Jay Thomas

Encouraged to go after a musical career by way of a father who performed jazz trumpet before embracing pharmacy, Jay Thomas has turned into a main multi-instrumentalist, equally in the home about both brass and reeds. He began on trumpet, but while playing in dance rings that often experienced a tenor-trumpet front side line needing him to apply regularly having a tenor participant, Thomas, on the whim, lent the sax and attempted it out. Within per month he was playing gigs on tenor and found alto and soprano on the way. Thomas used the flute while surviving in Boston because he wasn’t permitted to practice on some of his additional devices in his house. On the picture because the 1960s, Thomas started his profession playing in tempo & blues rings. In 1968, after shifting to NEW YORK, he researched with Carmen Caruso and gigged with such clothes as Machito’s music group where he got an on-the-job education in Latin tempo from business lead trumpet participant Mario Bauza. Through the ’70s, Thomas resided in SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA where he caused West Coast preferred Jessica Williams, amongst others. Time for Seattle within the ’80s where his dad had opened up a jazz membership, Thomas joined up with the house music group sitting down in with such jazz greats as Zoot Sims, Sonny Stitt, and Chet Baker. Thomas provides guested on over 50 recordings, including periods with Barney McClure, Slim Gaillard, Natural herb Ellis, Milo Peterson, David Friesen, and performers Katie Ruler and Becca Duran. He is still in demand being a sideman not merely due to his service with several musical instruments, but also because of his convenience in playing in groupings representing different jazz genre, from golf swing to acidity jazz. Furthermore, Thomas provides five albums being a head, one each for the McVouty, Jazz Concentrate, Hep, Stash, and Breakthrough brands. He was the champion from the 1996 Golden Hearing Award for Greatest Instrumentalist, writing the honor with bass participant Phil Sparks. Thomas still lives in Seattle, where he has with several Northwest-based jazz groupings and tours frequently along with his wife, vocalist Becca Duran