‘Bringing it on home’
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A rising star on the New York jazz scene, trumpet player Tadashi Thomas is heading home to Maui to perform at Jazz Maui's fifth annual Jazz Blues & Beyond Festival, which includes a concert at King Kekaulike High School on June 28.
"I'm happy to come back home," says Thomas, who grew up in Haiku. "I'm excited."
It was as a student at King Kekaulike where he nurtured his love for trumpet. "I started playing the French horn at Kalama, but once I got to high school, that's when I was playing the trumpet. I was playing in the jazz band and the wind ensemble, basically every ensemble at school."
Growing up in a musical home where his mother played classical piano and his father played drums, his love for jazz came initially from his parents. "The catalyst for my career in jazz music was my high school band program led by Casey Nagata," Thomas recalls. "He was a big fan of jazz and there was a really strong jazz program at King Kekaulike. It was available, and it spoke to me and that's where I went."
Among great trumpet players, he was particularly enamored with Maynard Ferguson, who came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra. "He could play really high and that's a really a difficult thing to do on the trumpet," Thomas notes. "As a kid, it's kind of impressive, so I think a lot of kids are drawn to it. That was kind of my foot in the door. From my background as a lead trumpet player, my job was to play high and play loud."
It was after moving to New York that he got into trumpet legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis. "Once I got to New York, I started studying with John Faddis and he started showing me that there's a lot more to this music. I'm starting to get into people like Miles Davis and I love Dizzy Gillespie. I feel like with this tour that I'm bringing to Maui, it's the beginning of my career as a small group leader because most of my experience up until now has been with large ensembles. People like Miles Davis, that's this side of my playing that I'm bringing to the forefront for the first time with this ensemble."
The Tadashi Thomas Quartet features drummer Julian Miltenberger, who has performed with Grammy winning saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Pianist Caelan Carderro's credits include playing with Bruce Hornsby, former Miles Davis drummer Jack Dejohnette, and Grammy winner Christian Mcbride, while bassist Aron Caceres has performed with the acclaimed jazz vocal ensemble New York Voices, trombonist Robin Eubanks, and trumpet virtuoso Jon Faddis.
"I'm calling the Tadashi Thomas Quartet the Young Lions coming to Maui," explains Jazz Maui's executive director Bryant Neal. "Jake has hand picked some of the most talented young up-and-coming New York players to join him on Maui. All of these guys are performing at a top level. The idea is to bring that sound, energy and professional musicianship to this tour. Giving people a chance to experience a taste of the New York jazz scene on Maui."
In New York, Thomas has played at such celebrated venues as Dizzy's Club, Birdland, Cafe Bohemia, and The Blue Note. "I was lucky enough that the first people I called were all on board to come on tour," he says. "They're definitely some of my favorite musicians that I hear amongst my peers. I think if we were having this interview in five years, you probably would know them by now."
As to what we can expect, he says: "With this set of music that I'm bringing you're going to see a lot of different influences. We'll be playing bossa novas and then straight ahead the next song and we'll be playing like a second line New Orleans type of beat the next song. The main idea is it's a representative of the jazz scene today in New York City."
The Tadashi Thomas Quartet, along with the Na Ali'i Big Band, performs on June 28 at King Kekaulike High School's Performing Arts Center. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., show begins at 6. Suggested donation is $15 for adults and $10 for students.
The Quartet will also perform an intimate concert at the home of Mary Anne and Nam Le Viet in Kaanapali on June 29. Tickets are $150. They play Jazz Maui's Sunset Jazz from 5 to 7 p.m. on June 30, at the Maui Ku'ia Estate Chocolate Factory in Lahaina. Advance ticket purchase is required.
The musicians will take part in Jazz Maui's Jazz Camp on July 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the BackLit Buddha Studios in Kahului. Jazz Camp runs from July 1-11. Suggested donation is $10, and scholarships are available. For tickets, schedule, and to sign up, visit www.JazzMaui.org.