John L Worley Jr. is a well known jazz musician, trumpeter and teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. His love for jazz and in particular, the trumpet, permeates his work and life. Find out more about his musical contributions and upcoming shows here.
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Hi Friends,
Keep an eye out in my calendar for my upcoming gigs, the MILES OF BLUE project at the San Jose Summerfest, Pete Escovedo Latin Jazz Orchestra at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons at Wente Winery and the green Center in Rohnert Park as well as new dates with Lila Downs at The Fillmore, Villa Montalvo Gardens Theater and the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Also, I'm heading back into the studio in June to record a new CD. More info coming..... Here's some info about some fun gigs that we did earlier in the year On Thursday, June 12th. 6-8pm I played a Solo Trumpet performance for the Alan Rath Exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Modern Art. He created a kinetic robotic sculpture that reacted to motion. It was a lot like improvising with modern dancers. It was a career highlight for me. I improvised for 90 minutes while the exhibit reacted to the movement around it. This was made possible by San Jose Jazz and the museum. On Wednesday March 26th, We participated in a class held at SF Jazz. The class was part of the series "The Great Bandleaders". Our class in the series was Miles Davis. Cory Combs was the host and they drew a very insightful and inquisitive audience. Cory did a wonderful job presenting a overview of Miles and his various groups from 1947 to the early 70's. We played "Move" from the Birth of the Cool, "So What" and "Blue in Green" from Kind of Blue, "Nardis" and "I Fall In Love Too Easily". I had Murray Low, Wally Schnalle, Aaron Lington and John Shiflitt with me and when you bring together cats like this, all is right in the world and on the bandstand! On Sunday, March 2nd at 7:30pm, The Mo-Chi Sextet presented “Let’s Get Lost: The Music of Chet Baker”. This concert featured vocalist Amy Dabalos, saxophonist Dave Deneau, bassist Doug Pohorski, drummer Wally Schnalle, pianist Murray Low and Moi. We had a full house (4 seats shy of selling out) and it was great to play for so many friends, family, students and their parents. It was great to see new faces in the crowd and to be able to get to know a few of them afterwards. Many thanks to those who sat in with us. Brooke Dabalos (Amy’s twin sister) did some scat singing with Amy and I and on the last tune, “Juicin’ at the Hedley” we had a tribe of trumpeters sitting in paying tribute to the memory of Chet. Joining us was Michael Carder, Brenda Johnson, Sammy Rojas, and Beni Ran. Special kudos go out to the Mo-Chi guys including special guests Amy Dabalos and Dave Deneau. Amy is a rising star on the scene and keep a eye out for her. She’s the real deal….Dave channeled Zoots, Getz and threw in his two cents throughout the evening. Doug Pohorski was solid like Paul Chambers, Murray was Murray…a total artist and my favorite pianist. Wally showed everyone why he’s one of the best drummers anywhere…And I got to play the way my heart sings…Truly one of the best concerts I ever had the pleasure of being a part of…. This August I became a Yamaha Performing Artist. Many thanks to my friends Diana Tucker (West Valley Music) and Rich Welker (Bronstein Music) who helped me join the ranks of so many gifted players. Yamaha is one big family that I'm very happy to be a member of. I've been enjoying playing my Yamaha Trumpet NY model and 8315GS flugelhorn on all my gigs and can't wait to get out there and do a few clinics and sing the praises of my favorite horns.... Lot's more exciting things coming up so be sure to check in for more details.... Best Wishes, John Worley |
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"From the moment I laid eyes on the cover of the Readers Digest Treasury of Short Stories with Louis Armstrong on the cover, I was aware that trumpet playing was what I would do for the rest of my life. For a shy kid, the thought of going anywhere in the world and having people understand me through music was intoxicating. I’ve been playing ever since then."
John L. Worley Jr. 2003
John L. Worley Jr. 2003
People Speak...
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"Finally the world gets a chance to experience the music of one Bay Area's best kept secrets... Whether playing lead, or soloing in the bop style or sharing his vast knowledge with his numerous students, John brings a fresh approach to it all. Worley's music is from the heart..."
Ray Vega, The Bronx, 2002 |
