A piece of jazz history: Miles Davis’ trumpet in Ascona

May, 2024 | News

JazzAscona, A2 Jazz Fest and the Blue LLama Jazz Club are proud to highlight their partnership with a Miles Davis Moon & Stars Trumpet Competiton for the 2024 festival season. Trumpeters of all ages and levels of skill are invited to submit an audition video to win a chance to play the blue Miles Davis Moon & Stars Trumpet at JazzAscona 2024 Festival.
Miles Davis Moon & Star Trumpet

Miles owned and performed on a gilt-decorated blue-lacquered “Martin Committee” trumpet in B Flat, Model T3460, made by the Martin Company, circa 1980. Miles enjoyed the Martin Company’s “Committee” trumpets so much that they continued to make custom versions for him even when they briefly paused production. When Miles came out of a five-year performing hiatus, he commissioned three new trumpets, and Jazz trumpeter and technician Larry Ramirez was assigned to the project due to his deep understanding of Miles’s requirements. Ramirez crafted red, black, and blue trumpets with a gilt moon and stars decoration. Larry personally delivered one to Miles just before a major Denver performance, where Miles tested it while pushing the bell into Ramirez’s belly to avoid waking his wife, Cicely Tyson. This became a cherished story that Ramirez often shared. Don Hicks, owner of the Blue LLama Jazz Club, won an auction on October 29, 2019 for one of the three trumpets Miles Davis commissioned. “What (Miles Davis) did by continuing to innovate his whole life, he was always pushing the bounds. It doesn’t matter if you are a musician, a business person or both, never giving up and always pushing yourself, I mean, how is that not inspiring?” —Don Hicks

The trumpet can be seen at the Blue LLama Terrace from June 20 to 29 (see map).

Kind of Blue Trumpet Competition

Are you a trumpet player, dreaming of playing So What, one of Miles Davis‘ most iconic pieces, on Miles’ Moon & Stars trumpet, accompanied by the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, in front of a festival audience on the evening June 26th?

If you want to have this unique experience, you can send a video of no more than 1 minute in which you perform So What.  The best performer will be selected for the concert in Ascona. The competition is open to all trumpet players and the winner will be offered hotel accommodation for the night of June 26.

The busy day in Ascona will include rehearsals with the orchestra (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Collegio Papio), soundcheck at the New Orleans stage (5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.) and the concert with the orchestra in the evening (8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.).

Good luck!

MILES DAVIS LIVE IN GERMANY 1988 PLAYING THE MOON & STARS TRUMPET:
KEYON HARROLD ON THE MILES DAVIS MOON & STARS TRUMPET:
In partnership with:
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