Trumpeter-composer-bandleader-educator-designer Jamie Breiwick dwells in that nether region of America called the heartland. His native Racine is a Warm Valley nestled among several urban musical scenes, which makes him valuable to each of them – Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison and Minneapolis. At times he’ll think of that nether region as Dreamland, the imaginative name of the Thelonious Monk repertory band that he founded and leads. It’s named for an obscure Monk tune which, like so much of the legacy of that great and eccentric musician, needs dusting off and raising to the light of day. Breiwick is just beginning to reach his prime and, as a man gifted in enterprise as well as artistry, you can find him performing at any one of those cities in a myriad of musical groups and collaborations. Breiwick has performed with numerous notable jazz artists, including Matt Wilson, Dan Nimmer, Joe Sanders, Pete Zimmer, Adam Larson, Ralph Bowen, David Hazeltine and David Bixler. Jamie has performed with R&B artist Eric Benet, and was featured live in his recent music videos, “The Hunger” and “You’re the Only One”. Jamie was a featured artist on the nationally syndicated NPR show “Says You!” and has been a featured soloist with the Florentine Opera Company. Jamie’s current band projects include Dreamland (The music of Thelonious Monk), KASE, Awake Nu (The music of Don Cherry) and the Lesser Lakes Trio. Among his notable past band projects were leading the eclectic fusion group Choirfight, the legendary Milwaukee band Clamnation, and performing with We Six, the faculty jazz sextet of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music from 2005-2010.
“This is an excellent evocation of Don Cherry’s spirit, as well as a demonstration of the communication that a trumpet trio can achieve.” -Mark Sullivan, All About Jazz