The professor of music has his sixth book published.
Professor of Music Thomas Erdmann has had his sixth book published. How Jazz Trumpeters Play Music Today is a collection of 12 extended interviews done with some of today’s hottest jazz trumpeters.
Included are conversations with Rebecca Coupe Franks, Christian Scott, Ted Curson, Cynthia Robinson, Frank London, Pharez Whitted, Tom Browne, Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, Cuong Vu, Ian Carey, Matt White, and Tyler Kaneshiro. The peer-reviews have been great.
Wayne Everett Goins, Director of Jazz Studies and University Distinguished Professor at Kansas State University, wrote the following.
“Erdmann has compiled an informative, highly entertaining set of twelve interviews that offer the readers a wonderful insight into the mental, physical and spiritual processes involved in the various aspects of (the) trumpet player who serves in the wide-ranging capacity of individual soloist, multiinstrumentalist, composer, author, teacher, scholar, musical philosopher, recording engineer, band leader, and visionary. Erdmann was smart to find a group of individuals that included such a wide range of cultures, backgrounds, etc… He interviewed men and women; young and old; black white; American, European, African, Asian; Japanese, Jewish, etc; electric and acoustic, and so forth. All in all, it makes for great reading.
Interviewees had obvious differences and varieties, but more importantly and most impressive were the common interests, which included the following: experience; playing in circuses; the use of non-traditional approaches to improvisation; the appreciation of use of space/silence in music; insights into learning how to try not to swing; the extremely valuable art of listening; the value of practicing; and the importance of breathing.
In summary, this is a very important book. Readers can gain so much knowledge and wisdom when benefitting from the experience of these masters, and the benefits and not just limited to trumpet players—all instrumentalists can become better at what they do if they pay close attention to the plentiful pearls of wisdom that are contained within these pages.
The extensive, thorough, and indepth interviews of jazz trumpet players provides unique insights for general readers, jazz fans and all trumpet players. The collection of interviews here offers a wide range of expertise and diversity in skills and personalities.”
Gary Mortenson, Dean of the School of Music at Baylor University, wrote:
“Thomas Erdmann is one of the most active documenters of prominent jazz trumpet players in the world of music today. For two decades, he has interviewed an average of four personalities each year, and this work has been published through the International Trumpet Guild (ITG) to the delight of more than 6,000 trumpet enthusiasts in all 50 U.S. states and more than 60 countries around the globe.
“Each of these interviews seeks to get at the very heart and soul of the artists he has chosen to include as subjects. Erdmann never resorts to ‘stock’ questions in these interviews. It is obvious, in each instance that he has done his homework and is intimately aware of the artist’s background and legacy prior to doing the interview. From the long and rich heritage of artists like Christian Scott, Ted Curson, Cynthia Robinson, and Pharez Whitted, to the cutting edge ‘outside of the box’ of music artists like Frank London, Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, and Cuong Vu, Erdmann always finds ways to get his subjects to open up and to reveal something of their personal journeys that brought each of them to the forefront of their craft.
“This body of work constitutes one of the most thoughtful and complete collections of in-depth commentary on the state of jazz music on the scene today. The content here is broader than dealing exclusively with the realm of jazz or trumpet. Indeed these interviews should be of great interest to anyone who wishes to know more about creativity and the human condition as it relates to high-level interactions between musicians (who happen to play trumpet) and the larger world. I hope that this book enjoys wide popularity in realms far beyond jazz or even music in general. Quite simply Erdmann’s subjects are truly worth getting to know!”
James Olcott, Professor of Trumpet Emeritus at Miami University (Ohio), wrote the following.
“A consummate reviewer with many years of interview experience and who owns a stellar reputation for his work in this regard, Mr. Erdmann has again created a set of interviews that hold a great deal of interest and pleasure for the reader.
“Tom always asks the right questions: the ones that one would ask in informal, interesting conversations by a curious, knowledgeable trumpet player. He digs very deep into each interviewee’s background, influences, personal approaches to performance, and personal goals, both as a player in larger contexts. and it is fascinating to read his narratives of those conversations. He seems to loosen up his subjects, getting insights and details without belaborment.
“These interviews are fun to read. However, do only one at each sitting, for some get pretty deep. They are great for getting into the heads of some of trumpetdom’s most interesting and illustrious jazz trumpet players.”