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.
At aged 17, Jay emigrated from his native Vancouver 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, Jay 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 garnering worldwide media attention that UK jazz musicians hadn't enjoyed for years. Jay has performed and recorded with a veritable who's who of both UK and international jazz artists such as Courtney Pine, 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. In 2012 Jay took Wynton Marsalis' chair in the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra with his epic, historical Congo Square suite at the Barbican.
Jay Phelps is recording a new album due for release in 2016.
