Brad Mason
July 2008
Trumpet and flugelhorn player Brad Mason performed at the 31st American Music Awards as a member of the band, Bombsquad, the recipients of the American Music Award for Best Unsigned Band of 2003. In January 2007, he joined the John Mayer Band for its 2007 world tour. While working with Mayer, Brad continues to co-lead the Mason Brothers Band with his brother, Elliot.
Brad uses HERCULES trumpet stand DS410B; trumpet/cornet flugel stand DS513B; and trumpet hangers DSP501B and DSP503B. He says, "I needed a stand that could survive being bashed around in flight cases while on the road and also support my heavier than normal Taylor Trumpet & Flugelhorn. For me the Hercules DS513B Triple stand was the answer. The DS410B in bell travel stand is also amazing!! Light, sturdy and very cleverly designed, the best out there right now."
Brad was born in England on July 24, 1973. When only 5 years old, he began trumpet lessons with his father, Barry. At 9, he began piano lessons and played both instruments at school and outside recitals. By 14, he was performing three to four times a week in dance halls, theaters, clubs, and pubs. Though his repertoire included a variety of musical styles, the young musician was drawn early to jazz and improvisation. In 1991, at age 17, Brad won the national Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Soloist Award and was a featured performer at John Dankworth’s Wavendon Jazz School.
Later that year, Brad moved to the United States to study, on a full tuition scholarship, at the Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts where he met and studied with Hal Crook and Phil Wilson, among others. He won his second Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Soloist Under 25 Award in 1993, the same year his younger brother, Elliot, won the Under 21 category. Brad represented Berklee at performances throughout the United States, and in 1995 he traveled to Israel to perform at Dave Liebman’s annual I.A.S.J. conference.
He received the Clark Terry Award in recognition of outstanding performance abilities from Berklee College of Music in both 1994 and 1995. It was during these years at Berklee that Brad developed his interest in the electronic valve instrument (EVI) and he soon integrated it into his performances. After graduating from Berklee, Brad moved to New York City where he quickly became in demand as a trumpet and EVI player.
Brad’s recent career includes performances with John Mayer, Eric Clapton, Jessica Simpson, Alicia Keys, Natalie Cole, Willie Nelson, Mike Stern, John Scofield, Gary Burton, Randy Brecker, Chico O'Farrel’s Latin Jazz Band, the Mingus Big Band, Joe Zawinul, Gary Husband, Lionel Loueke, Antonio Sanchez, Lionel Hampton, Bill Pierce, Hiram Bullock, Claudio Roditi, Dave Liebman, Ronny Jordan, Vincent Herring, Abe Laboriel, and Lenny White.
Visit www.masonbrothersband.com and www.myspace.com/masonbrothersband to find out more. |
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