jake wilkinson

Instruments: Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, Baritone, Piano, Jazz Piano & Theory

Styles: Jazz, Beginners, Classical, Pop, Rock, Music Coaching, Exam Preparation

Born in England in 1971, Jake Wilkinson Jake Wilkinson Trumeptmoved to Denmark at the age of three and came to Canada in 1978. He was raised in a musical family; his father was a church organist and pianist. At the age of nine, he began studying slide trombone and played in local community bands, orchestras and rock groups.

At sixteen, while at the Claude Watson School For The Arts, he developed a more serious interest in music as acareer. After receiving two awards in high school musical competitions he switched to valve trombone and began working on piano. During this time he worked around Toronto with Grant Stewart and spent time sitting in with jazz greats such as Bob Mover and Don Thompson and studied privately with Rob McConnell.

Beginning in 1990, Jake studied with Joanne Brackeen on a scholarship at the New School Of Music in New York City. Here he had the opportunity to play with Larry Willis, Cecil Payne, and pianist for the Joshua Redman group – Brad Meldhau. He returned to Toronto in 1991 and changed instruments again – this time to trumpet and the following year spent more time studying in New York with support from the Canada Council.

Jake works with Bob Mover and Don Thompson in the Toronto Jazz Quartet, the Norman Marshall Villeneuve Sextet, and his own quintet for whom he preparing material for a recording session this spring. He has recently recorded with vocalists Liberty Silver and Priscilla Wright and done numerous recording dates for the CBC’s JazzBeat program. Jake freelances with a number of other bands around the Toronto area and will be playing with Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass.