Wade Baker's high energy performaces use no set formula at all. Instead he offers an eclectic and intelligent blend of abilities, styles and enthusiasms uniquely crafted to his liking. He calls himself a jazz trumpet player alone, but that's deceptive because his music draws from everything he's absorbed throughout his lifetime. "I feel like I've tried to mix a bunch of styles together to produce a new sound." In his playing can be heard influences and accents ranging from jazz trumpeters like Roy Hargrove and Chet Baker to local icons such as Harry Miedema and Mark Buselli to popular musicians like John Mayer,Marc Broussard and John Paul Jones. What the 23-year old Baker takes from all of this is a sense of craft and above all, great depth of love for the music. That's what makes him so soulful. Well, that and his reflective tone and instinctual musicality.
Baker's versatility makes him fit comfortably playing with many different types of artists. He has played Bass Guitar at one of the country's leading music festivals Music Evolutions (www.musicevolutions.org), Taste of Tippecanoe (with the Kyle Bledsoe Band) in addition to the Many Jazz Festivals he has participated in. Baker has also spent the last three years performing with such established acts as the Jon Justice Band, the Kyle Hurd Band, the Kyle Bledsoe trio, Project Fusion, The Rich Hardesty Band , Micah J Goodner, Untrusting Sady, Circle City Sidewalk Stompers, Vagic Johnson, Members of Young Blood's Brass Band, Moe Z M.D. and many MANY more groups ranging from jazz to gospel and R&B.He already has a professional's discipline and commitment and places no limit on his ambition. Wade explains it best by saying, "The kind of artist I'd like to evolve into is a person who can do anything on the band stand, someone who is irreplaceable," he says. "My ambition is to do this whole music thing as well as I possibly can and to have people really like my music, but more importantly have people really like me. I want to be a true entertainer. I want people to leave my shows wanting more and I'm more than willing to give it to them."Wade Baker started playing guitar on his 19th birthday. He received money from his grandparents and went to the local pawn shop and spent $25 on a dream. Who would have ever guessed Wade would be where he is today, pursuing his dream of making music. From being primarily a high school athlete to today's multi-faceted musician, (Trumpet classical/jazz, Guitar acoustic/lead, Bass Guitar, Drums, Keyboards, Vocals, Recording and Producing knowledge, Arranger and Composer) Wade has set his sights high and there seems to be no barrier between him and his goals except for hard work, which he's got in the bag.For a small town kid with world wide dreams the ride is yet to come.
Since his recent completion his Bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies(trumpet) (www.myspace.com/wadebakerjazz) from the University of Indianapolis and enrollment into Graduate School at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (working towards an MM in Jazz Studies), has also come with constant gigging with various jazz groups, his jazz quartet called Wade Baker and the Bad Bad Men, the Jon Justice Band (bass), the Kyle Hurd Band (bass guitar), Project Fusion (Bass Guitar), Micah J Goodner (Bass Guitar) and various other school ensembles (Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, Jazz combo, Jazz Hounds Big Band, John Von Ohlen Combo, Jazz Lab Ensemble). Wade has performed in such places as: RCA Dome (Indianapolis, IN), Conseco Fieldhouse(Indianapolis, IN), The Omni Hotel (Indianapolis, IN), The Hilton Hotel (Chicago, IL & Indianapolis, IN), Indianapolis Dine Magazine Functions (all across central IN), Covered Bridge Festival (Moscow, IN), The Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center (University of Indianapolis), Patricia Corbett Theater (University of Cincinnati), Clowes Hall (Butler University), The MAC (IU's Main Performance Hall), University of Louisville Jazz Festival (Louisville, KY), Ball State Jazz Festival (Muncie, IN), Elmhurst Jazz Festival (Chicago, IL) University of Indianapolis Jazz Festival, SIU-Edwardsville Jazz Day (Edwardsvile, IL), IMEA Convention (Indianapolis, IN), Strawberry Festival(Indianapolis, IN), University of Indianapolis Jazz Camp (Counselor/Performer), Olympia Park (Munich), Haydn Hall(Austria), The Jasper Civic Auditorium (Jasper, IN), SOZO's Coffee Shop (Jasper, IN), St. Joseph's Catholic Cathedral (Jasper, IN), The Jazz Kitchen (Indianapolis, IN), San Diego County Fairgrounds (San Diego, CA), The Chatterbox (Indianapolis, IN), The Living Room Lounge (Indianapolis, IN), Jasper Inn (Jasper, IN), The Melody Inn (Indianapolis, IN), Gary's Steakhouse and Lounge (Indianapolis, IN), The Knickerbocker (Lafayette, IN), Birdy's (Indianapolis, IN), The Alley Cat (Indianapolis, IN), Local's Only Bar (Indianapolis, IN), Shallo's (Indianapolis, IN), Strange Brew Coffee Shop (Indianapolis, IN), Starbuck's (Indianapolis, IN), Chi Phi fraternity house (IU Bloomington campus), Sport's (Bloomington, IN), Spike's Beach Bar and Grill (Warsaw, IN), Jasper Creative Sound Wall Cafe (Dayton, OH), The Know Theatre (Cincinnati) The Northside Tavern (Cincinnait), The Greenwich Village Tavern (Cincinnati), Stanley's Pub (Cincinnati), Club Alchemize (Cincinnati), Kaldi's (Cincinnati) Allyn's Cafe (Cincinnati), Stanley's (Cincinnati), The Blue Note (Cincinnati), Germania Park (Cincinnati), Riverbend (Cincinnati), Mansion Hill (Newport, KY), The Avenue (Covington, KY) Deadwood Saloon (Covington, KY), Wilbert's (Cleveland, OH), Stevie Ray Vaughn's (Louisville, KY), various venues on Beale Street (Memphis, TN), countless garages/living rooms/nursing homes/churches and various other venues accross the nation.Please contact him via Myspace or email at [email protected] if you are interested in booking him or any of his associates/bands for gigs.
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