Orchestre National de Jazz de Montreal
Music Educator, Quebec Colleges and Universities
Jocelyn is one of the best known and sought-after lead trumpeters in Canada. He has gained international recognition and respect within the music industry for his well-rounded technical abilities and musicality. He is one of the few lead players that makes other trumpeters shake their heads in disbelief. Not only does he possess tremendous power and range, he can also swing! Born in Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada, he started playing the trumpet at the early age of 10. It didn’t take much time for his raw talent to be noticed from his peers. He was only 12 years old when destiny knocked on his door as he stood out from the crowd for his ability and ease to hit the incredible high notes that only few can attain. A few years later, Jocelyn leaves his hometown to pursue his studies at Vanier College in Montreal followed by McGill University in order to get his master’s degree in Performance.
He can regularly be heard and seen on stage, in television shows and galas. He has accompanied many international artists on stage such as Alain Caron, Michel Legrand, Dave Douglas, Kenny Wheeler, Maria Schneider, Zaz, Gino Vannelli, Ariane Moffat, Patti Labelle, Céline Dion, Deborah Cox, Aretha Franklin, Deep Purple, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Lou Rawls, Jamie Cullum, Terence Blanchard, Tim Hagans, Bobby Vinton, Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Petula Clark, Frankie Valley, among others.
Jocelyn also participated in many recordings and/or toured in different musical venues with Uzeb, Kenny Wheeler, Christine Jensen Big Band, Joe Sullivan Big Band, the Orchestre National de Jazz de Montreal (ONJM), Céline Dion, Garou, Robert Charlebois, Le Cirque du Soleil, Ima, France D’Amour, Ginette Reno, Daniel Lavoie, Claude Dubois, Martin Deschamps, Linda Lemay, Martine St-Clair and the list goes on…
Today, Jocelyn teaches trumpet at 3 respected colleges in the Montreal area as well as McGill University where he’s a well-known alumnus. He continues to be an active member in major Montreal big bands like the Orchestre National de Jazz de Montreal, the Joe Sullivan Big Bad, the Vic Vogel Big Band, Christine Jensen Big Band, Uzeb and Altsys Jazz Orchestra, let’s just says he’s the allaround trumpet champion in Quebec.
On a more personal side, Jocelyn’s nearest and dearest projects have been his Maynard Ferguson Tribute entitled “MF Project” as well as his brass band “Funkxie Groove” composed of 7 top-notch Montreal musicians, which have thus far recorded 2 albums.