Cuong Vu
Encyclopedia
Cuong Vu is a jazz
trumpeter and vocalist.
Born in Saigon, he left Vietnam with his family at the age of five in 1975, settling in Bellevue
, Washington (an Eastside suburb of Seattle). He quickly learned English, adapted to his new country and culture and began to play the trumpet at the age of 11, after receiving the instrument as a gift from his mother.
After graduating from Bellevue High School, he was awarded a full scholarship to attend the New England Conservatory of Music
, receiving a B.M. degree in jazz studies. While there, he studied with Joe Maneri
, George Garzone
, John McNeil
, Tim Morrison
and Dave Holland
. Visionary reedman/composer Maneri encouraged Vu to examine the unexplored sonic possibilities of the trumpet. During this time, while rediscovering the jazz legends such as Lester Young, Charlie Parker, and Lee Morgan, Vu developed a deep love for the music of classical composers ranging from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
, Ludwig van Beethoven
, to Arnold Schoenberg
, Witold Lutosławski, and György Ligeti
, along with jazz avant gardists such as Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, John Coltrane (post A Love Supreme) and Albert Ayler.
Immediately after graduating NEC with honors, Vu moved to New York City
, and quickly established himself as one of the most innovative and versatile young trumpeters in the jazz scene with his first co-led group, Ragged Jack (with Jamie Saft, Andrew D'Angelo and Jim Black) and his sideman work with many of the "Downtown Creative Music" artists whose music scene revolved around clubs such as the Knitting Factory and Tonic. Although often labeled as an avant-garde
player, he does not limit himself to this type of playing, preferring to use influences from many forms of contemporary jazz, as well as rock, electronica, groove and ambient musics.
Vu has worked with visionaries including Laurie Anderson
, David Bowie, Dave Douglas
, Myra Melford
, Gerry Hemingway
, and Mitchell Froom
. He has recorded and toured with Pat Metheny as trumpeter and vocalist.
Cuong has also led various groups, most notably his CV Trio with bassist Stomu Takeishi
and drummer Ted Poor, and Vu-Tet (featuring Chris Speed). His recordings display elements from seemingly disparate musical styles, yet blur the boundaries of these genres while showcasing his innovative approach to sound, texture and group improvisation.
Although Vu is shy about considering himself a bona fide composer due to his immense respect and reverence for his heroes in classical composition, Cuong has nonetheless developed his own unique compositional style that concisely sets his bands' improvisational approach and intimately draws from each of the members of his bands. Jazz critics internationally have hailed his writing as brimming with ingenuity and originality.
In 2003 and again in 2006 Cuong received Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, for his work on the Pat Metheny Group
's 2002 album Speaking of Now
and 2005 album "The Way Up
".
Cuong currently resides in Seattle where he’s recognized by the transformation he's brought to the University of Washington’s Jazz Program and its impact on a local group of young, boundary pushing musicians who have formed a burgeoning scene revolving around The Racer Sessions and it's extension, Table and Chairs Records.
(As sideman)
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
trumpeter and vocalist.
Born in Saigon, he left Vietnam with his family at the age of five in 1975, settling in Bellevue
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
, Washington (an Eastside suburb of Seattle). He quickly learned English, adapted to his new country and culture and began to play the trumpet at the age of 11, after receiving the instrument as a gift from his mother.
After graduating from Bellevue High School, he was awarded a full scholarship to attend the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
, receiving a B.M. degree in jazz studies. While there, he studied with Joe Maneri
Joe Maneri
Joseph Gabriel Esther "Joe" Maneri , was an American jazz composer, saxophone and clarinet player. Violinist Mat Maneri is his son....
, George Garzone
George Garzone
George Garzone is a saxophonist and jazz educator residing in New York city.Saxophonist George Garzone is a member of The Fringe, a jazz trio founded in 1972 that includes bassist John Lockwood and drummer Bob Gullotti, that performs regularly in the Boston area and has toured world wide. The...
, John McNeil
John McNeil
John McNeil was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was most noted for his role in the Palmyra Massacre and other acts of alleged brutality.-Early life and career:...
, Tim Morrison
Tim Morrison
Timothy Morrison is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of North Carolina....
and Dave Holland
Dave Holland
Dave Holland is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for 40 years....
. Visionary reedman/composer Maneri encouraged Vu to examine the unexplored sonic possibilities of the trumpet. During this time, while rediscovering the jazz legends such as Lester Young, Charlie Parker, and Lee Morgan, Vu developed a deep love for the music of classical composers ranging from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
, to Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
, Witold Lutosławski, and György Ligeti
György Ligeti
György Sándor Ligeti was a composer of contemporary classical music. Born in a Hungarian Jewish family in Transylvania, Romania, he briefly lived in Hungary before becoming an Austrian citizen.-Early life:...
, along with jazz avant gardists such as Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, John Coltrane (post A Love Supreme) and Albert Ayler.
Immediately after graduating NEC with honors, Vu moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and quickly established himself as one of the most innovative and versatile young trumpeters in the jazz scene with his first co-led group, Ragged Jack (with Jamie Saft, Andrew D'Angelo and Jim Black) and his sideman work with many of the "Downtown Creative Music" artists whose music scene revolved around clubs such as the Knitting Factory and Tonic. Although often labeled as an avant-garde
Avant-garde jazz
Avant-garde jazz is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. Avant-jazz often sounds very similar to free jazz, but differs in that, despite its distinct departure from traditional harmony, it has a predetermined structure over which ...
player, he does not limit himself to this type of playing, preferring to use influences from many forms of contemporary jazz, as well as rock, electronica, groove and ambient musics.
Vu has worked with visionaries including Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson
Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
, David Bowie, Dave Douglas
Dave Douglas (trumpeter)
Dave Douglas is an American jazz trumpeter and composer whose music derives from many non-jazz musical styles, including classical music, folk music from European countries and Klezmer. He has been a member of the experimental big band Orange Then Blue...
, Myra Melford
Myra Melford
Myra Melford is a jazz pianist and composer. In recent years, Melford has begun playing the harmonium as well as piano.Melford grew up in the Chicago area...
, Gerry Hemingway
Gerry Hemingway
Gerry Hemingway is an American jazz composer and percussionist.He has performed with Ernst Reijseger, Anthony Davis, Earl Howard, Leo Smith, George Lewis, Anthony Braxton, Ray Anderson, Mark Helias, Reggie Workman, Michael Moore, Oliver Lake, Marilyn Crispell, Christy Doran, John Wolf Brennan, Don...
, and Mitchell Froom
Mitchell Froom
-Career:Froom began his career as a keyboard player in Sonoma County, California. The band Crossfire featured two keyboards players; Mitchell on one side of the stage and brother David on the other with Gary Pihl on guitar...
. He has recorded and toured with Pat Metheny as trumpeter and vocalist.
Cuong has also led various groups, most notably his CV Trio with bassist Stomu Takeishi
Stomu Takeishi
Stomu Takeishi is a Japanese jazz bass player. He generally plays fretless five-string electric bass guitar, as well as a Klein five-string acoustic bass guitar. He often uses looping or other electronic techniques to enhance the sound of his instrument.Takeishi began as a koto player...
and drummer Ted Poor, and Vu-Tet (featuring Chris Speed). His recordings display elements from seemingly disparate musical styles, yet blur the boundaries of these genres while showcasing his innovative approach to sound, texture and group improvisation.
Although Vu is shy about considering himself a bona fide composer due to his immense respect and reverence for his heroes in classical composition, Cuong has nonetheless developed his own unique compositional style that concisely sets his bands' improvisational approach and intimately draws from each of the members of his bands. Jazz critics internationally have hailed his writing as brimming with ingenuity and originality.
In 2003 and again in 2006 Cuong received Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, for his work on the Pat Metheny Group
Pat Metheny Group
The Pat Metheny Group is a jazz group founded in 1977. The core members of the group are guitarist and bandleader Pat Metheny, composer, keyboardist and pianist Lyle Mays , and bassist and producer Steve Rodby...
's 2002 album Speaking of Now
Speaking of Now
Speaking of Now is an album by the Pat Metheny Group, released in 2002 by Warner Bros.-Track listing:# "As It Is" – 7:40# "Proof" – 10:13# "Another Life" – 7:08# "The Gathering Sky" – 9:22...
and 2005 album "The Way Up
The Way Up
The Way Up is the Grammy award winning thirteenth album by the Pat Metheny Group, released in 2005. The album consists of one 68 minute-long piece, split into four tracks solely for CD navigation...
".
Cuong currently resides in Seattle where he’s recognized by the transformation he's brought to the University of Washington’s Jazz Program and its impact on a local group of young, boundary pushing musicians who have formed a burgeoning scene revolving around The Racer Sessions and it's extension, Table and Chairs Records.
Discography
(As A Leader)- Leaps of Faith (2011, Origin Records)
- Vu-Tet (2007, ArtistShare)
- It's Mostly Residual (2005, ArtistShare)
- Come Play with Me (2001, Knitting Factory)
- Pure (2000, Knitting Factory)
- "Bound" (2000, Omintone)
(As sideman)
- 2010 - Closer - Wasabi Trio meet Cuong Vu
- 2010 - Gagarin - Mickey Finn + Cuong Vu
- 2010 - Speak
- 2009 - The Whole Tree Gone – Myra Melford
- 2008 - Coziness Kills - Jesper Løvdal
- 2008 - Incendio - Los Dorados
- 2006 - The Image of Your Body - Myra Melford
- 2006 - The Way Up (DVD) - Pat Metheny Group
- 2006 - Grill Music - Jesper Løvdal
- 2005 - The Way Up - Pat Metheny Group
- 2005 - Swell Henry - Chris Speed
- 2004 - Where The Two Worlds Touch - Myra Melford
- 2004 - Transition Sonic - Matthias Lupri
- 2003 - Speaking of Now (DVD) - Pat Metheny Group
- 2002 - Speaking of Now - Pat Metheny Group
- 2002 - Window Silver Bright - Andy Laster
- 2001 - Your Turn to Drive - David Bowie (single)
- 2001 - Life on a String - Laurie Anderson
- 2000 - Emit - Chris Speed
- 2000 - The Hollow World - Assif Tsahar & The Brass Reeds Ensemble
- 2000 - Luciano's Dream - Oscar Noriega
- 1999 - Deviantics - Chris Speed
- 1999 - Chamber Works - Gerry Hemingway
- 1999 - Hold the Elevator: Live in Europe & Other Haunts - Orange Then Blue
- 1997 - Yeah/No - Chris Speed
- 1997 - Other Pocket - Jeff Song
- 1997 - Interpretations of Lessness - Andy Laster
- 1997 - Sanctuary - Dave Douglas
- 1997 - Rules of Engagement - Jeff Song
- 1993 - While You Were Out - Orange Then Blue