The always popular Jazz Series at Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre is returning for a seventh year.

RESCHEDULED DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED.

Al Strong, Trumpeter

Long before Al Strong chose the trumpet, his grandparents laid the musical foundation in their Washington, DC household. An only child raised by his grandparents; music became an integral part of his upbringing. Strong's earliest memories date back to his grandmother's weekly in-home church services, where she would play gospel hymns on the organ. His grandfather took a more secular approach to music listening, introducing him to the likes of Ray Charles, Jimmy Smith, and Donald Byrd during car rides, specifically longer rides that involved fishing trips. 

 

He auditioned for and was accepted into the internationally lauded, Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts. Strong initially took one-on-one trumpet lessons from Michael Hackett, who taught him basic tone production. However, his exposure to jazz instruction and listening would primarily come from his peers and Jazz Program Director, Davey Yarborough.

 

On an international trip with the Duke Ellington School, Strong was recruited by the North Carolina Central University (NCCU) jazz ensemble, who also happened to be touring Europe at the time. Dr. Ira Wiggins, Director of Jazz Studies at NCCU presented him the opportunity of a lifetime, a full-tuition scholarship to study jazz at the University, in Durham. Strong continued to advance his education by attending Northern Illinois University to study with renowned saxophonist and professor Ron Carter. Receiving instruction in both classical trumpet and jazz trumpet playing, Strong earned a master of Jazz Performance/Pedagogy.

In the fall of 2011, Strong teamed with statistician, Cicely Mitchell to create a non-profit, jazz presenting organization titled, the Art of Cool Project.  The non-profit's mission is to expand the audience for jazz, initially through presentations in non-traditional spaces. Key project initiatives include an annual music festival located in Durham and jazz summer camps for at-risk youth (stArt of Cool). Recently, the Huffington Post coined the Art of Cool Music Festival as "the Coachella of Jazz."  

 

In January 2016, Strong introduced his debut album, LoveStrong Vol. 1. Since its release, his music has garnered national and international attention, receiving critical acclaim in the US, Italy, and Senegal.

 

When not performing in the Raleigh-Durham area, Strong balances his non-profit responsibilities, adjunct trumpet professorship in the jazz studies program at his alma mater, NCCU with traveling and performing. He has headlined his own shows at the BlueNote Jazz Festival, the Winter Jazz Fest, Blues Alley, and a host of other clubs.

 

Strong has had the pleasure of performing for artists such as Brandford Marsalis, Aretha Franklin, Clay Aiken, and Linda Eder. He has also lent his trumpet playing to an array of talent including The Foreign Exchange, Yazarah, Soul Understated featuring Mavis 'Swan' Poole, and Big Daddy Kane, along with a number of others.

 

www.alstrongmusic.com

Representing Agent: Gigi Thigpen

(919) 632.8181 bookings-jazze@live.com