Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Cuong Vu was born on September 19, 1969 in Saigon, Vietnam and immigrated to Seattle with his family when he was six. At 11 he began to play the trumpet and later received a scholarship from the New England Conservatory of Music.

After graduation, in 1994 Vu moved to New York City and formed the group Ragged Jack with Jamie Saft, Andrew D’Angelo, and Jim Black. Since that time he has worked with Laurie Anderson, David Bowie, Dave Douglas, Myra Melford, Gerry Hemingway, and Mitchell Froom.

While a member of the Pat Metheny Group, he won two Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Jazz Album: Speaking of Now and The Way Up. Cuong worked with Metheny mainly as a trumpeter, but also contributed vocals, guitar and various small percussion.

As an educator, he serves as chair and professor in the jazz studies department of the University of Washington’s School of Music. Trumpeter Cuong Vu has recorded eleven albums as a leader, thirty-three as a sideman, and continues to lead his own band with bassist Stomu Takeishi and drummer Ted Poor.

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