QUENTIN COAXUM’S "YOU & I"

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25.

TIME: 4:00 - 4:45 PM

VENUE: DUSABLE NORTH TERRACE. 740 E. 56TH PLACE.

QUENTIN COAXUM

After taking up the trumpet in elementary school, Quentin Coaxum also took an interest in the old jazz tapes and records left behind by his grandfather. It was these recordings that first fueled his passion for music, and jazz in particular.

Originally from just outside of St. Louis, Missouri, Coaxum now lives near Chicago, where he is an active musician and educator. He holds a Bachelor’s of Music Education from Northern Illinois University and a Master’s of Music in Jazz Studies from Northwestern University. During his time in Chicago, Coaxum has been a featured performer at the Chicago Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and the University of Chicago’s Logan Arts Jazz Series. He is quickly becoming one of Chicagoʼs brightest young trumpeters.

As a performer, Coaxum has garnered praise for his ability to compose and perform with modern lyricism while also displaying a knowledge of many musical traditions. His voice as a trumpeter reaches across genres in a way that captivates listeners and fellow musicians alike, and has afforded him the opportunity to perform with world-class musicians including Jimmy Heath, Victor Goines, Benny Golson, Dustin Laurenzi’s Snaketime, Jeff Swanson’s Case-Fitter, Christopher McBride’s Quatuor De Force, Solange Knowles, The Willerm Delisfort Project, and many more.

You & I

Released in 2020, “You & I” is a personal narrative told through memory, improvisation, and groove. As the title suggests, each track on the album captures an idea, rooted in a specific human relationship. Assembled chronologically, the tracks tell the journey—first into, and then out of—a difficult period of increasing pessimism. Several of the songs on the album were inspired greatly by, and indeed feature excerpts from, the works of James Baldwin and Dr. Maya Angelou, which offered guidance and ballast during a time of struggle. As time passes in the narrative, more genres of contemporary music find their way in, and the album unfolds into an ode first to the struggle for African American civil rights in America, and then to the abounding beauty of a newborn child.

The musicians:

Quentin Coaxum – Trumpet

Dustin Laurenzi – Tenor sax

Jeff Swanson – Guitar

Julius Tucker – Piano

Joshua Griffin – Bass

Clif Wallace – Drums