Courtney Jones performs in "A Very Brassy Christmas" at St. Paul Lutheran Church -- December 22.
Sunday, December 22, 3 p.m.
St. Paul Lutheran Church, 2136 North Brady Street, Davenport IA
With internationally touring musician and former Canadian Brass member Jens Lindemann hailing the artist as "a gifted soloist ... completely fluent in both classical and jazz," acclaimed trumpet player Courtney Jones will be the special guest at A Very Brassy Christmas, the Big River Brass Band's annual holiday presentation taking place on December 22 at Davenport's St. Paul Lutheran Church.
As stated at the musician's CJonesTrumpet.com site, "The newest directions in 21st Century trumpet performance are being explored and defined by Courtney Jones, an award-winning Bach performing and recording artist who has also emerged as a leading figure in contemporary performance and pedagogy, conducting, and service to inner-city youth through music outreach programs. An artist who transcends stylistic boundaries and in high demand as a clinician and adjudicator, Courtney has performed with classical ensembles and orchestras throughout the United States, internationally, and has won multiple solo awards and accolades through regional and national trumpet competitions.
"This journey began in Jones’ hometown of Columbus, Georgia. While earning his Bachelor of Music degree at Columbus State University, Courtney performed with various Columbus State University ensembles and recorded with artists such as Jens Lindemann, Joseph Alessi, John Bruce Yeh, and the Columbus State University Wind Ensemble under the Naxos Music label. While completing his Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia, Courtney studied under the instruction of J. Carlton Rowe, former Principal Trumpet of the “President’s Own” United States Marine Band, Craig Fraedrich of The U.S. Army Blues, and performed as Substitute Principal with the Loudon Symphony Orchestra of Leesburg, Virginia. He also had additional studies with Steve Hendrickson of the National Symphony Orchestra.
"Besides performing with well-known jazz and popular artists, he has shared the stage with famous artists or groups such as Kenny Burrell, B.B. King, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Rihanna, Lalo Schifrin, Vanessa Williams, Boy George and The Culture Club, Jennifer Cox, and Stevie Wonder. In addition to his solo performance career, Courtney has performed with the Golden States Pop Orchestra, the Southeast Symphony Orchestra, the Macao Orchestra (China), the Pasadena Orchestra, the Debut Orchestra, the Inspiravi Chamber Orchestra, the Gateways Festival Orchestra, the Orchid City Brass Band, the Oslo Philharmonic (Norway), the Long Beach Opera, the Chamber Singers of Iowa City, the Salt-River Brass Band, the Gateways Brass Collective, and most recently had his Carnegie Hall and Metropolitan Art Museum performance debut this past May in New York. His feature film and television credits include music performed for Glee, Notes from Dad, Cougar Town, and Criminal Minds, among other productions listed under the media tab of his Web site."
The Big River Brass Band was co-founded by Ed Butterfield, retired band director for Rock Island High School, and Jerry Miller, a John Deere retiree. After seeing a picture of the Deere Cornet Band in a book about John Deere history, Miller decided to revive a brass band using Deere employees in order to carry on the Deere tradition. Butterfield, also interested in brass music, provided the rehearsal location at Rock Island High School and was its first director. Together, they invited area brass musicians to form the early group of six to ten musicians in 2004.
The BRBB started performing publicly in 2006 and performs frequently throughout the greater Quad Cities area. The BRBB plays in the style of European brass bands and draws literature from classic brass band repertoire, and classical, jazz and pop arrangements. Currently, under the direction of Nicolas Propes, the BRBB has continued to grow to its present size of 40 musicians.
The Big River Brass Band's A Very Brassy Christmas with guest trumpeter Courtney Jones and organist Chris Nelson takes place on December 22, admission to the 3 p.m. concert event is free, and more information on the event is available by visiting BigRiverBrassBand.com.
