November 18, 2024
Blue Note Records has signed the acclaimed trumpeter and composer Brandon Woody, a talented young Baltimore-born and based jazz artist who has been turning heads in the jazz world and beyond in recent years. Woody has just finished recording his debut album featuring his longtime band Upendo, which will be released in Spring 2025.
“It’s a huge honor to be a part of this label’s legacy,” says Woody. “I am excited to begin this new era in collaboration with Blue Note.”
“Brandon is one of those rare artists who possesses both a vibrant vision and the chops and knowledge to manifest it,” says Blue Note President Don Was. “As such, he is a natural exponent of the Blue Note Ethos and we’re proud to welcome him to the family.”
Esteemed critics Marcus J. Moore and Giovanni Russonello enthusiastically name-checked Woody as an artist to watch in an episode of the New York Times Popcast earlier this year, with Russonello declaring him “the exact trumpeter of this moment, Roy Hargrove by way of Eddie Gale [and] Freddie Hubbard.” Moore added that “Brandon is the best parts of ‘old school jazz’ and ‘new school jazz,’” calling him “a person that everyone needs to be looking out for in a really big way.”
Writer Nate Chinen co-signed their Woody endorsement in a rave review of the trumpeter’s “powerfully transporting show” in Philadelphia this summer on The Gig. Chinen wrote that “Woody has racked up a ton of experience on [the Baltimore] scene — forming connections, hosting residencies, garnering accolades,” and praised both his remarkable sound (“dark and burnished, low-gloss, with a cutting edge that he can sharpen or dull on command”) and Upendo (“the band achieves a deeply impressive cohesion”).
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Trumpeter and composer Brandon Woody was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, and started his musical journey at the age of 7. Since then, Woody has gone on to become an international artist, performing with his band Upendo, curating projects for major museums, film scoring, collaborating with brands, teaching, and performing at major venues and institutions around the globe. Woody uses music as a tool for healing, genuine connection, and celebrating community.
After attending the Baltimore School for the Arts, Woody went on to study at the Brubeck Institute and Manhattan School of Music with the likes of Ambrose Akinmusire, Cecil Bridgewater, and Stefon Harris. Woody has since performed alongside artists such as Marc Cary, Casey Benjamin, Steve Wilson, Marcus Gilmore, Tarus Mateen, Tim Green, Theljon Allen, Sean Jones, Robert Glasper, Derrick Hodge, Solange, Lalah Hathaway, Bilal, Craig Alston, Terri-Lyne Carrington, Quincy Phillips, Benny Maupin, Plunky, Jon Faddis and Danilo Perez, who have all greatly influenced his artistry.
Woody formed his longtime band Upendo in 2017 while still in school as a vehicle to perform his own original compositions. A modern jazz juggernaut, Upendo is a multi-generational and expandable group that features a core quartet of pianist Troy Long, bassist Michael Saunders, and drummer Quincy Phillips.
Woody’s work has garnered the attention of international brands which has led to collaborations with Calvin Klein (One Future), Saucony, Vogue Italy, Nike, Reebok X Eames, Union Los Angeles, High Snobiety X Newport Jazz Festival, and Plain Jane. Woody had the opportunity of casting musicians and acting as a band leader in the Apple TV series Lady in the Lake.
In 2021, Woody became a Bach/Conn endorsed artist and was named the Musician to Watch by Baltimore Magazine in 2022. Woody’s other accolades include the 2021 Best Musician of the Year Award by the Baltimore Crown Awards and the 2020 Emerging Voice Award from the Festival of New Trumpet.
