Live recording: Al Strong, trumpet player, at Duke University’s Osher Institute with guest co-host Peter Burke of Locavore Jazz

If you love jazz and live in the Triangle, you know Al Strong. The two-time Grammy-nominated trumpet player, composer, recording artist, mentor, and educator spoke with Six Count at Duke University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute on October 4, 2023. 

Al is the co-founder of the Art of Cool Project, a nonprofit that hosts a jazz education summer camp and the Art of Cool Music Festival. 

The Washington, D.C. native is a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, the only public high school in the Capitol that provides dual curriculum in college-preparatory academics and pre-professional arts training.

Al holds a bachelor’s degree in jazz studies from North Carolina Central University, where he leads the program’s trumpet studio, and a master’s in jazz performance and pedagogy from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. 

The musician has performed internationally at the Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada, the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, and the Peru Jazz Festival in Lima, among others. His shows have headlined the Blue Note Jazz Festival and Winter Fest in New York City, as well as D.C.’s Blues Alley Jazz Festival.

Al’s career has included performances and recordings with Aretha Franklin, the Count Basie Orchestra, and the Hamiltones. He has also served as music director for the rapper Rakim, and performed with former rapper Eric Roberson (also known as Erro) and hip hop duo the Foreign Exchange.

Al and Six Count host and producer Xara Wilde were invited to speak at a class about jazz in the Triangle. The course’s instructor, Peter Burke, manages the local jazz blog Locavore Jazz. Thank you, Peter, for the opportunity! 

Music credits

This episode features a live recording of Al Strong performing with the Rebecca Kleinmann Latin Jazz Quintet at Beyu Caffee on January 7, 2023. The performers that evening included Rebecca Kleinmann on flutes and vocals, Stephen Anderson on keys, Andy Kleindienst on bass, Gastón Reggio on drums, and Brevan Hampden on congas and other percussion. 

This season features the songs “Forged in Rhythm” and “Callous & Kind” by Keenan McKenzie & The Riffers (2017), used by Six Count with permission from the artist. 

Support the show

If you’d like to support Six Count for GivingTuesday, you can make a gift on DonorBox or Venmo @thexarawilde. Follow Six Count on Instagram at @sixcountpodcast and Xara Wilde on Facebook and Instagram @thexarawilde.

How to listen

You can find Six Count on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other listening app. The series also airs on taintradio.org, an online jazz radio station based in North Carolina, on Sundays at 6:00 p.m. and Fridays at 8:00 p.m. EST.