Welcome to trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso's official website.
Take your shoes off and make yourself at home.
Can I get you something to drink?
(above photo courtesy of Seymour G. Pond)
In case ya didn't know, things on this site that are underlined are links that you can click on, so click away, my friend! Also click on the categories to the left.
EVERY SUNDAY:
Come see me play with the EarRegulars every Sunday night at the Ear Inn, 8-11:00-ish pm with Matt Munisteri on guitar (Matt and I are there whenever possible) and a variety of guest bassists and miscellaneous horn-or-whatever players. The Ear is at 326 Spring St. (between Greenwich and Washington streets), almost all the way to the West Side Highway. 212.226.9060. It's one of the oldest bars in NYC, with a very interesting history going back to 1817. No cover or minimum, but please visit our friend Phillup DeBucket (that's a subtle way of saying we have a tip jar). There's yummy inexpensive food served late, casual attire is fine, Victor, the coolest bartender ever, excellent waitstaff...and it's always a fun hang! Best to get there early to make sure you secure your spot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mondays 8-11:00 pm I play with Vince Giordano's Nighthawks (11-piece 20s and 30s style band) for dinner & dancing at SOFIA'S RESTAURANT - Club Cache' [downstairs] at the Edison Hotel, 221 West 46th Street (between Broadway & 8th Ave), New York City. 3 Sets: 8:00pm - 11:00pm. $15 cover charge / plus $15 food/drink minimum. If you sit at the bar, there's a 1 drink minimum. Reservations: 212-719-5799 Subway: 1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R, S, W trains to the Times Sq. / 42nd St. stop.
Vince and I are in the movie "Revolutionary Road," with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Check it out! (OK, so you can only see us in a few shots, and we're in the background, and it's towards the end of the movie....)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm often at Birdland Wednesdays with Dave Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Centennial Band, aka the Gully Low Jazz Band 5:30-7:15 pm 315 W. 44th St., between 8th and 9th avenues, New York, NY. subway: A C E trains to the 42nd St. stop. But you knew that. $10 cover (we play for the door, so don't whine!) 212.581.3080.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arbors Records has joined with Jazzdagen Tours to sponsor another swinging jazz cruise on the beautiful and luxurious, all-balcony Regent Seven Seas Mariner 8-Day Alaska cruise from Seward (Anchorage), Alaska to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Air fare from major cities included in the cruise price).
Departing on September 2, 2009 and returning on September 9, 2009 with stops in Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, Alaska.
Featuring world-class all-star musicians: Bob Wilber, Pieter Meijers, Antti Sarpila, Rossano Sportiello, Nicki Parrott, Ed Metz Jr., Bill Allred, John Allred, Tom Hook, John Cocuzzi, Marty Grosz, Jon-Erik Kellso, Jeff Hamilton, Kristin Korb and Judy Carmichael.
Plus a special post-cruise trip to the fabulous Penticton Jazz Festival in British Columbia, September 11-13, which will feature among a host of bands, High Sierra and a Statesmen of Jazz band led by Pieter Meijers and Bob Wilber.
Contact Jazzdagen Tours for rates and travel arrangements. Air fares from major cities included in the fares.
Contact Alida L. Meijers, CTC JAZZDAGEN TOURS P O Box 1706, Studio City, CA 91614- 0706 TEL: 800-433-0078 FAX: 323- 650-0950 EMAIL: jazzdagen@aol.com WEBSITE: http://www.jazzdagen.com/tours/Jazzalive2009.htm or http://www.jazzdagen.com/Reservations.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the latest on the NYC jazz scene (and other fun stuff), check out our friend Michael Steinman's blog. He's an excellent writer, and he knows where it's at (figuratively and literally). Read his description of "Jazz rapture at the Ear Inn", and about "Feeling the spirit" at the Ear (along with a plethora of other pithy ethays. I mean essays.).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out this recent YouTube video of me and the fellas swinging out at the Ear Inn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl9InXKHSmk The song is "I'll See You in My Dreams," and the EarRegulars that night included me, Howard Alden-guitar, Evan Christopher-clarinet, and Sebastien Girardot on bass, with Dan Block, Jim Fryer, and Chuck Redd sitting in. This is not a professionally shot video, so the visuals leave a bit to be desired, but the cats were swinging mightily, and you get the idea of what a fun scene it was (and is, and shall be).
There are actually a bunch of recent YouTube videos of me playing with various groups as a leader and as a sideman, so if you have some time to kill, click here, and go nuts! http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=jon-erik+kellso&aq=3&oq=jon-erik
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My most recent Arbors CD is called, "Blue Roof Blues: A Love Letter to New Orleans," with Evan Christopher-clarinet, Matt Munisteri-guitar/banjo/vocal, Danton Boller-bass, and Marion Felder-drums. Contact me to get your copy, or Arbors Records. It is dedicated to all my friends in New Orleans, and all those affected by Hurricane Katrina. I'm very proud of this album, the musical chemistry is remarkable--these guys are some major players, in case you didn't know. We played some good old good ones, and some tunes I wrote for the occasion. Look on the Sounds or Sales pages of this website to read a glowing review by Joe Lang of Jersey Jazz.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My even newer CD "Remembering Ruby," an homage to cornettist Ruby Braff, is also now available. It's the latest from Gen-Erik Records. Ruby was one of the greats, a musical role model and a friend. You can get your copy from me, or on eBay, or from World's Records.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey--just found out my out of print Arbors CDs are now available on iTunes! These were my 1st two CDs as a leader, "Chapter One," recorded in 1993, and "Chapter Two: The Plot Thickens," from 1995. At only $7.95 per album, you can't afford to NOT buy them!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my MySpace page, which is basically an alternate website, with a bunch of other more recent photos, some of which are rather wacky. You can listen to some songs from my 2005 "Kellso's BC Buddies" CD there (and 2 tracks from Blue Roof Blues, and one from Chapter 2), and even download a couple of them for free. (The "BC" refers to British Columbia, as in Vancouver, Canada) http://www.myspace.com/jonerikkellso
I'm also on facebook, so look me up there if that's more your scene! www.facebook.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regarding the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina (as well as subsequent hurricanes) and its aftermath, I'd like to recommend a great organization to which you may donate:
The Jazz Foundation of America was named the Coordinator for the New Orleans Musicians Clinic as well as other groups in the Gulf Area who are helping New Orleanian musicians.
The New Orleans Musicians Clinic (NOMC) is a fantastic hands on organization that has the names and addresses of many great New Orleanian musicians because they have been running a FREE health clinic for musicians for years.
The Jazz Foundation of America addresses the longer term needs of jazz and blues artists who are experiencing hardships due to the hurricane(s). They have been raising funds and distributing money to the musicians; helping them find new or temporary homes, giving them their first month's rent, and replacing destroyed instruments.
Send donations to: Jazz Foundation of America; 322 West 48th Street 6th floor; NYC 10036; Director: Wendy Oxenhorn; Phone: 212.245.3999, Ext. 21.
You can also donate to this worthy cause on-line at their website: www.jazzfoundation.org
Also check out http://www.tipitinasfoundation.org/ , and New Orleans Music Resources: http://www.nomr.net/
Thank you very much for considering these options. New Orleans is like no place else in the world, let's not take it for granted. They still need our support.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(for an explanation of whether that's a trumpet or cornet I'm playing, click above)