Jon Lampley On Artistic Identity, Genre Blending And 11 Years On Colbert's 'Great Big Joy Machine'

This year is a landmark year for jazz at IMSLP. With classics like "Georgia on My Mind" entering the public domain, we're celebrating the deep, undeniable connection between classical music and jazz, and kicking it off by welcoming our first jazz musician to the podcast.
 
 Jon Lampley is a trumpeter, sousaphonist, singer-songwriter, and one of the most versatile and sought after brass players on the jazz scene today. For 11 years he was a core member of Louis Cato and the Great Big Joy Machine (the band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) co-founded the jazz-funk collective Huntertones, and toured arenas with O.A.R., all while developing a sound that defies categorization.
 
 In this episode, we get into his gospel roots, the moment he knew music was the only path, what it actually takes to blend jazz, soul, and gospel without losing your distinct voice, and the culture shock of going from intimate Brooklyn venues to late-night television. We also talk Huntertones, his Sunday residency Night Service, what increased access to scores through IMSLP means for the future of jazz, and his upcoming album Notes to Self, out June 26.