Jeremy Davenport
Encyclopedia
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...
trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
ist and singer from St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. His parents were both musicians, his father a trombonist in the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the SLSO is the second-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States as it is preceded by the New York Philharmonic.-History:The St...
. Davenport was already playing the trumpet when he met jazz great Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
, and then studied under his father, Ellis Marsalis
Ellis Marsalis, Jr.
Ellis Marsalis is an American musician. He can usually be seen performing on Fridays at Snug Harbor jazz bistro in New Orleans.- Life and career :...
, in New Orleans. He also played with Harry Connick Jr.'s band before beginning a solo career.
Davenport left St. Louis after high school to begin studying jazz at the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
. It was there that he contacted Wynton Marsalis, whom Davenport had met in high school when he was still playing classical trumpet. Marsalis introduced Davenport to his father, Ellis Marsalis, and soon thereafter Davenport moved to New Orleans to study under the elder Marsalis at the University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
. Ellis Marsalis molded Davenport's music from a self-described "cerebral" jazz to a more aesthetically pleasing, more sellable jazz trumpet.
After his tutelage from Wynton and Ellis Marsallis, Davenport toured with Harry Connick Jr.'s band for four years and then returned to New Orleans to play at Snug Harbor, a top local jazz venue. It was there that he made a connection with chef Emeril Lagasse
Emeril Lagasse
'Emeril John Lagasse is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author. A regional James Beard Award winner, he is perhaps most notable for his Food Network shows Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril as well as catchphrases such as “Kick it up a notch!” and...
, leading to television appearances on a sit-com
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
and Lagasse's cooking show. His media appearances also include Cosmo Girl, GQ, Travel and Leisure, and New Orleans, among others. Musically, Davenport usually plays a mix of American jazz standards and his own songs.
Davenport frequently plays at the Ritz Carlton in New Orleans. He makes occasional appearances on Emeril Live
Emeril Live
Emeril Live is a program on The Cooking Channel hosted by Emeril Lagasse. It formerly aired on Food Network and Fine Living.Emeril Live features many of the same elements as Emeril's other program, Essence of Emeril, and often has a Creole theme...
on the Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
. He has also played for the non-profit Jazz @ the Bistro, a St. Louis jazz organization, and in two consecutive Lions of Jazz concerts, a benefit for his alma mater, University City High School
University City High School (St. Louis)
University City High School is located in University City, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. As of 2009, 1,041 students were enrolled at the school.-Football:...
. Post-Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, he played at Busch's Grove restaurant in St. Louis, but indicated his intention to return to New Orleans. , he is again playing regularly at the Ritz Carlton there.
Discography
- Puttin' on the Ritz (1995)
- Maybe in a Dream (1997)
- Christmas Gumbo (2004)
- Jeremy Davenport (2005)
- Live at the Bistro (2005)
- We‘ll Dance ‘Til Dawn (2009)