 |
Rich Willey
Jazz Combos, Jazz Trumpet
As both a player and writer, Rich Willey is firmly rooted in the jazz tradition. His trumpet playing draws upon the wellspring of bebop with a contemporary freshness; brash and forceful, but also lyrical and warm. His compositions are thoughtful and substantial, yet always accessible and listenable, combining a solid sense of swing with an overriding concern for melody. During the 1980s, Mr. Willey's playing took on an even broader range of colors when he became one of only a few jazz trumpeters to add to his arsenal the bass trumpet – a unique instrument with the range of a trombone but the bright timbre of a trumpet – to his musical palette.
A Florida native, Mr. Willey was active on the New York City scene from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s, handling a wide range of Latin and jazz gigs, most notably backing up legendary vocalist Mel Tormé. He returned to Florida for a spell, where he continued his musical studies, founded the Gulf Coast Jazz Society in Dunedin, and performed regularly in the Greater Tampa Bay area. He is the author of I’d Rather Be Boppin’ — 24 Jazz Duets, Volumes 1, 2 & 3 (Boptism Music Publishing).
Mr. Willey returned to New York City in 1999, enrolling in the Masters in Jazz Performance program at the renowned Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Byron Stripling and Mike Abene. He earned his masters degree in May 2001 and spent the fall of that year on tour playing second trumpet, the challenging “jazz chair," with trumpet giant Maynard Ferguson’s Big Bop Nouveau.
Also in 2001, Mr. Willey and his quintet recorded Gone With the Piggies (Consolidated Artists Productions* CAP962), a striking collection of brilliantly conceived and impeccably performed tracks, including four of his own distinctive compositions. 2001 also saw the formation of the partnership between Rich Willey and Bob Bernotas and their new company, Boptism Music Publishing.
In 2002 Mr. Willey toured with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra under the direction of Buddy Morrow and relocated to beautiful Asheville, NC, where he teaches at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. 2002 also produced Mr. Willey's book entitled Home Cookin' Fer Young 'Uns — 24 Dixie Jazz Duets and launched him into the role of jazz clinician. Mr. Willey continues to do occasional tours with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and gives concerts, master classes and clinics in high schools, colleges and festivals around the USA.