Freelance Musician
Trumpeter CHRIS ROGERS (www.chrisrogersjazz.com) has toured & recorded as a featured soloist with many of the major artists in Jazz and Latin music since the early 1980s. He hails from a musical family that includes his brass-playing father - the highly influential trombonist Barry Rogers. As a young trumpet student growing up in the heart of downtown New York City, Chris had the unique and fantastic experience of being closely mentored by trumpeters Randy Brecker, Lew Soloff and Mike Lawrence. Chris’ first major break came at age 19 when he “replaced” the great Tom Harrell (at Harrell’s recommendation) as the primary trumpet soloist in Gerry Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band – a 5-year association that resulted in two world tours and a chance for Chris to hone his craft at major jazz festivals while meeting & playing with all-time trumpet greats like Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis & Clark Terry. Soon to follow were stints with the bands of Buddy Rich, Mongo Santamaria, Chaka Khan and drummer Bob Moses. During this early period of Chris’ career, he began covering for trumpeters Brecker & Soloff on various jingles, gigs & rehearsals, and became Tom Harrell’s sub with Mel Lewis & The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. (Obviously all this did not leave any time for college until age 24 when Chris briefly attended the University of Miami.) Things eventually came full-circle years later when Chris become a member of Harrell’s own big band and recorded on Tom’s Grammy-nominated album “Time’s Mirror”.
chrisrogersjazz@hotmail.com