We had the good fortune of connecting with Jon Lampley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jon, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?

I grew up in a small immediate family but a large extended family of a many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Most of my extended family members were musicians of some sort within the Black Pentecostal Apostolic church. So from a very young age I fell in love with watching and listening to my family play/sing/drum/listen to gospel music at church or around the house. The thing that really captured me wasn’t necessarily just the sound of the music, but the feeling that I saw the music generate in both the people who were creating it as well as the people who were listening to/experiencing it. I recognized and connected with that powerful blend of emotions from an early age. My own musical journey started very early with piano lessons at the age of four. I eventually started to learn trumpet around ten years old and tuba shortly after that. Singing is something that I never really studied but came naturally to me based on the world that I grew up in. Everyone sang at church and 95% of the people could really sing! So I would just listen and try to pick up on what everyone was doing. When I got to college at The Ohio State University I didn’t initially consider music as a career because the town I came from (Tallmadge, Ohio…a suburb of Akron) was very small and any form of the arts weren’t seen as a real option to make a career out of. But after studying Psychology for a year, it became clear to me that the nagging feeling that I wanted to give my whole life to the pursuit of music and performing wouldn’t go away. So at the end of my freshman year I decided to stop fighting it. It was a scary decision at the time, but there was something inside of me that knew that I was going to figure it out. Some call that kind of thing foolishness, some call it confidence. I like to think of it as faith. I’m now over a decade into my career in music and can say that it is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I define myself as a musician/performer/creator. I feel proud of the unique skill set that I have developed as someone who plays both trumpet and tuba equally proficiently. This is a rare pairing and I’ve developed my own unique sound on both instruments. I also take pride in my brand as a high energy performer able to engage and connect with any audience. I also feel proud to be someone who has been able to be a part of vastly different musical projects that have been blessed to reach an extremely wide audience (Jon Batiste and Stay Human on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, O.A.R., Huntertones, Cory Wong and the Wongnotes.)

I feel that it hasn’t been easy to get to this point in my career. Balance continues to be an issue that I struggle with. There’s been a lot of hard work and sacrifice. But I also feel incredibly grateful to the number of mentors, friends, bandmates who have pushed me and shared the journey.

I think over the past decade something I’ve learned is that it’s really important to clearly define where you’re headed in any direction. Whether it be with a song, a band, a relationship. Clarity is key. Also I’ve learned that balance has to be prioritized. It’s so easy to get caught up in ambition and to say yes to every opportunity while leaving your own mental/spiritual tank totally depleted. That’s something I’ve gotten a lot better with.

I feel grateful to be a part of some really special bands/collectives, and I also feel myself entering into a phase where I will be start to put a little more energy and focus into my own creative output. An example of this is a new project I’ve started called ‘Night Service.’ The project involves a blend of music I’m writing as well as music that I’m arranging that pulls from my original and strongest inspiration, growing up surrounded by the tradition of Gospel within the Black Church. I want to share that tradition with people in a way where they can feel what I felt growing up even if they’ve never experienced for themselves. And hopefully feeling that positivity and uplifting spirit will cause folks to spread that joy on in their own lives.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

This is such a tough question because there’s so many amazing things to do here in NYC! I think I’d definitely make sure we catch a meal/drinks/music at Bar LunÀtico. One of my favorite venues in the world let alone Brooklyn!! We would definitely eat well all week!! Too many restaurants to name them all but some spots we’d definitely hit are For All Things Good (amazing Mexican spot in Brooklyn), Shipwrecked Fish Market (fresh fish and the best fried whiting I’ve had since the church basement back in Ohio!) Rockwood Music Hall (Another amazing NYC music venue…almost a place I think of as a musical Home Base in NYC). Definitely a Prospect Park outdoor hang (the Central Park of Brooklyn. Maybe I’m biased because i’m a Brooklynite but it’s my favorite park in the city!) A walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and a hang in Brooklyn Bridge Park. And we’d definitely have to do soup dumplings at Joe’s Shanghai in the city. SO GOOD!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Shoutout to all of the mentors I’ve had in my life who have loved me, believed in me, and pushed me to grow! My parents. My first ever piano teacher Mrs. Tina Song. My High School Band Director Mr. John Lenzo. My college trumpet professor and now dear friend Kenyatta Beasley. My first college ensemble leader Kris Keith. The former head of Jazz Studies at Ohio State Dr. Ted McDaniel. My dear friend Jerry DePizzo who took a chance on me early on and brought me into his band (OAR)/family and changed my life forever. Jon Batiste for allowing me into his world and providing another life changing opportunity.

Website: www.jonlampley.com

Instagram: @jonlampleymusic

Twitter: @jonlampleymusic

Image Credits
Ernest Stuart, “Skinny” Karston Tannis, Greg Berg Shot, Scott Kowalchyk

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