Professor of Music Thomas Erdmann publishes an article in professional trumpet journal.
An article by Professor Thomas Erdmann in the Department of Music publishes article published in October 2021 issue of The International Trumpet Guild Journal.
The article, “Ian Carey: Contrast Can Be Just As Effective As Synchronicity,” is about聽jazz trumpeter, with multiple appearances on Downbeat magazine鈥檚 Rising Star runners-up list, and an exceptional graphic designer and illustrator so busy he has to turn work away.
, a trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer and bandleader, puts these different careers on full presentation with his newest release “Fire In My Head, The Anxiety Suite.” 聽Carey not only did the intricate CD jacket graphics, but also played and composed the music.聽 Carey鈥檚 compositions, on this his sixth release as a leader, were the result of a New Jazz Works commission grant from no-less a prestigious institution than Chamber Music America.
As a jazz musician, Carey has been working hard his entire life and the fruits are paying off handsomely. Bill Kirchner, editor of The Oxford Companion to Jazz, calls Carey鈥檚 “Interview Music” album, 鈥淓xtraordinary writing聽for three horns鈥晄ome of聽the best I’ve ever heard.鈥澛 Downbeat gave Carey鈥檚 “Roads & Codes” album聽a coveted 4陆 star rating, commenting on both his skills as an illustrator and performer. 鈥淐arey knows it can [take] creative packaging to get great music noticed these days.聽‘Roads & Codes’ showcases both the trumpeter鈥檚 sideline as an illustrator and his primary gig as the leader of a聽highly skilled band of improvisers,” the review said. Of Carey鈥檚 “Contextualizin‘”聽album,聽Cadence Magazine noted, 鈥淐arey interprets his own compositions with straightforward聽melodic lyricism鈥攄eceptively straightforward, in fact [this disc is] an opportunity to showcase ‘discursively’ not only Carey鈥檚 distinctive style, but also his varied compositional talent.鈥
Carey was born on July 24, 1974 in Binghamton, New York, to a musical family.聽 His dad was a choral vocalist on many recordings of Ives and Stravinsky, and the whole family sang in the church choir.聽 It was the church鈥檚 guest brass quintets which inspired Carey to pick up the trumpet in the fourth grade. At 13, the family moved to Folsom, California where he joined the local award-winning high school jazz band and a fervor for the music took hold of him.
Before transferring to The New School in New York, Carey started collegiate studies in classical music at the University of Nevada at Reno, but left due to the lack of jamming partners at the time. In New York he studied improvisation with living legends like Billy Harper, Loren Schoenberg and Reggie Workman; composition with Bill Kirchner and Maria Schneider; and trumpet with Cecil Bridgewater, Laurie Frink and John McNeil.
After seven years of working and playing in New York, Carey moved to San Francisco and quickly became one of the area鈥檚 busier jazz trumpeters, as well as a highly successful graphic artist.
Well on his way, Carey鈥檚 accomplishments are the result of hard work, dedicated listening and hours upon hours of practice. One only needs to listen to how effortless Carey makes playing the trumpet sound to know he puts in his time in the woodshed.聽 Just in his 40s, Carey鈥檚 past successes point toward an increasingly upward trajectory of not just wider acclaim and but visual artistic achievement.