Tom Kirkpatrick
Tom was born in Springfield, Ohio in 1954, the product of a musical family. His first instrument was piano, but a precocious interest in jazz led him to the trumpet. Tom describes himself as “basically self-taught” even though he attended Bowling Green State university and The Julliard School of music.
It was through the encouragement of Chet Baker that Tom was persuaded to move to New York in 1977 and try his luck in the toughest of all jazz cities. The gamble paid off and Tom has an excellent reputation amongst the best of his peers. The English journalist Mark Gardner in the 90s writes : “Finding a personal style is the most difficult task facing the apprentice jazz musician. Style involves many elements, not least tone and phrasing. Some players take years to discover this intangible element. With others it just seems to come naturally. Trumpeter Tom Kirkpatrick seems to belong in the “natural” category. He has a beautiful sound, a rhythmic ease and admirable control of his instrument.”.
Tom has worked and performed with Chet Baker, Harold Mabern, Billy Higgins, Lou Donaldson, Charles Davis, Walter Bishop, Max Roach, George Coleman, Clifford Jordan just to name but a few. After many years in New York and touring the States, Japan and Europe, Tom left for Denmark for a teaching job. He lived in Copenhagen for a year and a half. He then went to Holland for another teaching job for six months and after that he was asked to do a tour in the South of Italy and this is when he fell in love with Italy. Meanwhile Billy Higgins had recommended Tom to Alberto Alberti, and Tom started getting a lot of gigs in Italy and Europe. He moved to Ferrara playing and teaching. Tom is always remembering his relationship with Alberto Alberti with great affection and now with great sadness as well because Alberto passed away in September 2006. He is considered to be one of the smoothest trumpeters around with a full, pretty tone, especially effective in the middle register. He is tough on both smoking bebop and ballads, a rarity in jazz players these days. His varied experience is evidenced by his ability to really get inside a tune, avoiding the stringing together of clichés that many horn men lean on. Tom also handles himself well on the bandstand with his wit and intelligence working overtime. As the journalist Kyeld Frandsen said: “…he works with a very classic bebop expression, brilliantly telling and with a total control of all the registers and shades of the horn. He also has an unusually playing style filled with motives, in reality making all of his solos wonderful, musical short stories…” Tom cites Kenny Dorham as his major influence.
For the last two years Tom has started doing some voluntary work in Kenya. He teaches trumpet and general music to the children of St Peter’s School in Kajuki in the Tharaka region, one of the poorest in Kenya. He has donated musical instruments and musical material to the school. When he goes to Kenya between once or twice a year he stays at the “Casa del Tamarindo” (the doctors house) next to the St Orsola Hospital in Materi. He often plays in the hospital for the young sick children. Once a year Tom organises a benefit concert for the school in Kajuki or for the hospital. He sponsors a child called Maurice who is also one of his young students.
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Tom Kirkpatrick nasce in Ohio da una famiglia di musicisti: inizia gli studi di pianoforte, ma passa ben presto alla tromba, dopo aver ascoltato i dischi del suo grande ispiratore, Kenny Dorham.
Tom si descrive fondamentalmente come autodidatta, anche se ha frequentato la Bowling Green State University e la Julliard School. Attraverso l’incoraggiamento di Chet Baker, Tom si trasferisce a New York nel 1977, tentando la fortuna in una delle città più dure per il Jazz. La scommessa è stata vinta, Tom ha un’ottima reputazione tra i migliori dei suoi pari e ad oggi è uno dei migliori bopper ancora attivi. Il giornalista inglese Mark Gardner negli anni ’90 scrive: “Ricercare uno stile personale è il compito più difficile per un musicista, questo stile personale deve coinvolgere molti elementi, non ultimo il tono e fraseggio. Alcuni musicisti impiegano anni per scoprire questo elemento intangibile, ad altri viene naturale e Tom Kirkpatrick appartiene alla categoria “naturale”. Ha un bel suono, una semplicità ritmica e un ammirevole controllo dello strumento.”
Dopo molti anni a New York e tour negli Stati Uniti, Giappone ed Europa, Tom si trsferisce in Danimarca e vive a Copenaghen per un anno e mezzo. Una volta in Europa, tramite Billy Higgins, viene raccomandato ad Alberto Alberti, iniziando così a ricevere un sacco di concerti in Italia e in Europa. Tom ricorda sempre il suo rapporto con Alberto Alberti con grande affetto ed ora con grande tristezza perché Alberto è morto nel settembre 2006.
Kirkpatrick è considerato uno dei trombettisti più armoniosi e particolarmente efficace nel registro centrale, con un suono robusto, sicuro e lontano dai clichè, un trombettista raro nel panorama del Jazz mondiale, proprio perchè legato al linguaggio del bebop di Charlie Parker e Dizzy Gillespie, così da incosueto da ascoltare oggi nella sua integrità.
Tom ha inciso con Michel Weiss, Ralph Lalama, Harold Mabern, George Coleman, Billy Higgins e molti altri con Lou Donaldson e in seguito con Walter Bishop suona per la “Charlie Parker Memorial Band”.
Da due anni Tom ha iniziato a fare del volontariato in Kenya. Insegna tromba e musica ai bambini della scuola di St Peter’s a Kajuki nella regione del Tharaka, una delle regioni più povere del Kenya. Ha donato strumenti musicali e del materiale di musica alla scuola. Quando va in Kenya una due volte all’anno risiede presso la “Casa del Tamarindo”, la casa dei medici di fianco all’ospedale St Orsola a Matiri. Spesso suona in ospedale per i bimbi ricoverati. Una volta all’anno Tom organizza un concerto di beneficenza per la scuola di Kajuki o per l’ospedale. Sponsorizza Maurice, un bimbo che è anche uno dei suoi giovani studenti.