond

The Bryant-Lake Bowl is located at 810 W. Lake Street. Show at 10 pm on Sunday, November 27th, doors open at 9:30 pm. Tickets $8. Visit www.bryantlakebowl.com. You can also hear John Raymond and some Twin Cities compatriots jamming at Late Night at the Dakota (1010 Nicollet Mall) on Friday, November 25^th, 11:30 pm ($3 cover).

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