Jay Phelps

Composer Trumpeter Jay Phelps is at the forefront of the young and creative generation of jazz musicians in the UK, with an instantly recognizable warm and projecting tone. A Vancouver-born Canadian, he was tutored by city's top trumpeters, performed for two years with the award-winning Surrey Youth Symphony Orchestra, and was the youngest person to lead a band in the Vancouver Jazz Festival's history.

At 17, Jay moved to London, determined to immerse himself in the jazz scene and immediately attracted the notice of Gary Crosby who offered him work with Jazz Jamaica, Nu Troop and, in 2002, the opportunity to be a Tomorrow's Warrior.

Citing Louis Armstrong, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown and Miles Davis as his main influences, he went on to create and co-lead the young and hip jazz sensation Empirical, where he spent two years touring major festivals and events, while garnishing worldwide media attention that UK jazz musicians haven't enjoyed for years. He has been a featured member of Dennis Rollins' Badbone & Co since 2002, and has performed with Andrew Hill, Wynton Marsalis, Ray Brown, John Hendricks, Nasheet Waits, George Benson, Jamie Cullum, Sir John Dankworth, Guy Barker, Amy Winehouse, Charlotte Church, Hugh Masakela and Jazz Jamaica.

Still only 27, Jay has toured the world extensively with numerous projects and is already determined to educate the next generation of jazz musicians with a local project called Jazz Youth. In recent months, Jay has recorded and toured with the sensational SkaCubano which features Cuba's finest exports, toured with bassist Michael Janisch, has put together an exciting new project under his own name and is currently recording his debut album for Proper Records.