Tom Harrell

Tom Harrell is an American jazz musician whose flare on trumpet and flugelhorn and melodic style have endeared him to fans and critics around the world. Lauded for what critics have praised as "a warm, burnished sound", he performs with his own quintet and chamber ensemble in major concert halls and at international festivals.

Born in Illinois, he grew up around San Francisco and started to play trumpet as a child. After graduating in music from Stanford University, he spent time with bands led by Stan Kenton, Woody Herman and Horace Silver, played with other ensembles and made several recordings with the Phil Woods Quintet. A popular arranger for jazz artists such as pianist Bill Evans, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and vibraphonist Lionel Hampton, he played on 'We Will Meet Again', the Grammy Award-winning final studio album by Bill Evans.

His 1999 release 'Time's Mirror', which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance, reached number 35 on Billboard's Jazz Albums Chart, 'The Time of the Sun' (2011) went to number 35, 'Number Five' (2012) peaked at number 28 and 'Colors of a Dream' (2013) reached number 46. Other releases include 'Trip' (2014) with saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Adam Cruz, 'First Impressions: Debussy and Ravel Project' (2015) with Okegwo, tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, singer Esperanza Spalding and drummer Jonathan Blake, making it to number 23 on Billboard's Classical Albums Chart, and 'Something Old, Something New' (2016) with Okegwo, Blake, guitarist Charles Altura and fellow trumpeter Ambrose Akimusire. In a review of his 2017 album 'Moving Picture', which features pianist Danny Grissett, bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Adam Cruz, the Jazz Trail website called it "blazing post-bop inspiration" and said the musician is "an incredibly articulated declaimer in his melody-driven constructions". The 2018 tour in support of the album included performances in Italy, Austria, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Belgium, France and the UK.