John Raymond Quartet, Ft. Billy Hart

John Raymond – trumpet
Dan Tepfer – piano
Joe Martin – bass
Billy Hart – drums

Inspiration doesn’t have to come from reshaping the ground beneath one’s feet; the creative spark can also be ignited by exploring well-trod terrain with fresh eyes. On his sophomore CD "Foreign Territory" (Fresh Sound/New Talent), Brooklyn-based trumpeter/composer John Raymond takes a refreshing and exciting look at the jazz tradition with a set of original compositions that retain the music’s classic aspects while feeling entirely contemporary.

To realize his modern reimagining of traditional elements, Raymond assembled a stellar quartet that is uniquely qualified to merge past and present – pianist Dan Tepfer, bassist Joe Martin and legendary drummer Billy Hart. With such a highly spontaneous group of musicians interpreting Raymond's intriguing compositions (one of which was chosen as a winner of ASCAP's 2015 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer award), the result was a cohesive effort of songs that create both a sense of mystery and a sense of joy in exploring the unknown.

Labeled "a prepossessing young trumpet player" (New York Times), Raymond performs regularly with musicians such as Orrin Evans, Linda Oh, Ethan Iverson, Rudy Royston and Gilad Hekselman among others. He has recently been a featured artist at the NYC Winter Jazz Festival, FONT Festival and Center City Jazz Festival, has recorded with Grammy-nominated singer Sara Bareilles, and has performed at events such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival and NPR's Toast of the Nation New Year's Eve celebration.

At the age of 74, Billy Hart is an artist who fully embodies the spirit of simultaneously honoring and reimaging the tradition, having been a key player in the music’s last half-century. “We talk all the time about how as jazz musicians we want to be connected to the history and lineage, and Billy is not only part of that lineage but one of the people that has really shaped it,” Raymond says. “I feel like everything that Billy plays captures the essence of what this music has always been, and he’s always wanting to push the music in a direction that’s unknown, somewhere that you haven’t been before."

www.johnraymondmusic.net