Rick the Horn

I've been playing trumpet since I was twelve in brass bands and a youth orchestra but always enjoyed teaching myself keyboards. When it was time to get a Punk rock band together no one wanted to play bass so it became my job.After playing in a few bands I lost interest and needed to find myself in the spiritual sense of the word. Meditation focused me but the pull to play music was too great and found that jazz was the way forward with Miles and Coltrane at the helm of my inspiration. I picked up the trumpet again worked on my improvisational skills. At the time I met people like Matt Nickson, John Ellis, Dave Thomkins, Neil Yates who just started out now they are all excellent musicians.Rather than play pure jazz I veered towards Funk Latin and Caribbean music and loved jamming in Hulme Manchester which has always had a thriving music scene. I went to Salford college to study music and recording and became a sound engineer at Abraham Moss recording some of the musicians mentioned above........Fast forward I now teach music technology and run music workshops for people with physical disabilities for the Drake Music Project. I play jazz and Jazz funk for an organisation called Extraordinary Rendition, also an interesting originals band called Storyville soon to have a website launch. Check them out.