Ep. 30 | John Daversa on Jazz Writing, Trumpet Mastery, Composition Process, & His Beatles Big Band

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In this episode of the HMA Podcast, I speak with three-time Grammy nominee John Daversa — trumpet virtuoso, big band leader, arranger, composer, producer, department chair at Frost School of Music, and one of the most creative voices in contemporary jazz.

John discusses his early musical upbringing, the importance of singing for instrumentalists, developing relative pitch, learning harmony organically, writing daily with discipline, building pieces entirely in his head, counterpoint, orchestration, Stravinsky, Beethoven, jazz influences, his Beatles big-band album Kaleidoscope Eyes (Grammy-nominated in three categories), and the stories behind his album Wobbly Dance Flower.

A masterclass in musicianship, creativity, writing, and artistic discipline — from one of the most respected figures in jazz today.

Chapters:
0:00 – Introduction to John Daversa
1:59 – Was your mom a classical pianist and your dad a Stan Kenton trumpeter?
2:12 – How important is singing for musicians?
3:13 – Did you use solfège (movable do)?
3:38 – Did you have perfect pitch growing up?
4:09 – Was your dad actively involved in your musical training?
5:19 – Did trumpet require waiting until you were older?
5:43 – What instruments did you play as a child?
6:33 – Did you ever take formal trumpet lessons?
7:10 – How did you practice as a young player?
7:41 – Did you buy sheet music or learn by ear?
8:07 – Which non-trumpet soloists influenced your vocabulary?
9:34 – Talk about the D. Barton / Stan Kenton album that influenced you.
11:46 – How old were you when these free-jazz concepts clicked?
12:06 – When did you start writing for big band?
12:48 – How did you learn notation and score writing?
13:37 – How did you overcome fear in writing?
14:37 – How did you structure your early writing practice?
15:54 – Did you have a self-created writing method?
16:22 – How did you learn harmony?
17:52 – Do you write with piano or trumpet?
19:03 – Do you actually build entire compositions in your head?
19:29 – Do you use voice memos to capture ideas?
20:28 – Do you use notation software like Finale/Dorico?
21:04 – Favorite composers: what do you love about Stravinsky?
22:08 – Do you study those scores in depth?
22:27 – Do you get goosebumps from music?
23:42 – What do you love about Prokofiev?
24:40 – Beethoven: which works resonate most?
25:49 – What writing did you do for student recitals in college?
27:07 – Did you use piano when writing earlier in life?
28:09 – Why avoid “hunting and pecking” on piano?
29:07 – How do you think about harmony & tonic relationships?
30:36 – Can you give a writing exercise for your younger self?
31:36 – Did you teach yourself counterpoint?
32:27 – Describe your personal harmonic/counterpoint system.
33:22 – How conscious are you of overtones when writing?
34:16 – Who are your favorite trumpet players?
34:39 – Which Miles Davis recordings shaped you?
36:03 – What did you learn from Gil Evans’s scores?
37:12 – Two more trumpet players you admire?
38:43 – Did your dad introduce you to top LA musicians?
39:13 – Did you ask them musical questions growing up?
40:07 – Let’s talk about Kaleidoscope Eyes: track-by-track insights
49:07 – Your reaction to receiving Grammy nominations
49:07 – Discussing Wobbly Dance Flower (track-by-track)
58:06 – What’s next for you this year?