Professor of Music Thomas Erdmann had an article published about John Daversa in the professional trumpet journal.
Professor of Music Thomas Erdmann had a 6,000-word article published in the October 2017 issue of The International Trumpet Guild Journal.
The article is on Grammy nominee, trumpeter, EVI (electronic valve instrument) player, composer, arranger, producer, and educator John Daversa. The list of other great artists who have called upon Daversa’s multifaceted talents include Fiona Apple, Burt Bacharach, Michael Bublé, Dori Caymi, Joe Cocker, Andraé Crouch, Sheryl Crow, Dr. Dre and The Yellowjackets, to list just a few. One of Daversa’s many positions included serving as music director for actress/singer Renee Olstead’s appearances on the OWN television network’s “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” CBS’ “The Late Show with David Letterman” and NBC’s “Today Show.”
Daversa leads his own small jazz group, as well as big bands on the West Coast and New York. The Western band had, for many years, a regular gig at The Baked Potato in Studio City which Chris Barton of The Los Angeles Times extolled for its “adventurous, colorful approach,” and Bass Player magazine raved about the ensemble calling it “a musical beast.” In praising Daversa’s compositions “Downbeat,” said they’re “a peculiar blend of tradition and modernity.”
Daversa’s exceptional love of teaching has kept the young performer busy and away from the headlines. He spends most of his time teaching as the chair of the Department of Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music where he directs the award-winning Frost Concert Jazz Band, or doing his numerous high school and college residencies.
Daversa’s previous teaching positions include the California State University at Northridge and the University of Southern California. As a youth he’s noted for the many competitions he won including the Herb Alpert and David Joel Miller awards, the National Trumpet Competition, and the ITG Jazz Soloist Competition, and being a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. Daversa has a bachelor’s degree in music from The University of California at Los Angeles, a master of fine arts degree in jazz studies at the California Institute of the Arts, and a doctor of musical arts degree in jazz studies at the University of Southern California.