Ephraim Owens

Last updated
Ephraim Owens
Ephraim Owens 19-03-07.jpg
Owens in 2019
Background information
Born (1972-11-05) November 5, 1972 (age 52)
Dallas, Texas, United States
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, trumpet player
Instrument(s) Trumpet, flugelhorn
Years active1994–present
Website www.ephraimowensmusic.com

Ephraim Owens (born November 5, 1972) is an American musician, composer, and jazz bandleader who plays trumpet and flugelhorn. He has toured and recorded with the Tedeschi Trucks Band since 2015. He is one of the most highly regarded jazz musicians living in Austin, Texas, and he focuses on performing in that genre when he is not touring. [1]

Contents

Early life

Ephraim Owens was born in Dallas, Texas on November 5, 1972, the son of John Henry Owens, an aviation mechanic, and Mary Alice Lee. [2] [3] He took up clarinet in the third grade in order to be in the school band, and he was soon playing trumpet at the family’s Pentecostal church. [2] [4] As a youth, he studied trumpet in the classical vein. [5] His father insisted that he audition for Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Though already interested in jazz when he enrolled, Owens says that when he heard then-senior Roy Hargrove play trumpet, “That was it,” and he has credited Hargrove as his most direct influence. [6] [2] [5]

Owens attended Weatherford College to study classical trumpet and was recruited to continue his studies at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, where he studied with jazz pianist James Polk. [2] From there he commuted to gigs in Austin, where he soon gained notice as a "sensational new talent." [7] He decided to leave college and move to Austin in 1996 to pursue his career full time. [5]

Career

Owens soon became a fixture in the Austin music scene. [5] Austin Mayor Bruce Todd proclaimed June 14, 1997, as Ephraim Owens Day. [8]

Owens has toured and recorded with a variety of artists across a range of genres. He appeared on Bulletproof, the 2008 studio album by country-rock band Reckless Kelly [9] and has recorded with bluesman Jimmie Vaughan. [10] In a 2016 interview, he named Sheryl Crow, Mumford & Sons, and Patty Griffin as artists with whom he particularly enjoyed collaborating. [8]

In 2015, Owens joined the "blues-rock juggernaut" Tedeschi Trucks Band, which has "kept him living out of suitcases since." [2] . He returned to Austin from tour on March 9, 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down live music performances. [1] He appears on the band's albums Live from the Fox Oakland , Signs and I Am the Moon . [11]

For his personal artistic expression, Owens prefers jazz, he says, because, "Jazz covers all the bases of music. … [Jazz has] freedom of structure … There’s free [rein] of thought and more conflict than in any other kind of music." [6] He regularly performs jazz during stints at home in Austin between tour dates [2] and is one of Austin's most highly regarded practitioners of the art form. [1] His composition MoMoCi is a staple of his live performances in Austin. [2]

Owens is the recipient of eight Austin Music Awards, which are given out based on votes of readers of the Austin Chronicle. [12] Owens was voted best horn player in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017, inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2017, and received the award for "Best Performing Band (Jazz)" in 2018 and 2020. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Austin, Texas</span>

Austin's official motto is the "Live Music Capital of the World" due to the high volume of live music venues in the city. Austin is known internationally for the South by Southwest (SXSW) and the Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festivals which feature eclectic international lineups. The greatest concentrations of music venues in Austin are around 6th Street, Central East Austin, the Red River Cultural District, the Warehouse District, the University of Texas, South Congress, and South Lamar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Hargrove</span> American jazz trumpeter (1969–2018)

Roy Anthony Hargrove was an American jazz musician and composer whose principal instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn. He achieved worldwide acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing styles of jazz in 1998 and 2002. Hargrove primarily played in the hard bop style for the majority of his albums, but also had a penchant for genre-crossing exploration and collaboration with a variety of hip hop, neo soul, R&B and alternative rock artists. As Hargrove told one reporter, "I've been around all kinds of musicians, and if a cat can play, a cat can play. If it's gospel, funk, R&B, jazz or hip-hop, if it's something that gets in your ear and it's good, that's what matters."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Tedeschi</span> American blues musician

Susan Tedeschi is an American singer and guitarist. A multiple Grammy Award nominee, she is a member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, a conglomeration of her band, her husband Derek Trucks's band, and other musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antibalas</span> American afrobeat band

Antibalas is an American, Brooklyn-based afrobeat band founded in 1998 by Martín Perna. Initially inspired by Fela Kuti's Africa 70 band and Eddie Palmieri's Harlem River Drive Orchestra, the music generally follows the musical architecture and language of afrobeat and incorporates elements of jazz, funk, dub, improvised music, and traditional drumming from Cuba and West Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oteil Burbridge</span> American musician

Oteil Burbridge is an American multi-instrumentalist, specializing on the bass guitar, trained in playing jazz and classical music from an early age. He has achieved fame primarily on bass guitar during the resurgence of the Allman Brothers Band from 1997 through 2014, and as a founding member of the band Dead & Company. Burbridge was also a founding member of The Aquarium Rescue Unit and Tedeschi Trucks Band, with whom his brother Kofi Burbridge was the keyboardist and flautist. He has worked with other musicians including Bruce Hampton, Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell, Bill Kreutzmann and Derek Trucks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Trucks</span> American guitarist, bandleader and songwriter

Derek Trucks is an American guitarist, songwriter, and founder of The Derek Trucks Band. He became an official member of The Allman Brothers Band in 1999. In 2010, he formed the Tedeschi Trucks Band with his wife, blues singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi. His musical style encompasses several genres and he has twice appeared on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He is the nephew of the late Butch Trucks, drummer for the Allman Brothers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashawn Ross</span> Musical artist

Rashawn Ross is an American trumpeter and arranger. His contributions to the Dave Matthews Band, first as a touring member and now a full-time member, have garnered him visibility. Ross is an accomplished session musician. Ross has worked with artists in many different genres of music including funk, pop, rock, jazz, hip hop, gospel, and country music. Some of the notable artists whom Ross has supported include Yerba Buena, Soulive, Lettuce, The 1975, and DJ Quik.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Holloway</span> American tenor saxophonist

Ronald Edward Holloway is an American tenor saxophonist. He is listed in the Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz where veteran jazz critic Ira Gitler described Holloway as a "Hard bear-down-hard-bopper who can blow authentic R&B and croon a ballad with warm, blue feeling."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soulive</span>

Soulive is a funk/jazz trio that originated in Woodstock, New York. The band consists of Eric Krasno (guitar), Alan Evans (drums) and Neal Evans. Although they originated as a trio, the band has worked extensively with different horn sections, which have included Sam Kininger (saxophone) from 2000 to 2003, Rashawn Ross (trumpet), and Ryan Zoidis (saxophone) from 2003 to 2006. The band also worked with vocalist Toussaint Yeshua from 2006 to 2007. Soulive has toured in the original trio lineup of Eric Krasno, Alan Evans, and Neal Evans.

<i>Bulletproof</i> (Reckless Kelly album) 2008 studio album by Reckless Kelly

Bulletproof is the fifth studio album by the band Reckless Kelly. It was released on June 24, 2008. The album features tracks critical of and reflecting on recent sociopolitical unfoldings, such as the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Mattison</span> American musician and vocalist

Mike Mattison is an American musician and vocalist of the Grammy Award-winning blues rock/soul group, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, as well as lead vocalist and co-founder of the blues rock trio Scrapomatic. Mattison's vocal sound has been described as "strong," with an "expressive blues voice". As lead vocalist of Scrapomatic, he picked up a nomination for Minnesota Music Awards best male vocalist, and both he and co-founder Paul Olsen were also nominated for best R&B Group. Mattison was previously the lead vocalist of the Grammy Award-winning Derek Trucks Band and has been a main songwriter of all three bands. He is also an active essayist who publishes on music and poetry. Since 2013 Mattison and Ernest Suarez have edited “Hot Rocks: Songs and Verse,” an ongoing feature in Five Points: A Journal of Literature and Art. He serves on the Council of the Association of Literary Critics, Scholars, and Writers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tedeschi Trucks Band</span> American blues and blues rock group

The Tedeschi Trucks Band is an American blues and blues rock group based in Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 2010, the band is led by married couple Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. Their debut album, Revelator (2011), won the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Blues Album. The band has released five studio and three live albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurice "Mobetta" Brown</span> American jazz trumpeter, producer and composer

Maurice "Mobetta" Brown originally from Harvey, Illinois is a Grammy Award-winning American jazz trumpeter, producer and composer. As a member of Tedeschi Trucks Band, he shared the 2011 Grammy for Best Blues Album (Revelator).

Ulrich Ellison is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and music producer from Austin, Texas. He is the founder of the group Ulrich Ellison and Tribe, which won the 2015 Austin Music Award for "Best Funk/Soul/Blues" live band.

<i>Let Me Get By</i> 2016 studio album by Tedeschi Trucks Band

Let Me Get By is the third studio album from blues-rock group Tedeschi Trucks Band, released in 2016.

Shinyribs is a 9-piece swamp funk / Southern soul band from Austin, Texas.

<i>Live from the Fox Oakland</i> 2017 live album by Tedeschi Trucks Band

Live from the Fox Oakland is the second live album from American rock ensemble Tedeschi Trucks Band. Released on March 17, 2017, through Fantasy Records in both audio and video, the work was recorded on the second night of a two-day September 2016 show in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grooveline Horns</span>

Grooveline Horns is an American funk and R&B-based horn section, originating in Austin, Texas. They are best known for touring and recording with Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, Jason Mraz, and Zac Brown Band. They are also performing on the Kill Tony podcast along with the Kill Tony Band.

<i>Signs</i> (Tedeschi Trucks Band album) 2019 studio album by Tedeschi Trucks Band

Signs is the fourth studio album by American blues rock group Tedeschi Trucks Band. The album was released on February 15, 2019, by Fantasy Records, on the same day that Kofi Burbridge, the band's keyboardist, died.

<i>Earfood</i> (album) 2008 studio album by Roy Hargrove Quintet

Earfood is a jazz album by the Roy Hargrove Quintet, issued by the EmArcy record label in 2008. The album was a return to Hargrove's enduring interest in hard bop, following several albums in which he explored jazz within a hip-hop and R&B context.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hernandez, Raoul (17 April 2020). "Checking In: Trumpet Clarion Ephraim Owens Sits at the Piano". Austin Chronicle Corp. Retrieved 19 December 2020. If Austin boasts a Miles Davis – one jazz man, a trumpet icon, that everybody knows regardless of genre knowledge – it's Ephraim Owens.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Spearman, Kahron (7 April 2017). "Trumpet Constant Ephraim Owens Won't Be Rushed". Austin Chronicle Corp. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  3. ↑ "Obituary John Henry Owens". DignityMemorial.com. Retrieved 17 December 2020. John later married Mary Alice Lee on February 14, 1969. From this union was born Johnette (Niki) and Ephraim.
  4. ↑ Jones, DaLyah (15 February 2019). "ARTIST PROFILE: EPHRAIM OWENS". KUTX.org. KUTX News. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Hess, Christopher (5 March 1999). "The Inspiration of Necessity". Austin Chronicle Corp. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  6. 1 2 Barnes, Grace (18 October 2019). "Q&A: Jazz musician Ephraim Owens talks genre, growing up, life as musician". Texas Student Media. Retrieved 17 December 2020. I was already interested in jazz when I got there, but when I heard Roy Hargrove, that was it. That was when I really figured out what I wanted to do.
  7. 1 2 Hagemann, Jess (December 2016). "Ephraim Owens; Austin trumpeter and member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band". EASTside: 14. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  8. ↑ "Reckless Kelly - Bulletproof". Texas Music Times. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  9. ↑ Hoinski, Michael (21 October 2016). "Jimmie Vaughan talks the joy of the blues". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 19 December 2020. "The album implies that old school, horn-riffy, bluesy, bouncy, sultry feel-good vibe," says Austin trumpeter Ephraim Owens, one-third of the album's horns section, in an e-mail from Europe.
  10. ↑ "Ephraim Owens: Credits". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  11. ↑ Curtin, Kevin (29 November 2019). "The Austin Music Poll Innovates in 2020". Austin Chronicle Corp. Retrieved 19 December 2020. We're creating a nominating body … They'll fill out preliminary ballots … After that, the public will vote on those nominees from January 2-28.
  12. ↑ "AUSTIN MUSIC AWARDS › 2016-2017 › HALL OF FAME › Winner: Ephraim Owens". AustinChronicle.com. Austin Chronicle Corp. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.