Hailing from Haiku, Jake Thomas is a New York based trumpet player, composer, and arranger. He has performed at landmark jazz venues including Dizzy’s Club, Birdland, The Django, and Blue Note Hawai’i. Thomas has shared the stage with musical luminaries including the Birdland Big Band, Delfeayo Marsalis, and Samara Joy.
Thomas has just finished his third year at SUNY Purchase, and as a student of trumpet legend Jon Faddis, he plays lead trumpet with both the Purchase Jazz Orchestra and the Purchase Latin Jazz Orchestra.
Jake has recently returned to the islands from Chicago where he was invited to be one of Ravinia Music Festival’s jazz fellows. In addition to collaborating with some of the most talented up and coming musicians of his generation, he had the opportunity of working closely with established jazz legends Rufus Reid, Billy Childs, and Steve Wilson.
Jake will return to study with Jon Faddis, Gary Smulyan, Ralph Lalama and the rest of the esteemed faculty of Jazz at Purchase College in the fall.