TBJ118: Trent Austin

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TBJ118: Trumpet player and builder Trent Austin on Clark Terry, making sacrifices for your dreams and an augmented trumpet

Trumpeting Renaissance Man Trent Austin lives up to the title: entrepreneur, player, designer, and raconteur.

Celebrated trumpet artist, educator/clinician and entrepreneur, Trent Austin is a trumpeting Renaissance Man. His brilliant performances and recordings in both the jazz and classical music worlds, as well as packed-house Master Classes have garnered him rave reviews, awards and International acclaim.

A prodigy, in high school Austin performed at the opening of Euro-Disney and also was a featured performer at the 1992 Montreux Jazz Festival. He was selected first trumpet of the Maine All-State Music Festival and was awarded a full music scholarship to the University of New Hampshire to study classical trumpet. Austin’s other early career awards include being named to the prestigious Berklee Grammy® High School Jazz Band in 1993 and designated lead trumpet of the 1995 Disney All-American Show Band.  He was also a featured soloist at the 1996 Harmony Ridge Brass Festival and at the 1997 Lake Placid Institute of the Arts Seminar. 

As an in-demand pro, Trent has performed with a lengthy list of music’s Who’s Who: Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Joe Williams, Clark Terry, Jack Jones, Bob Brookmeyer, Maria Schneider, Peter Erskine, Arturo Sandoval, Hal Galper, Dick Oatts, Marvin Stamm, Red Holloway, Jesse Davis, Dick Johnson, Kenny Werner, and Bob Wilber. For eleven years, Austin was a featured trumpet soloist with the famed Artie Shaw Orchestra. He is currently a first-call performer in the Kansas City Metro

Austin has recorded  4  CDs.  Trumpet 101 (2001), Two-Toned (2006),  Meditations for Solo Trumpet (2009), and Trumpet 102 (2012).  Each of these efforts demonstrates Austin’s impeccable command of his instrument and marvelous artistic approach.

Trent has studied jazz improvisation privately with greats Jerry Bergonzi, Kenny Werner, Chuck Findley and engaged in extensive studies with Hal Crook and Charlie Banacos. His primary classical instructors include studies with Robert Stibler of the University of New Hampshire, Benjamin Wright of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and with Edward Carroll, formerly musical director of the New York Trumpet Ensemble.

Fiercely dedicated to the cause and development of music and jazz education, Trent was a trumpet professor  at the University of Southern Maine for 9 years and regularly provides clinics and Master Classes nationwide at various trumpet and brass conferences, including at the International Trumpet Guild Conference and other trumpet/brass conferences. Austin also maintains an active teaching studio in Kansas City, MO and worldwide online via Skype, providing trumpet and jazz improvisation lessons. 

In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:

• Trumpeting Renaissance Man

• Moving to Kansas City from Boston

• Impossible Tuna

• Impossible Tuba

• Bribery will get you everywhere

• Trumpet placebo

• Machining and Geekery

• Designing horns for Adams

• Bonding with his dad

• Computedated

• Mouthpiece as a gateway drug

• Common tweaks

• Fraggle Rock

• Clark Terry buttermilk story

• A good horn cleaning regimen

• Stanford TRB TB story

• Nick the Bio Writer

• Adventures in Unnecessary Trumpet Modification

• Dents in critical areas

• Heavy valve caps

• Everything affects everything

• The King of Trumpet Geeks

• Augmented trumpet

• The fate of brick and mortar stores

• Specialty stores will have an easier time surviving

• ITEC vs. ITG

• The influence of Clark Terry

• The Clark Terry "Keep On Keepin' On" documentary

• Trentbot 2000

• Everything is monetizable

• It's all about the hang

• Bob Malone

• Making sacrifices for your dreams

• How badly do you want it?

• Sleep harder

• Gold-plated water key screw

LINKS:

• Trent's website

• Austin Custom Brass

• Trent's YouTube channel

• Augmented trumpet video

• http://www.keeponkeepinon.comClark Terry documentary

• The Brass Junkies online store

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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.