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.
EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT:
Come see me play with "the EarRegulars" every Sunday night at the Ear Inn, 8-11:00-ish pm with Matt Munisteri on guitar 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! Sunday, May 4th Matt and bassist Joel Forbes will be there with special guests Charlie Caranicas-trumpet and Harvey Tibbs-trombone. I will be playing in Kobe, Japan with Bobby Gordon-clarinet, James Chirillo-guitar and Greg Cohen-bass. I'll be back in time for Sunday, May 11th when I'll be joined by special guest John Allred on trombone, Joel Forbes-bass and Matt Munisteri-guitar. May 18th Scott Robinson will be on hand performing his unique brand of musical alchemy. Do what?
Check out our friend Michael Steinman's blog www.jazzlives.wordpress.com to read about "Feeling the Spirit" (among other interesting stuff) at the Ear. He's an excellent writer plus he gets it.
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My new CD is out! It's 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 pals 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.
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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 Amazon.com.
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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!
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Check out my MySpace page, which is basically an alternate website, with a bunch of other fun photos. You can listen to some songs from my 2005 "Kellso's BC Buddies" CD there (and one track 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
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Regarding the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina 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.
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(for an explanation of whether that's a trumpet or cornet I'm playing, click above)