Trumpeter Jim Rotondi, a Butte, Montana native, began his musical studies at a very early age. His mother, a piano teacher, encouraged Jim to begin playing the piano at age eight. He then took up the trumpet at the age of twelve.

In 1980 Jim graduated from Butte High School. He then attended North Texas State University, where he graduated with a degree in trumpet performance. While still in Texas, Jim was awarded first place in the International Trumpet Guild’s Jazz trumpet competition for the year 1984. After college Jim began recording and touring internationally with the Ray Charles Orchestra (with whom he continues to work periodically). He also currently tours with Lionel Hampton and Grammy-winner Toshiko Akiyoshi, as well as with his own group. He was also a featured soloist at the 1992 Chile International Jazz Festival in Santiago, along with saxophonist Joe Lovano and pianist Danilo Perez.

Jim’s extensive recording experience most recently includes the release of his third date as a leader, titled “Excursions”, for the Criss Cross Jazz label following the successful release of his first two CD’s, also on Criss Cross. He can also be heard on several of Charles Earland’s Highnote Records releases, alongside saxophonist Eric Alexander, with whom Jim made his recording debut on Eric’s Delmark release “Straight Up.” Other recordings include saxophonist George Coleman’s Octet, featuring Harold Mabern, as well as drummer Ray Appleton’s Sextet, which features Slide Hampton, Charles McPherson, and John Hicks. Jim is also a member of the group One For All, whose Sharp Nine Records releases “Too Soon To Tell” and “Optimism” received critical acclaim from Cadence, JazzTimes, and The Detroit Free Press.

Most Jazz musicians credit other more experienced players as valuable mentors; Jim includes trumpeter Bill Hardman, and saxophonists Junior Cook and Cecil Payne. As influences he also lists Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, and Clifford Brown, to name a few.

Rotondi’s playing was described on the aforementioned One For All recording as possessing “coveted maturity....with clusters of logical patterns in sweeps of beauty.”

Jim currently lives and works in the New York City area, where he maintains a vigorous performing, recording, composing and teaching schedule. He has recently given clinics at Emory University in Atlanta, served on the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop in Palo Alto, California, as well as being an affiliate faculty member at the State University of New York in Purchase.

Additional Praise

"Clearly, (Rotondi) emerges as one of the best of the post-Hubbard generation..." --Chris Hovan, allaboutjazz.com

"(His) solos are a near-perfect amalgam of power, finesse and logic." --David A. Orthmann, allaboutjazz.com