Jazz Police - A New “Project” for John Raymond, at the Dakota June 25th

“The more I play and the more I think about my role as a performer and composer, the more I genuinely want everyone who hears us to experience something deeper with my music.” –John Raymond

Over the past four years, young trumpeter John Raymond has played with the Jazz Is Now Orchestra, the Yohannes Tona Band, and Nachito Herrera; led his John Raymond Project in gigs at the Bryant Lake Bowl and Dakota Jazz Club; and released his first CD. Not a bad resume for a senior jazz student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. After a series of appearances on the Dakota’s Late Night series, the John Raymond Project debuted in prime time at the Dakota last November. Now he’s back on stage with a new edition of the JRP featuring Javier Santiago, Kevin Washington, and long-time UW-EC collaborators Aaron Hedenstrom and Jeremy Boettcher.

Leader John Raymond has been studying trumpet since fifth grade, playing in school jazz ensembles since early junior high. The All-State Jazz Band Camp in Duluth during high school introduced him to UW-EC jazz instructor Robert Baca. Recalls John, “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.” Through the summer camp, he also met young saxophonist Kristin Rarick and formed a group that performed as part of the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education “J-Train” series. At UW-EC, John has played in the top band and top jazz ensemble since his first semester, toured China in late 2006, and also had the opportunity to perform with the Jazz Is Now! Orchestra in Minneapolis and with Maria Schneider at the 2005 UW-EC Jazz Festival. While balancing classes and college bands, Raymond also found time to start his own band with cohorts from Eau Claire, The John Raymond Project, releasing a recording in spring 2006. Currently John plays with the UWEC jazz bands, his own ensemble, the Yohannes Tona Band and the Twin Cities Horns, an ensemble that frequently joins Nachito Herrera. John has also toured with Darnell Davis and the Minneapolis-based gospel group, Remnant. Says John, “Between playing with Nachito regularly, working with the horn section we've got going (the Twin Cities Horns) and putting together some other shows and gigs, things have been crazy busy for me! However tired I get, putting together my own shows and writing arrangements and tunes always is my most favorite thing to do.”

Javier Santiago©Andrea Canter

In the past year, John had the opportunity twice to take lessons with all-star trumpeter Terell Stafford, an experience that he feels has led to significant changes in his approach to music. “These lessons have really changed me and impacted my playing and approach significantly. This has really led me to be incredibly drawn to the hard-bop tradition of trumpet players more than ever, and I've been really challenged and inspired getting more into guys like Kenny Dorham, Freddie Hubbard, Louis Smith, Nat Adderly, etc. I've definitely listened to most of them before but it's made drastic changes in me really listening deep into their playing and how they interact with the musicians they have in their bands... I've also been challenged lately with all the different ways I feel like the musicians, and especially the bandleader, are supposed to serve the audience and connect with the audience in the music. This has really got me thinking about how I construct a set of music and all the different ways I can lead an audience to experience or feel something specific. It's like the phrase, ‘the more you know, the more you realize how much don't know...’”

Alto/tenor saxophonist Aaron Hedenstrom, originally from St. Paul, plays with the UWEC Jazz I ensemble and performs and composes for a wide range of music. Currently he plays with the pop/rock band Underdub. Raymond describes him as “a very eclectic kind of guy” and “a monster player... Aaron has played with me the past few gigs and I get so much inspiration from him in his playing, his writing, and just the way he approaches improvising. He is so naturally gifted and is also such a deep and thoughtful person, and I love having someone that challenges me both musically and personally in my band.”

A recent UW-EC graduate, Jeremy Boettcher studied with bassist John Clayton and played with such artists as Benny Green and Lewis Nash. Notes John, “Jeremy is definitely one of most all-around, solid bass players I've ever met in my life and he has the chops to do just about anything. He's going to be somethin’...watch out for him.” Lately Jeremy has played with Cookie Coleman, Laura Caviani, and Nachito Herrera. Notes John, “he just keeps getting more solid and unique in his sound and in his role as the rock of the rhythm section.”

Javier Santiago is a familiar face to Twin Cities audiences, many of whom are familiar with drumming dad Mac and conguero grandpa Luis. A product of the acclaimed Minneapolis South High School jazz program, alum of the Dakota Combo, and currently a student at the prestigious Brubeck Institute, Javier is home for the summer. John Raymond notes that he has “jammed with and played gigs with him before, but this is the first time he will have played in my band...He's such a creative voice on piano and he always brings such colorful chords and voicings to the table; it will definitely be fun to have him in the band.”

Kevin Washington, who is often cited as a young lion but who is the “old man” in this ensemble, grew up in Detroit where his musician/educator parents (Fay and Donald) introduced him to jazz. Now based in the Twin Cities, Kevin is a busy performer with Nachito Herrera, Jazz Is Now and his own bands. “I've gotten to know Kevin much more over the last year playing with Nachito,” says John, “and every time I have the opportunity to, he consistently blows my mind with how tight and solid he makes everything feel. I've really drawn a lot off of his phrasing and musicality, and it should be a blast having him in the band.”

Although John Raymond often plays his original composition, he notes that “the stuff we'll do on the 25th will be mostly in the hard-bop vein of things, and we'll only do a few originals, but many arrangements of tunes that I just love the melodies of and how they lend themselves to the soloists and the band I've got set up for the 25th.” Don’t miss the excitement of youthful exuberance channeled through seriously evolving jazz chops. The John Raymond Project takes the stage at the Dakota at 7 pm on June 25th!

The Dakota is located in downtown Minneapolis at 1010 Nicollet Mall; www.dakotacooks.com. More on John Raymond at www.myspace.com/thejohnraymondproject.