Terell Stafford

Trumpet icon Trumpet

58 age

November 25, 1966 Birthday

Miami, Florida, U.S. Birthplace

www.terellstafford.com Website

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About

Terell Stafford is a renowned jazz trumpeter, arranger, and educator. He launched his career in the early 1990s with saxophonist Bobby Watson’s band, Horizon, and soon performed alongside jazz legends like McCoy Tyner, Herbie Mann, and Shirley Scott. Since releasing his debut album in 1995, Stafford has led a dozen recordings and appeared on over 130 albums, including Grammy-nominated projects with Diana Krall, Bobby Watson, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. A passionate advocate for jazz education, he serves as Director of Jazz Studies and Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple University and has taught at Juilliard and Lincoln Center. Stafford also leads the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia (JOP) as its Managing and Artistic Director.

Trivia

Terell Stafford has cited Cilfford Brown's version of "Cherokee" as one of his biggest influences. Terell Stafford can be heard in Robert De Niro's 1993 film, "A Bronx Tale." Terrell Stafford has performed on the television shows "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", "Rosie O’Donnell Show", and "You Bet your Life."

Early Life

Terell Stafford was born in 1966 in Miami but grew up in Chicago and Silver Spring, Maryland. As a young child, he wanted to play the trumpet, but the music program he attended required students to play string instruments, which he did not enjoy. At age 13, he was finally able to switch to the trumpet—and he never looked back. Stafford studied classical trumpet at the University of Maryland, where he also played in the jazz band. A chance meeting with Wynton Marsalis inspired him to continue his education at Rutgers University, where he began to fully immerse himself in jazz. While still a student, he was invited to join saxophonist Bobby Watson’s group, Horizon. Stafford spent the next several years balancing performances with his studies, ultimately earning a master’s degree in 1993.