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Nathan Eklund

NYC based trumpeter Nathan Eklund has played with Dafnis Prieto, Phil Woods, Ron Carter, Jimmy Heath, Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Mingus Big Band, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, Pedro Giraudo, Chuck Loeb, Roseanna Vitro, among others. He earned Jazz Performance degrees from William Paterson University (B.M.) and New Jersey City University (M.M.), under the tutelage of trumpeters Joe Magnarelli, Scott Wendholt, Dave Rogers & Bud Burridge. He has released five albums as a leader and recorded on countless more as a sideman, including Dafnis Prieto's 2018 Grammy winning Back To The Sunset.

Nathan was born near Seattle, Washington and began his musical journey by studying piano at the age of six. Inspired by his grandfather's big band and military trumpet playing during the World War II era, Nathan picked up the trumpet at eleven and soon became interested in jazz through the trumpet voices of Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Clifford Brown.

Nathan began his serious musical training at Central Washington University, where he studied classical trumpet performance under the direction of Thomas Gause. Uncertain at this stage as to what role music would play in his life, Nathan became immersed in the world of jazz at CWU and decided to make it his focus. In 1998, Nathan moved to the New York City area to study jazz at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ. He attained his Bachelor's degree from WPU and his Master's degree from New Jersey City University, while studying with NYC area professionals Dave Rogers, Scott Wendholt, Joe Magnarelli, Bud Burridge, Rich DeRosa, John Mosca, Paul Meyers, and Andy Eulau.

Professionally, Nathan is involved in a wide array of projects. He has released five albums as a leader, most recently his 2012 release Crafty Christmas and the 2010 Nathan Ekund Group project Coin Flip. Along with his projects as a leader, Nathan's list of recordings as a sideman continue to grow. He recorded for Spyro Gyra's 2006 Grammy nominated album Wrapped In A Dream, as well as for Phil Woods, Dafnis Prieto, Chuck Loeb, Roseanna Vitro, Richie Cole, Scott Reeves, Gerald Veasley, Craig Yaremko, Shirantha Beddage, Dan Rufolo, and many more.

Nathan is also active in the NYC area big band scene, having performed with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Mingus Big Band, Roy Hargrove Big Band, Ron Carter Big Band, Jimmy Heath Big Band, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, Dafnis Prieto Big Band, Phil Woods and the Festival Orchestra, Pedro Giraudo Big Band, Terraza Big Band, Bill Mobley Big Band, Chris Stover's "Book Of Sand," Pete McGuinness Jazz Ochrestra, Newyorkestra Big Band, Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra and Cecil's Big Band. He has also performed as a sub on Broadway's Anything Goes, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, On A Clear Day, and Leap Of Faith.

Jihye Lee Orchestra: Infinite Connections

Read "Infinite Connections" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
October 3, 2024

Some eighty-odd years ago a handful of trailblazers led by saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie changed the vocabulary of jazz, introducing bebop as a successor to trad jazz and swing and radically transforming the music's landscape and perspective. Their terminology remained pretty much intact for a number of years, with partisans choosing a path between the diverse genres, until at last the very definition of jazz began to move in new directions with newcomers such as cool jazz, ...

Album Review

Jihye Lee Orchestra: Infinite Connections

Read "Infinite Connections" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
August 19, 2024

Su queste pagine abbiamo seguito il percorso discografico di Jihye Lee a partire dal suo esordio (April, 2017) ed il successivo Daring Mind (Motéma 2021), co-prodotto con Darcy James Argue. La collaborazione con quest'ultimo si ripropone anche nel nuovo Infinite Connections, registrato nell'ottobre 2023, che evidenzia un significativo passo avanti nella sua sintesi tra jazz e proprie radici musicali. Che la bandleader fosse un talento eccezionale è apparso chiaro dalla rapidità con cui ha padroneggiato le tecniche ...

Album Review

Jihye Lee Orchestra: Infinite Connections

Read "Infinite Connections" reviewed by Troy Dostert

by Troy Dostert
July 22, 2024

One of the most ambitious composers working exclusively in the large-ensemble format, Jihye Lee is now offering her third release, coming on the heels of the well-received April (Self-released, 2017) and Daring Mind (Motéma Music, 2021). Lee is a fearless artist with a seemingly limitless imagination, with a multiplicity of themes and rhythms swirling through her complex, densely-layered compositions. And as always, she once again has a terrific group of colleagues to help bring her rich, multi-hued vision to life. ...

Album Review

Erica Seguine: The New Day Bends Light

Read "The New Day Bends Light" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
March 11, 2024

Impegnandosi nel ruolo di produttore, Darcy James Argue dà particolare considerazione al debutto discografico di quest'ensemble, fondato nel 2011 a New York dalle compositrici Erica Seguine e Shon Baker. La prima è anche arrangiatrice e guida dell'orchestra, la seconda entra nel cast come sassofonista. Dopo varie esibizioni in locali chiave della Big Apple, le due leader hanno selezionato sette composizioni originali dal loro repertorio, incidendole con un ampio organico comprendente talentuosi solisti della metropoli. Alcuni di essi ...

Album Review

Erica Seguine/Shon Baker Orchestra: The New Day Bends Light

Read "The New Day Bends Light" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
June 2, 2023

The New Day Bends Light, the debut recording by the twelve-year-old Erica Seguine/Shon Baker Orchestra, is interesting on a number of levels, not the least of which is emotional. The leaders and their twenty-one piece ensemble are clearly committed to the music and do their best to breathe life into each of the album's seven numbers, three of which were written by Seguine, three by Baker and the other ("Ose Shalom") by Nurit Hirsh. Aside from that, there is the ...

Album Review

Yu Nishiyama Big Band: A Lotus In The Mud

Read "A Lotus In The Mud" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
November 21, 2022

Una giovane e talentuosa bandleader aggiorna la tradizione delle grandi orchestratrici del Sol Levante, da Toshiko Akiyoshi a Miho Hazama. La musica presente nel debutto di Yu Nishiyama va oltre un puntuale modern mainstream per big band ma colpisce per la fantasiosa scrittura, caratterizzata da percorsi ricchi di svolte, tra aristocratici contrasti timbrici, poderosi ensemble e trascinanti interventi solisti. Una visione orchestrale matura, ricca di tensione e dalla bella carica spettacolare. Trasferitasi da Yokohama negli Stati Uniti ...

Album Review

Jacob Garchik: Clear Line

Read "Clear Line" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
January 14, 2021

As strange as it may sound, sometimes the best way to break free is to simply box yourself in. Limitations obviously cut off certain possibilities entirely, but they open the mind to so many others in the process. Composer (and trombonist) Jacob Garchik has long subscribed to that line of thinking and he takes it to bold heights on this, the most original, least derivative big band recording to arrive in ages. Basically throwing out the rule ...

Event

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center Celebrates International Jazz Day With Free Performances By 100+ Student Musicians, Mayor Baraka, And More

Source: AMT Public Relations
March 30, 2022

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka WBGO Radio Host Sheila Anderson NJPAC’s City Verses Jazz and Poetry Ensemble NJPAC’s Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens Ensembles JAZZ HOUSE Big Band Science Park High Big Band Arts High Afro-Latin Big Band The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) today announced a free musical celebration in honor of International Jazz Day April 30 featuring performances by 100+ young New Jersey musicians with special guest Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. Co-produced ...
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309

Performance / Tour

Gerald Cleaver's Violet Hour (Fri-Sat) Nathan Eklund Group (Sun) & More This Weekend at Cornelia Street Cafe

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
January 25, 2008

CORNELIA STREET CAFE 29 Cornelia Street, NYC, New York 212-989-9319 between West 4th and Bleecker Sts, Greenwich Village 1 Subway to Sheridan Square; A, C, E, B, D, V, F to West 4th St.

This Weekend At Cornelia Street Cafe

Fri Jan 25, 9:00PM & 10:30PM GERALD CLEAVER'S VIOLET HOUR Duane Eubanks, trumpet & cornet; J.D. Allen, tenor saxophone; David Binney, alto saxophone; Ben Waltzer, piano; Chris Lightcap, ...
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193

Performance / Tour

Gustavo Moretto QNT (Mon) Nathan Eklund Group (Tue) the Songwriter's Beat (Wed) Gnu Vox (Thu) Malaby/Sanchez/Rainey (Fri) This Week at Cornelia Street Cafe

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
February 19, 2007

CORNELIA STREET CAFE 29 Cornelia Street, NYC, New York 212-989-9319 between West 4th and Bleecker Sts, Greenwich Village 1 Subway to Sheridan Square; A, C, E, B, D, V, F to West 4th St. This Week At Cornelia Street Cafe Mon Feb 19 8:30PM GUSTAVO MORETTO QUINTET (Daniel Binelli, bandoneon;GUstavo Moterro, piano;Martin Moretto, guitar;Pedro Giraudo, bass;Chris Eddleton, drums) “Gustavo Moretto Quintet" Playing the music of Alas Tue Feb ...
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