JazzYYC Festival – Derrick Gardner Trumpet Workshop

Born in Chicago, Ill and inspired by the finest hard-blowing funky bop bands of the 1960s, jazz trumpeter Derrick Gardner quickly made his mark on the New York City jazz scene after arriving in the Big Apple in 1991. Derrick was a member of the Count Basie Orch. for five years (1991 to 1996 plus occasional guest appearances that have continued into the present day) and has traveled the world playing top-flight jazz with a tremendous litany of artists that includes Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson, Frank Foster, Joe Williams, Benny Golson, Rufus Reid, Kenny Baron, Stefon Harris, James Moody, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and Clark Terry to name a few. He has performed on multiple recordings with the Count Basie Orchestra, including the Grammy-winning The Count Basie Orchestra Live at Manchester Craftman’s Guild, with the New York Voices in 1997, and four sessions with Harry Connick Jr., including 2007’s Hurricane Katrina-inspired “Oh, My Nola.”

Derrick formed his sextet, The Jazz Prophets, in 1991, and was named by Music Resource Group (MRG) as the winner in the 9th annual Independent Music Awards “Best Jazz Album 2009” for the Owl Studios release, “Echoes of Ethnicity,” As jazz journalist Ken Franckling points out “Derrick is “a Clifford Brown disciple with tinges of Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw thrown in for good measure, all in service of a sound and a band that are extending the funky soul-swing evolution.” In July 2020, Impact Jazz released the new big band recording by Derrick Gardner & The BIG dig! BAND, “Still I Rise,” featuring Gardner’s arrangements on ten of his original compositions. Derrick has served on the jazz faculty at the University of Manitoba Desautels Faculty of Music in Winnipeg, Manitoba where he was appointed to the Babs Asper Professorship in Jazz Performance. He served as the director of the University of Manitoba Jazz Orchestra and was an Associate Professor of Jazz Trumpet for over ten years.

Note: To make all patrons feel comfortable at our shows, we at JazzYYC are adhering to local COVID-19 bylaws in place with the city of Calgary as well as any other additional requirements that our partner venue may request. We would ask in order to make fellow patrons feel relaxed and safe that you wear a mask when you are not at your table, adhere to social distancing and feel free to register with our front of house team where possible for contact tracing when you check-in. We look forward to a safe and fun show!