Ambrose Akinmusire grew up in Oakland, California, where he was born on May 1, 1982. A member of the Berkeley Jazz Ensemble as a teenager, his talent was spotted by Steve Coleman, one of the most important jazz saxophonists of the last 40 years. He would go on to tour Europe with Coleman aged just 19, while still a student at the Manhattan School of Music. By the time he completed his Ph.D. at the University of Southern California, he was already playing “less like a major talent and much more like an established, top-tier musician”.
The next stop would be Los Angeles, where he studied at the side of jazz legends like Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Terence Blanchard. In California, he developed a unique personal style which avoided superfluous virtuosic flourishes, ranged from the tuneful to the aggressive, and was instantly recognizable. After received a number of awards and glorious reviews, he settled in New York where he played with top jazz artists including Vijay Iyer, Aaron Parks, Esperanza Spalding and Jason Moran. It was during this phase that he attracted the attention of Blue Note Records, a development which has put a new perspective on his career.
Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet
Sam Harris: piano
Harish Raghavan: bass
Rodney Jones: drums
Ambrose Akinmusire on March 18, 2015 at Onassis Cultural Centre 20:30 – Main Stage — 107-109 Syngrou Avenue – Athens – 2109005800 – www.sgt.gr –