East West Trumpet Summit: Coast to Coast

...superb melodic interpreters... the session's program choices prove ideal for each trumpeter's upper register flurries, dips and octave leaps... Rather than an instrumental battle or cutting contest, 'East-West Trumpet Summit' underlines the artistry that results when great musicians from diverse backgrounds find common ground...
JazzTimes

With their fiery 2010 quintet release East-West Trumpet Summit, trumpeters Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott's inspired partnership resonated with jazz audiences as it jumped to #1 on the national airplay charts. Now with their third installment celebrating the fabled tradition of the Fats Navarro/Howard McGhee and Freddie Hubbard/Woody Shaw two trumpet recordings, the duo brings along Philadelphia's own, Orrin Evans on piano, the legendary Roy McCurdy from Los Angeles on drums, and Seattle bassist Michael Glynn for a set that ranges from George Cables, Don Cherry, and Mingus penned tunes, to originals by Marriott and a couple of Great American Songbook ballads. As with its predecessors, this album swings from Coast to Coast!

"...brimming with creative imagination, technical fluency, and a deep respect for the jazz tradition." - International Trumpet Guild

Production Info:

Produced by Thomas Marriott
Recorded by Don Gunn at Avast Studios, Seattle, WA
October 10, 2021
Mixed by Don Gunn
Mastered by Ed Brooks at Resonance Mastering, Seattle
Photos by Steve Korn
Cover design & layout by John Bishop

Reviews of East West Trumpet Summit: Coast to Coast

All About Jazz (Paul Rauch)
4-STARS For some people, the whole notion of an east-west summit of anything in jazz brings up the perceived differences over time between American west coast jazz and its east coast counterpart. The basic premise is that jazz on the American west coast is a cousin to the cool jazz movement, a calmer, less soulful part of the tradition that relies ...

WTJU (Russell Perry)
Trumpet players Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott bring back their East West Trumpet Summit (New York – Seattle) for a third edition (2010, 2016). Unlike dual (often dueling) tenors, two trumpets sharing the frontline in a quintet is an unusual format, but in the hands of these pros, a productive one. Long-time friends, these players make more music ...

Jazz Views (UK) (Ed Sapiega)
"Coast to Coast" is the third in a series by the East West Summit band continuing the tradition of fabled trumpet duo sessions: Fats Navarro and Howard McGhee, and Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw. Coast to Coast is not about trumpeters trying to best each other in a blowing session. Instead, it is two complementary trumpeters giving us a selectio ...

All About Jazz (Jack Bowers)
4 1/2 STARS Coast to Coast is the third East West Trumpet Summit recorded by Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott in a musical partnership that has spanned nearly three decades. The years have been kind, and when it comes to playing persuasive jazz, neither Vega nor Marriott appears to have lost a step. Marriott, a native of Seattle, and Vega, New York-bo ...

Contemporary Fusion Reviews (Dick Metcalf)
If you're in love with smokin' hot trumpets, you'll find this release from Ray and Thomas to be very much to your liking… the best way to get acquainted with these high-energy and high-talent players is to SEE them. Personally, I fell in love with this June, 2023 album immediately… a variety of styles in the songs they chose, and penetrating ...