AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE

Ambrose Akinmusire possesses one of the most original trumpet voices of recent decades. He has a breathtaking, ruby-red tone and a penchant for coaxing extraordinary -- and unexpected -- sounds and effects from his horn. If you watch him perform (or listen to his five albums on the Blue Note label) you will hear him swing freely between jazz, R&B, chamber music and sounds you cannot put in a box. It's a unified creative flow. It comes from inside him. It honors the jazz tradition while pointing toward destinations unknown. An Oakland native with an international career, Akinmusire is a master improviser and bandleader. On stage, he has a way of instantly processing musical information, always nurturing, expanding, and elevating the performance. On the last night of his week of residency, he will stand alone onstage at the historic Grace Cathedral - just Ambrose, playing solo trumpet, welcoming you to his latest adventure.