Corey Wilkes has been heralded by his fans as one of the best trumpet players of his time. The Chicago native is well-known throughout the jazz circuit, as well as the entire city and parts of the world. He recently released his anticipated debut album, D
He started off playing the piano and guitar but never took it seriously; it wasn’t until after trying out for the fifth grade band that he picked up his first trumpet. “I wanted to play the saxophone, but I was told that I should try the trombone,” he said. “The next week when I was to pick it up, I saw Winston Marsalis on TV playing the trumpet. I asked my father what instrument it was because I wanted to play that.”
After finally receiving an instrument he liked, the young trumpeter then joined the concert band and later the jazz band after becoming intrigued with the music. “I was hearing it with the older cats who were playing it while I was still in the concert band doing music I really didn’t like, but at the time, I just enjoyed playing the trumpet so I kept with it.”
Wilkes continued his journey to the top throughout high school, earning a spot in the Illinois All State Honors Jazz Combo, becoming the first student in Rich South High School’s history to do so. He further developed his talent as a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied under Tiger Okoshi and Charlie Lewis Jr. before leaving the school to pursue his own education. From then on, Wilkes proceeded to fulfill the vacant trumpet seat held by jazz trumpeter Lester Bowie with the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
He has also shared the stage with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Roscoe Mitchell, Ledisi, Malcolm-Jamal Warner and others. In addition to that, Wilkes leads three bands: Black Slang, 5th Element and Abstrakt Pulse. Each band has a different sound, a fusion of hip hop, blues, avant garde and jazz. “I don’t consider myself a jazz purist,” he said. “I play the old sound, but I like to keep it new and cover all aspects of music.
I live in the now and try to play the music of today.” Wilkes lives between Chicago and New York, and spends half the year overseas playing shows. “It’s a different type of feel and vibe overseas because they don’t get that type of music all the time. The energy that we get from them is always profound,” he said. “And I do this for the energy%uFFFDnever for the money. I’m very comfortable with my success at this point.”
In the upcoming year, Wilkes will be touring to promote his new album and working to build his name not only in the county but throughout the world. He will be in Toronto next week for a CD release party. “At the end of the day, people just want to feel good, have a good time, dance and party,” he said. “And that’s what music is about, so I just try to bring that element to the stage every time we hit.”
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