Raymond John

Trumpeter and composer John Raymond is an adept post-bop improviser whose sound combines the modern creative jazz tradition with folk and rock influences. He first emerged on the New York scene in the 2010s and made his Fresh Sound New Talent debut with 2015's Foreign Territory. A professor at Indiana University, Raymond regularly leads a stylistically wide-ranging trio featuring guitarist Gilad Hekselman and drummer Colin Stranahan, as on 2016's Real Feels, 2018's Joy Ride, and his second concert album, Real Feels: Live, Vol. 2. A native of Minnesota, Raymond honed his skills studying at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He then relocated to New York City, where he found work with such luminaries as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Billy Hart, Orrin Evans, Linda Oh, and others. As a recording artist, he debuted in 2011 with the crowdfunded Strength and Song, followed in 2015 by Foreign Territory on Fresh Sound New Talent. A year later he delivered Real Feels, which featured his group with guitarist Gilad Hekselman and drummer Colin Stranahan. Together, they applied their nuanced harmonic jazz approach to traditional folk songs and gospel hymns, as well as jazz and pop standards. The same ensemble was also captured on 2017's Real Feels: Live, Vol. 1. When not performing, Raymond is also a dedicated teacher, holding the position of Professor of Jazz Studies at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. He also authored the jazz methodology book The Jazz Trumpet Routine: Fundamentals for the Creative Improviser and hosts the podcast The Trumpet Summit. Joy Ride, his second studio album with his Real Feels ensemble, arrived in 2018. It was followed a year later by the concert album Real Feels: Live, Vol. 2., recorded at Los Angeles' Blue Whale club.
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