Trumpet Player Roger Ingram of Chicago, Illinois

Trumpet Player Roger Ingram of Chicago, Illinois is one of the most sought after and prolific lead trumpet players of our time with more than thirty-five years of professional trumpet experience. Roger Ingram is well known for his dynamic sound and strong upper register. I have had the pleasure of hearing Roger perform with Harry Connick Jr. on several occasions as well as with the Woody Herman Jazz Orchestra.

Roger, who grew up in Los Angeles, California, began playing the trumpet at eight and was self taught until the age of thirteen. Roger taught himself using "Arbans Complete Conservatory Method" and playing along with the radio. Roger credits playing along with the radio as helpful in teaching him to listen and to use his ears as a musician.

Roger attended high school at Eagle Rock High School. Roger's high school band director was John Rinaldo who was a gifted and working trumpet player on the Los Angeles music scene. Through Mr. Rinaldo, Roger was able to meet and study privately with his first trumpet teacher Laroon Holt. Mr. Holt was a Los Angeles studio trumpet player. Roger credits Mr. Holt with helping him establish his basic technical skills.

At the age of fourteen, Roger began studying the trumpet with Bobby Shew. Bobby Shew has been a major influence on Roger's playing. Roger continues to study with Bobby to this day. Roger also took phrasing lessons once per month from Don Raffell. Mr Raffell was an LA "session musician" who played saxophone. Over the course of Roger's career, he has studied with Bud Brisbois, Mannie Klein, Roy Stevens, Bobby Findley, Carmine Caruso, Reynold Schilke, James Stamp, Uan Rasey, Mel Broils and Dan Jacobs.

Roger told me that he began playing in rock, jazz, and latin groups in southern California. Later, at the age of sixteen he toured with the Louie Bellson Big Band: the section was comprised of Blue Mitchell, Bobby Shew, Cat Anderson, Frank Szabo and Roger. After his stint with Louie Bellson, Roger joined the Quincy Jones Big Band for a summer and then went on the road for a year with the Connie Stevens Show playing lead trumpet with a popular music act for the first time. At eighteen, Roger played lead trumpet with Tom Jones and remained with Jones for six years.

After his tenure with Tom Jones, Roger moved to Las Vegas where he gained invaluable experience playing production shows and star acts on the world renowned Las Vegas Strip. In 1985, Roger joined Woody Herman and The Thundering Herd as lead trumpet. Roger remained with Woody until Herman's death in 1987 recording three Grammy nominated albums during that time. Roger returned to Los Angeles after Woody's death founding and co-leading his own big band with the late Steve Elliott. The Ingram-Elliott Big Band featured talented artist such as Bobby Shew, Bill Watrous and Gary Foster.

In 1988, Roger worked with the WDR Jazz Orchestra in Cologne, Germany. Later that same year, Roger joined Maynard Ferguson's Big Bop Nouveau Band for the 60th Birthday Tour and recorded three albums with Maynard after being recruited by his good friend Wayne Bergeron to join Maynard's band. Roger spent many hours talking with Maynard on the bus into the late hours of the morning while on these tours. Maynard explained how he first began using his v cup mouthpiece design as something that he picked up from french horn mouthpieces and embouchure placements. Maynard would scrape old Rudy Muck mouthpieces down on the sidewalk in front of his parents home until he scrapped the mouthpiece down to the v cup. Maynard would then use various grades of sand paper to finish the job and make the mouthpieces as smooth as a "babies butt." Roger toured with Maynard on and off through three different recordings with the band.

After touring with Maynard, Roger collaborated with Cuban Trumpet virtuoso Arturo Sandoval, recording the Grammy Award winning album - "Danzon." In 1990, Roger joined the newly formed big band of singer, pianist, composer and arranger Harry Connick Jr. Roger recorded three albums with Harry Connick Jr. until his big band temporarily disbanded in 1993. In 1994, Roger toured with vocal legend Frank Sinatra. Later in 1994, Roger moved to New York City joining Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. In 1997, Roger went on the road with Ray Charles for two years. In 1998, after a stint with singer-songwriter Paul Anka, Roger joined the re-formed Harry Connick Jr. Big Band and recorded the Grammy nominated album "Come By Me." Roger retired from touring with the Harry Connick Jr. Orchestra after a twenty year tenure in February of 2010.

Roger has performed in a freelance capacity in over twenty Broadway productions as well as at numerous jazz festivals around the world. Roger has made appearances at multiple LA Jazz Institute Festivals, the Midwest Band Clinic, the International Association of Jazz Educators, the Charles Colin Brass Conference, and the International Trumpet Guild Conference. Roger also performed at the renowned Maynard Ferguson Tribute Concert held in St. Louis, Missouri in 2006, available on DVD.

Roger penned a comprehensive trumpet text book in August 2008 titled "Clinical Notes on Trumpet Playing."Roger's book was immediately embraced by trumpet players and music educators around the world: it has been sold in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, and The Netherlands, and has been included on the recommended or required reading lists for music programs of universities and conservatories worldwide. As of December 2008, it is in the 6th printing. This book is worth its weight in gold! Roger explains why he uses an open aperture setting and the Whistling Method of Tongue Manipulation specifically for playing lead trumpet in the Jazz/Commercial arena. While explaining that different styles of embouchure combined with other equipment setups are appropriate for alternate styles of playing, Roger covers every conceivable variable of trumpet performance in this text book. Roger goes into great depth on his warm-up routine. He includes a comprehensive list of various method books (such as Arbans Complete Conservatory Method For Trumpet, Herbert L. Clarke Technical Studies, Saint-Jacome Grand Method For Trumpet, Colin Lip Flexibilities For Trumpet and Max Schlossberg's Daily Drills and Technical studies For Trumpet.) Also discussed is how to achieve endurance and extend ones range. He talks about the importance of various ways of aperture manipulation. He presents an exercise that he uses with all his students to help extend range. Equipment is discussed, including how to effectively utilize various sized mouthpieces. The Yoga Breath is also explained, as well as many other useful tools for the aspiring trumpet artist. I highly recommend getting a copy of Roger's book - "Clinical Notes On Trumpet Playing."

The following is an excerpt from Roger's book "Clinical Notes on Trumpet Playing" (Copyright 2008, One Too Tree Publishing, La Grange IL.)

"Maynard was always in a good mood, and when I came onto the bus, he greeted me with his usual, "Yeah man, the band sounded great tonight." On this occasion, I said to Maynard, "You know Boss, (we all called him Boss) "you always sound great, but tonight you were unbelievable." He replied, "Yeah man, my chops were so wide apart tonight you could drive a f*&^ing Mack Truck right through the center of them." And then he said, "you know something, all you have to do is make sure your belly button is pinned to your spine, and if you get that bottom lip up and out there, you can't go wrong." I learned quite a lot from this exchange. This taught me, among other things, a lot about aperture.
- Roger Ingram

Roger plays the newly introduced Jupiter XO Series 1600I Professional Bb trumpet of his own design. This trumpet was created after extensive research and testing done over a 9 month period by Roger and the Jupiter design team. Here is a pdf file of Jupiter's Official Accessories info document which is included with each new horn purchase. This describes all the "extras" that come with the 1600I trumpet (an extra tuning slide, brass valve guides, heavy bottom caps, lighter weight springs, lightweight finger buttons) AND the XONS, the "XO Nodal Stabilizers" that Roger designed to improve upper register slotting. Roger plays the new Jupiter XO Series Professional flugelhorn. He also plays a brass lacquer Getzen 4-valve 940 Eterna Bb/A piccolo trumpet. In addition, Roger plays a Jupiter 528L valve trombone, just for fun. Roger plays, endorses, and offers the new custom "Ingram V-Cup" of his own design for work situations that require him to play solely in the extreme upper register. He also designed and uses the "Roger Ingram" signature model E12.4 Marcinkiewicz trumpet mouthpiece for playing lead in a jazz ensemble, a Marcinkiewicz E5 mouthpiece for jazz soloing, and a Bach 6C for symphonic type playing. In the Broadway and "show" arena, he uses a Marcinkiewicz E10.3 mouthpiece. Occasionally, Roger plays a clear lexan Kelly 5C for playing jazz solos outdoors in extreme weather (hot or cold) conditions. He also plays a lexan copy of his E12.4 lead mouthpiece made by Thomas Lubitz of Frankfurt, Germany: also for outdoor work. For his flugelhorn, he uses a Bach 7-C flugelhorn mouthpiece. For piccolo trumpet, Roger plays a Bach 10 3/4 CW. For valve trombone, Roger uses a "Steinmeyer" signature model Marcinkiewicz tenor trombone mouthpiece. Steve Winans, aka "Dr. Valve," is Roger's preferred Chicago area brass instrument technician. Don Sawday is his preferred Los Angeles area brass technician.

To contact Roger Ingram ... you can visit Roger's website at RogerIngram.com

ROGER INGRAM
Clinical Notes On Trumpet Playing
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ROGER INGRAM
Playing the Jupiter Pro Model XO 1600I Bb Trumpet of his own design
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Roger Ingram Discography At CD Universe

Roger is currently Artist in Residence at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where he teaches the Jazz Pedagogy course, as well as giving private lessons. Roger books clinics and lessons through his Chicago office. His busy schedule includes teaching masterclasses and clinics as well as performing as guest soloist at high schools and universities around the world on "Pedagogy Tours" sponsored, in part, by Jupiter Band Instruments Inc. For information on how to book Roger for a concert or clinic, contact vic@rogeringram.com.