Gerard Presencer

Gerard Presencer (born 12 September 1972) is an English jazz trumpeter.

Gerard Presencer
Background information
Born (1972-09-12) 12 September 1972
Watford, Hertfordshire, England
GenresJazz, contemporary classical
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Trumpet
Years active1987–present
Gerard Presencer, Aarhus, Denmark, 2010

Biography

Presencer showed his first interest in what was to become his chosen instrument, the trumpet, at nine. He attributes his early determination to become a trumpeter to hearing Roy Eldridge's solo from a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert. He has cited Dizzy Gillespie, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Wheeler, Woody Shaw, and Clifford Brown as early influences.[1]

When he was eleven, he became the youngest trumpeter with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. At the age of 18, he began playing with pianist Stan Tracey, in his big band, octet, septet, and in duo, playing a live concert at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall, later released on Blue Note Records.

Presencer worked with British musicians Peter King, John Dankworth, John Taylor, Ronnie Scott, Norma Winstone, and Mike Gibbs, as well as with international musicians, including Johnny Griffin, Chris Potter, Mark Turner, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Randy Brecker, Red Rodney, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, John Abercrombie, and Bob Berg.[2] He is a member of Charlie Watts' various jazz groups, with which he has recorded five albums, and was a featured soloist on US3's Cantaloop, Blue Note's biggest-selling album of the 1990s. He has also released albums as a band leader.

In January 2010, Presencer was as a soloist with the Danish Radio Big Band for the opening of the Danish National Concert Hall. Later the same year he became a regular member of the big band and moved to Copenhagen.[3]

Other genres

Presencer has collaborated frequently with contemporary classical music composer Siobhan Lamb as an improvising soloist. Two albums were released in 2012 by the Naxos label Proprius: Meditations and The Nightingale and the Rose.

As a session musician, he has recorded with Sting, Jamiroquai, Zero 7, James Brown, Ray Charles, Joni Mitchell, and Jonny Greenwood.[2]

He is the featured soloist on the 2011 BAFTA Award-winning score for the computer game L.A. Noire, which features Mark Turner, John Taylor, David Freidman, Jeff Ballard, and Larry Grenadier.

Teaching

Presencer was the Head of the Jazz Department at the Royal Academy of Music from 1999 until 2010 and was Head of the Brass Department at The Jazz Institute, Berlin from 1999 to 2016. He has given workshops in European jazz conservatories (including Amsterdam, Helsinki and Copenhagen).

In 2015, his book about the technical requirements of trumpet playing in improvised music was released by Warwick Music.

Discography

As leader
  • Platypus (Linn, 1998)
  • The Optimist (Linn, 2000)
  • Dreams with Tony Coe (Zephyr, 2001)
  • Chasing Reality (ACT, 2003)
  • Groove Travels with Danish Radio Big Band (Edition, 2016)

As sideman

With the Brand New Heavies

  • Brother Sister (FFRR, 1994)
  • Original Flava (Acid Jazz, 1994)
  • Shelter (Delicious Vinyl, 1997)

With Stan Tracey

  • Live at the QEH (Blue Note, 1994)
  • For Heaven's Sake (Cadillac, 1996)
  • The Durham Connection (33 Records, 1999)

With Charlie Watts

  • From One Charlie (UFO, 1991)
  • Warm & Tender (Continuum, 1993)
  • Long Ago & Far Away (Pointblank, 1996)
  • Watts at Scott's (Black Box, 2004)
  • Charlie Watts Meets the Danish Radio Big Band (Impulse!, 2017)

With others

References
  1. "Gerard Presencer". Linn Records. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  2. "Home - B.H. Hopper Management". Hopper-management.com. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  3. "Engelsk stjernetrompetist i DR Big Bandet". DR. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
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