Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Theo Croker’s Dream … Manifested!
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
Co-curators Dave Douglas, Roy Campbell and Jon Nelson have announced the lineup for the second Festival of New Trumpet Music, also known as FONT Music. The festival will take place at a handful of venues around New York from Aug. 4–31, featuring an international lineup of trumpeters from the worlds of jazz, hip-hop, rock, improvisational and classical.
Douglas and Campbell started FONT last year to build trumpet awareness and challenge traditional boundaries. Nelson has signed on this year to curate post-classical and other related genres.
FONT Music 2004 Schedule:
Aug. 4: Tonic, $15
“Trumpet Nation.” Campbell, Douglas, Nelson and other trumpeters perform a new work by Butch Morris, Improvisations and Conduction #142.
Aug. 5: Tonic, $15
Dave Douglas with DJ Olive, Gene Lake, Jamie Saft, Brad Jones and Marcus Strickland perform new music inspired by the films of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle; Jeremy Pelt & Noise, Pelt’s latest electric project with Jaleel Shaw, Mike Moreno, Frank LoCrasto, Vicente Archer and Eric MacPherson; and PHONOmena “The Vinyl Trumpet” featuring DJ Olive.
Aug. 6: Tonic, $15
Alloy with Roy Campbell, Baikida Carroll, Dave Douglas, Bryan Carrott, Mark Dresser and Susie Ibarra. New work from the trumpet group that was the genesis of FONT.
Aug. 7: Tonic, $12
Dennis Gonzalez’s Spirit Meridian with Denis Gonzalez, Oliver Lake, Michael “T.A.” Thompson and Ken Filiano. Roy Campbell and Tazz, with Andrew Bemkey, Chris Sullivan and Mike Thompson, perform original compositions.
Aug. 9: 14th Street Y, $10
Nmperign with Greg Kelley and Bob Rainey, and Nabate Isles’ Synergy with Isles, Gamiel Lyons, Liberty Ellman, Manuel Valera Jr., Matt Clohesy, Marcus Gilmore and Tyshawn Sorey.
Aug. 10: 14th Street Y, $10
The Ingrid Jensen Four, with Jensen, Scott Robinson, Gary Versace and Victor Lewis, performs original music and standards. The Bruce Lee band, featuring Jesse Neumann and Nate Wooley. Bruce Lee is an improvising quartet whose original compositions draw upon folk melodies, dramatic text and poetry, sampled sounds and games played by young children.
Aug. 10: Makor, $15
The Jon Nelson/Helena Bugallo Duo performs Berio’s “Sequenza X” and melodies from Stockhausen’s “Tierkreis.” Also, the Meridian Arts Ensemble performs the music of Elliott Carter, Stephen Barber, Elliott Sharp, David Sanford and Frank Zappa. Mark Gould’s New York Trumpet Ensemble performs original compositions and improvisations.
Aug. 11: 14th Street Y, $10
CD release concert for John McNeil’s Sleep Won’t Come. Dave Ballou performs opening set.
Aug. 12: 14th Street Y, $10
Stephen Haynes and Bugaboo with Haynes, Allan Jaffe, Mario Pavone and Satoshi Takeishi. Late set by Taylor Ho Bynum.
Aug. 13: 14th Street Y, $10
Russ Johnson and Save Big with Johnson, John O’Gallagher, Kermit Driscoll and Mark Ferber: CD release concert for Johnson’s new recording on Omnitone. ShulmanSystem Trio with Matt Shulman, Ryan Berg and Jason Wildman.
Aug. 14: 14th Street Y, $10
Brian McWhorter, Jonathan Finlayson , and the Mark Gould/Brain McWhorter project, Pink Baby Monster.
Aug. 15: 14th Street Y, $10
“Solo Trumpet and . . . I.” Gareth Flowers, Laurie Frink, Dave Ballou, Ed Carrol, Scott McIntosh, Wayne DuMaine, Brian McWhorter, Britton Theurer, Jon Nelson, Kenneth DeCarlo and others perform works by Peter Maxwell Davies, Frink, Bach, Vincent Persichetti and Morton Feldman.
Aug. 16: 14th Street Y, $10
“Solo Trumpet and . . . II.” A near identical lineup as the previous night performs works by James Mobberly, Theurer, Ballou and Emil Harnas.
Aug. 18: Tonic, $12
Herb Robertson and the “Is Quintet” with Tim Berne, Sylvie Courvoisie, Mark Dresser and Tom Rainey. A late-night performance by the Hugh Ragin Trio.
Aug. 19: Tonic, $15
Early set from the David Buchbinder Ensemble. Late s
To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests.
Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
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