Trumpet festival

“I’d heard about the Festival of New Trumpet Music [an annual multi-day New York City event co-curated by UCSD professor Stephanie Richards and founder Dave Douglas] around a dozen years ago, and I thought it was such a cool idea,” remembers Daniel Atkinson, artistic director of UCSD Urban (the University’s new center in the East Village). “When Stephanie came to town, we started talking about doing it out here.”

So what exactly is FONT West?

“It’s a week-long run of trumpet-focused concerts and films that begins on Sunday, January 20 and concludes on Sunday, January 27, with something different every night. There are three free concerts, and we are working with lots of partners.“

Is there a mission statement?

“We’re presenting new music, but it’s not genre specific. We’re looking for people who are trying to create something new with their horns. That direction is being represented by Cuong Vu, Peter Evans [January 24 @the Loft at UCSD], and Dan Rosenboom. The festival is also about diversity and the tradition which will be represented by Gilbert Castellanos, Curtis Taylor, and Josh Evans.”

What about your own concert?

“I’m very excited about that. I’ll be debuting the music for a new record coming out called Take the Neon Lights, which is about my journey from New York City to San Diego. It’s going to feature Mark Dresser, Joshua White, Brian Walsh, and Andrew Munsey.”

The eight-day festival begins with the Cuong Vu Trio at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla on Sunday, January 20 at 7:30 pm and wraps up with a free three-fer concert at 2 pm featuring the Euphoria Brass Band, Gilbert Castellanos, and the Daniel Rosenboom Octet at the Quartyard in East Village. Check the FONT Music website for the rest of the schedule.