Darren BarrettDarren Barrett at All About Jazz
Accessed October 4, 2010. is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

jazz musician who won the 1997 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition,Steve Graybow
"The Billboard spotlight: Jazz: Indie Labels at Work"
''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', June 10, 2000, Volume 112, Number 24, pages 63, 68. ISSN 0006-2510. Accessed October 4, 2010.

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Life and career Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Beginning in 1974, Yanow was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles and was the jazz e ...

''The Trumpet Kings: the players who shaped the sound of jazz trumpet''
(Hal Leonard Corporation, 2001), pages 40-41. . Accessed October 4, 2010. and is a professor at

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

.For examples of Barrett's work at Berklee, se
Ensembles Week: Jazz, Avant-Garde
an
Ensemble Showcase: Middle Eastern, Jazz
at Berklee website. Accessed October 4, 2010.

Life and career

Canadian Grammy Award winning trumpet player Darren Barrett was born to Jamaican parents. Darren remembers that, "the first time I heard Miles Davis was on the record 'Round About Midnight, and when I heard Miles' sound and approach, I knew that the instrument I wanted to play was the trumpet." Upon graduating high school, Barrett attended

Humber College The Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, rebranded as Humber Polytechnic since 2024, is a public Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has three mai ...

's Jazz program in Toronto, Ontario and eventually spent a year there and won the Boddington's Music Brass Award for excellence in performance. In 1986, Darren Barrett attended

on a full scholarship, receiving a BA in Professional Music in 1990. He went on to receive an MA in Jazz Performance in 1993, and an MS in Music Education from

Queens College, City University of New York Queens College (QC) is a public college in the New York City borough of Queens. Part of the City University of New York system, Queens College occupies an campus primarily located in Flushing. Queens College was established in 1937 and offe ...

in 1995. It was there that he came under the influence of Dr.

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few h ...

, who became something of a father figure for the young trumpeter. "My quest for a Doctorate degree was interrupted by a special program that was being developed, called the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, at the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

." In 1997, Barrett earned a Diploma in Jazz Performance from the

Thelonious Monk Institute The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is a non-profit music education organization founded in 1986. Before 2019, it was known as the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, but was then renamed after its longtime board chairman, Herbie Hancock. The i ...

, where he was a member of the inaugural class and "studied with

Barry Harris Barry Doyle Harris (December 15, 1929 – December 8, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. He was an exponent of the bebop style. Influenced by Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, Harris in turn influenc ...

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young ...

, and

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American Swing music, swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948� ...

, getting the opportunity to perform alongside

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

and

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (August 25, 1933 – March 2, 2023) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Shorter came to mainstream prominence in 1959 upon joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, for whom he eventually became the primary comp ...

". In 1997, Barrett entered and won first place in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, the biggest jazz competition in the world, which highlights a different instrument each year. Barrett went on to release his first album as a bandleader, ''First One Up'', in 1999, followed by ''Deelings'' in 2001, ''The Attack of Wren: Wrenaissance Volume 1'' in 2004, and ''A Very Barrett Christmas'' in 2011. He has most recently released ''Energy In Motion: The Music Of The Bee Gees'' (2014) and ''Live And Direct 2014''."Coming June 17: Trumpeter Darren Barrett Releases Two Albums"
, Fully Altered Media. Barrett has performed or recorded with

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such albums as ''My Fa ...

Jackie McLean John Lenwood McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator. He is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their death. Bio ...

, Roy Hargrove Big Band,

Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

Will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "will I am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is the frontman of the musical group Black Eyed Peas, which he ...

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He first earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's music ...

Esperanza Spalding Esperanza Emily Spalding (born October 18, 1984), sometimes professionally known with the stylized name of esperanza spalding, is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Boston Music Aw ...

and

Antonio Hart Antonio Hart (born September 30, 1968) is an American jazz alto saxophonist. He attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, studied with Andy McGhee at Berklee College of Music, and has a master's degree from Queens College, City University of ...

, among others. Barrett is currently a Professor in the Ensemble department at his alma mater, Berklee College of Music in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. "I'm working on my craft, trying to be as professional and proficient as I can be. I'm just trying to reach people with my music, trying to concentrate on myself as a performer, bandleader and composer. I have many different bands but they all give me the musical platform to pursue anything possible. I want to continue exploring music and the trumpet by being open to the gamut of creativity, incorporating electronics into live shows, and realizing that one must have a great product and a great live show. These are my key principles."

Education

*BA in Professional Music from Berklee College of Music, 1990 *MA in Jazz Performance from Queens College, 1993 *MS in Music Education from Queens College, 1995 *Diploma in Jazz Performance from the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, 1997

Teachers

*Donald Byrd *William Vacchiano *William Fielder *Bill Adam *Charles Schlueter *Don Johnson

Awards

*Lennie Johnson Scholarship 1987 *Lennie Johnson Scholarship 1988 *Lennie Johnson Scholarship 1989 *Thelonious Monk International Trumpet Competition 1997 – 1st place

Discography

As leader

*''First One Up'' (J Curve Records, 1999) *''Deelings'' (J Curve Records, 2001) *''The Attack of Wren: Wrenaissance, Volume 1'' (Nagel Heyer Records, 2004) *Darren Barrett ''A Very Barrett Christmas'' (dB Studios, 2011) *Darren Barrett & Energy In Motion ''The Music Of The Bee Gees'' (dB Studios, 2014)Mark F. Turner
"Darren Barrett Energy In Motion: The Music Of The Bee Gees (dB Studios, 2014)"
All About Jazz, August 1, 2014. *Darren Barrett & dB Quintet, ''Live And Direct 2014'' (dB Studios, 2014) *Darren Barrett & Trumpet Vibes, ''Trumpet Vibes'' (dB Studios, 2015) *Darren Barrett & Trumpet Vibes, ''The Music Of Amy Winehouse'' (dB Studios, 2016) *Darren Barrett & dB-ish, ''The Opener'' (dB Studios, 2017) *Darren Barrett & Time For Romance, ''But Beautiful'' (dB Studios, 2018) *Darren Barrett & The EVI Sessions, ''Mr. Steiner'' (dB Studios, 2019)

As sideman

With

*'' The Truth: Heard Live at the Blue Note'' (Half Note, 1999) * Roy Hargrove Big Band: ''Emergence'' (Emarcy, 2009) *

: ''

Radio Music Society ''Radio Music Society'' is the fourth studio album by Esperanza Spalding, which was released through the record label Heads Up International on March 20, 2012. The album earned Spalding Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Instrumen ...

'' (Heads Up International, 2012) *

Myron Walden Myron Walden (born October 18, 1972) is an American musician, composer, and arranger who is known for his work as a saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. He has previously recorded and toured with Freddie Hubbard, Ray Barretto, Esperanza Spa ...

: ''Momentum: Our Sound'' (Demi, 2013)

References

External links

Official websiteBerklee College Faculty Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Darren 1967 births Living people 21st-century Canadian trumpeters 21st-century American male musicians Canadian people of Jamaican descent 20th-century Black Canadian musicians Canadian expatriate musicians in the United States Canadian jazz trumpeters Canadian male trumpeters Canadian jazz bandleaders Jazz musicians from Boston Musicians from Toronto Humber College alumni Queens College, City University of New York alumni Berklee College of Music alumni Canadian male jazz musicians 21st-century Black Canadian musicians