Brass and Brotherly Love

Brass and Brotherly Love will celebrate and pay homage to the distinguished history of jazz trumpet in Philadelphia. For my project, I will produce and direct a 3 episode film series that will consist of both musical performances and oral history documentary, tying into my backgrounds of both education and entertainment. This will be distributed on YouTube. Philadelphia’s metropolitan area has produced many world-acclaimed African-American historical jazz trumpet players including Lee Morgan, Clifford Brown, Frank Fairfax, Johnny Coles, Wallace Roney, Rex Stewart, Joe Wilder and many more. In fact, even Dizzy Gillespie’s career began in Philadelphia as a teenager. These Philly musicians went on to spearhead and become the blueprint of the sound of jazz and swing music for decades to come. All over the world their cultural contributions are appreciated and acknowledged. It is up to us as Philadelphians and jazz musicians to tell our history, and there is a lot more history waiting to be discovered.

Each episode will pay tribute to the city’s trumpet legacy through music and storytelling. It is often said that to be a great jazz musician, one must study the past, live in the present, while embracing the future. All of the music performed will be written by Philadelphia’s trumpet players, and played in the Philly jazz tradition. The first episode will be a moderated discussion interview and performance with an elder statesman jazz historian, such as a musician and griot who has first-hand knowledge on Philadelphia’s jazz trumpet history roots. I believe it is important to go to the source for knowledge. The second episode will feature various interviews and a performance with some of Philadelphia’s veteran trumpet players. This brings together the community. The final episode will feature interviews and a performance with some of Philadelphia’s younger and up-and-coming jazz trumpet players, as a display of unity and to endorse the future.