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Erik Telford

Erik Telford grew up in Steinbeck country in a sleepy town called Pacific Grove, located on the central coast of California. As a teenager he was closely associated with the Monterey Jazz Festival and as a senior in high school, he became the first recipient of the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship, a full-tuition scholarship given by the Monterey Jazz Festival to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. While at Berklee, Erik studied jazz composition and trumpet with Greg Hopkins, classical composition with Dennis Leclaire and Vuk Kulenovic and orchestral conducting with George Monseur and David Callahan. He graduated from Berklee in 2001 with a degree in film scoring. Erik has performed as a leader or sideman on four continents with artists such as Bill Berry, George Bohannan, Maria Schneider, Joshua Redman, James Williams, Elias Haslanger, Jon Faddis, Wynton Marsalis, and Louie Bellson. He has been an artist at the Monterey, Montreux, North Sea, Melbourne, and Yokohama Honmoku jazz festivals. Kinetic is Erik Telford’s debut solo album and contains all original material that was written over a 10-year period. Kinetic is influenced mainly by the jazz and fusion music of the late 60s and early to mid 70s. It also employs more modern recording techniques such as the liberal use of effects on acoustic instruments. It was recorded “live” in the studio in 2008. Erik now resides in Austin, Texas, where he is an active member of the music scene. In addition to leading his own group, Erik Telford Collective (ETC), he runs a horn section called Hellfire Horns who have quickly become a top call horn section for studio sessions and live performances with artists like Bob Schneider, The Scabs, Chris Pierce, Kevin Ahart, Akina Adderley, Paolo Negri, and The Walkmen. Erik also plays keyboards with singer/songwriter Kalu James.

Take Five with Erik Telford

by AAJ Staff
April 15, 2010

Meet Erik Telford: A native of Pacific Grove (CA), Telford has performed as a sideman or leader at the Monterey, Montreux, North Sea, Melbourne, and Yokohama Honmoku jazz festivals. He's shared the stage with Bill Berry, George Bohannan, Maria Schneider, Joshua Redman, James Williams, Jon Faddis, Wynton Marsalis, and Louie Bellson, among other artists. Telford currently lives in Austin where he is an active member of the local music scene leading both the Erik Telford Collective (ETC) and Hellfire Horns, ...

Performance / Tour

Austin-Based Trumpeter Erik Telford to Appear with His Sextet, the Erik Telford Collective, at Kuumbwa (Santa Cruz) 1/13 & Jazzschool (Berkeley) 1/15

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity
November 29, 2010

Austin trumpeter/composer Erik Telford returns to his native California in January 2011 to perform two concerts with his Texas-based sextet, the Erik Telford Collective—on Thursday 1/13, at Kuumbwa in Santa Cruz, and Saturday 1/15, at the Jazzschool in Berkeley. The shows are in support of his debut CD Kinetic, which Telford released earlier this year on his ETJ Music label. The Boston Globe's Steve Greenlee wrote of Kinetic that it “represents everything that is right with contemporary jazz.... Telford announces ...
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Contest

Announcing the Winners of the "Erik Telford - Kinetic" Contest

Source: All About Jazz
June 12, 2010

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Contest

Enter the "Erik Telford - Kinetic" Giveaway

Source: All About Jazz
May 11, 2010

All About Jazz members are invited to enter the “Erik Telford - Kinetic“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FOUR winners at the conclusion of the contest on June 10th.

Click here to enter the contest

(Following Erik Telford at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.)

Good luck!

About Erik Telford

Erik Telford grew up in Steinbeck country in a sleepy town called Pacific Grove, located on the central coast of California. As a teenager he was ...
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118

Recording

Erik Telford - Kinetic (2010)

Source: Something Else!
April 12, 2010

By Pico We all know that Austin, TX is a hotbed for music, with so many artists located there to take advantage of its vibrant scene. Normally when we think of Austin music, blues-rock, roots, folk and singer-songwriter acts come to mind, like The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Eric Johnson, Monte Montgomery, Marcia Ball and James McMurtry, just to scrape the tip of the iceberg. But the capital of Texas is also home to so much more styles of music. When it ...
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Radio

The Jazz Session #158: Erik Telford

Source: Michael Ricci
April 8, 2010

"Kinetic represents everything that is right with contemporary jazz... Telford announces himself as a vehemently original voice." --Steve Greenlee, The Boston Globe

Rather than attempt to re-create Davis’ “Aghartha,”...Telford brings his own twist to the tale on “Kinetic,” by blending straight-up funk workouts with sparse, lyrical ballads and tunes that blend well-arranged horn charts with a loose, swanky “jam-band” feel. --Jeff Miers, The Buffalo News

Wow! I'm truly blown away by this CD. Wonderful tunes and slamming horn charts. And the playing! Erik's such a beautiful trumpeter/soloist