TOM KIRKPATRICK was born in Springfield, Ohio in 1954, in a family of musicians. His first instrument was piano, but a precocious interest in jazz led him to the trumpet. Tom describes himself as “basically self-taught” even though he attended Bowling Green State university and The Julliard School of music. It was through the encouragement of Chet Baker that Tom was persuaded to move to New York in 1977 and try his luck in the toughest of all jazz cities. The gamble paid off and Tom has an excellent reputation amongst the best of his peers. The English journalist Mark Gardner in the 90s writes: “Finding a personal style is the most difficult task facing the apprentice jazz musician. Style involves many elements, not least tone and phrasing. Some players take years to discover this intangible element. With others it just seems to come naturally. Trumpeter Tom Kirkpatrick seems to belong in the “natural” category. He has a beautiful sound, a rhythmic ease and admirable control of his instrument”. Tom has worked and performed with Chet baker, Harold Mabern, Billy Higgins, Lou Donaldson, Charles Davis, Walter Bishop, Max Roach, George Coleman, Clifford Jordan just to name but a few. After many years in New York and touring the States, Japan and Europe, Tom left for Denmark for a teaching job. He lived in Copenhagen for a year and a half. He then went to Holland for another teaching job for six months and after that he was asked to do a tour in the South of Italy and this is when he fell in love with Italy. Meanwhile Billy Higgins had recommended Tom to Alberto Alberti, an important Italian manager and Tom started getting a lot of gigs in Italy and Europe. He moved to Ferrara (a town in the Emilia Romagna region) playing and teaching. He is considered to be one of the smoothest trumpeters around with a full, pretty tone, especially effective in the middle register. He is tough on both smoking bebop and ballads, a rarity in jazz players these days. His varied experience is evidenced by his ability to really get inside a tune, avoiding the stringing together of clichés that many horn men lean on. Tom also handles himself well on the bandstand with his wit and intelligence working overtime. As the journalist Kyeld Frandsen said: “…he works with a very classic bebop expression, brilliantly telling and with a total control of all the registers and shades of the horn. He also has an unusually playing style filled with motives, in reality making all of his solos wonderful, musical short stories…”. Tom cites Kenny Dorham as his major influence.