Home » Jazz Musicians » John "Lil John" Lumpkin
John "Lil John" Lumpkin
John grew up in the pentecostal church and still plans to exercise his gifts there as well as other national venues. However, he says "The chruch is the root of my zeal for music and forever shall be". His decision to become a professional musician came through an audition at Florida Community College of Jacksonvilles' South Campus. It was at this present time that band director Paul Weikle helped him to establish a future as a professional musician.
Through the grace of God John has worked with jazz artist such as:
Wallace Roney Marcus Printup Hironobu Saito Marco Panascia Jon Irabagon Kevin Bales Pat Bianchi Rodney Jordan Slide Hampton Delfeayo Marsalis Winard Harper Rufus Reid Wycliff Gordon Arturo Sandoval Ed Calle Nathan Davis Curtis Fuller Jon Reshard Lynne Arriale Stephanie Jordan
He also has worked within the gospel industry with musicians such as:
Calvin Rodgers George "Spanky" McCurdy Jeremy Haynes Kim Burrell Stephen Hurd, Pastor Lamar Simmons, Leon Timbo Lisa McClendon
His ultimate goal is to become the instrument that Jesus Christ would have him to be to the world.
"Lil John's" style is driven by simplicity and repitition, somewhat of the attributes of the African drum. He says "I love the the atmosphere that a constant pulse creates.You can create anything musically with a strong root of rhythm and everyone within the the spirit of music can support the drive. My overall stlye depends on the subject at hand musically, but the root of pentecost will never change within my hands." John's many recognitions include the 2005 IAJE Community College All-Star Big Band, invitations to participate in the 2008 Steans Institute for Young Artists in Chicago directed by Dr. David Baker and the 2009 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. to which he was then place in DownBeat Magazine in March 5, 2009. John's future plans include touring, recording, teaching his private students, and pursuing his spiritually led professional career.
Awards
2005 IAJE Community College All-Star Big Band 2008 Steans Institute for Young Artists 2009 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. to which he was then place in DownBeat Magazine in March 5, 2009.
Gear
Vic Firth http://www.vicfirth.com/artists/profile/profile.php?id=2869
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Grammy-Nominated Pianist Donald Vega Unveils New Single Featuring Jazz Masters Lewis Nash And John Patitucci

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Donald Vega
Award winning pianist and composer Donald Vega releases his new single, Gather ‘Round on Friday, June 27, 2025. This single was captured during the recording session for Vega’s Grammy nominated album As I Travel at Samurai Hotel Recording Studio in Astoria, NY, and features John Patitucci on bass and Lewis Nash on drums. When I wrote 'Gather 'Round,' I was thinking about all those joyful, noisy moments with family and friends—the kind where laughter fills the room and love is ...
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The Sicilia Jazz Festival Set For June 22 to July 6 with Cecile McLorin, Eliane Elias, Victor Wooten, Jazzmeia Horn, John Pizzarelli and more

Source:
All About Jazz
The Sicilia Jazz Festival 2025, now in its fifth edition, reaffirms its status as a major cultural event, showcasing an impressive lineup of 85 concerts: eight orchestral productions, 61 performances in the Village area, 14 regional concerts, and two in community-based venues. The festival engages 385 musicians, features five world premieres with artists like Village People, Nina Zilli, Piero Pelù, Jazzmeia Horn, and Victor Wooten, and presents three national exclusives with John Pizzarelli, Cécile McLorin Salvant, and Eliane Elias. Representing ...
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John Cameron: Off Centre (1969)

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JazzWax by Marc Myers
John Cameron has had some career. The British jazz pianist, arranger and composer of film, TV and stages scores came up at the height of Swinging London in the mid-1960s. He had been playing piano professionally since age 14 in his hometown of Croydon and he attended Cambridge University. One of his first pop jobs was arranging Donovan's Sunshine Superman on the album of the same name and the hit single in 1966. John brought in a range of jazz ...
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John Von Ohlen: The Baron (1973)

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JazzWax by Marc Myers
The Fender Rhodes electric piano was most popular with jazz and soul musicians and groups from 1970 to 1978, when affordable synthesizers began to replace the warm, dreamy-sounding instrument. For me, the greatest concentration of top-notch Rhodes albums arrived between 1971 and 1973. As you might imagine, I'm a bit of a Rhodes nut and have a fairly large collection. No other instrument says the 1970s like this singular keyboard. Just hearing its ringing notes triggers thoughts of patchouli oil, ...
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Grammy-Nominated Pianist Donald Vega Announces Release Of New Single 'Two Words: Bud Powell,' March 28, 2025 Featuring John Patitucci And Lewis Nash

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Donald Vega
Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Donald Vega is set to release his latest single, Two Words: Bud Powell. The track, recorded during the 2023 sessions for his acclaimed album As I Travel, is one of three never-before-released compositions from that session. This straight ahead mid tempo tune was composed by Donald Vega and inspired by Bud Powell—one of the first names in Jazz Vega learned after immigrating to the United States and settling in Los Angeles. The song reflects Vega’s deep ...
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Ralph Hepola: Tubist Extraordinaire and Winner of a 2024 John Stites Jazz Award

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Ralph Hepola
Once upon a time the venerable tuba was the foundational time-keeping instrument of a jazz band, mainly because its deep bass register meant it could be heard (the upright bass was sometimes used for indoor gigs). An early proponent of the tuba as an integral part of jazz was Louis Armstrong, especially with his Hot Five group. But by the 1920s, particularly with microphone technology advances, the double bass replaced that big brass beauty in the lineup. Today, tubists form ...
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Ralph Hepola, John Stites Jazz Awards Winner

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Ralph Hepola
The winner of the John Stites Jazz Awards represents the epitome of artistic achievement in the world of jazz. Through their unparalleled talent, dedication, and creativity, past winners of the prestigious prize have earned their place among the genre’s leading performers, educators, and advocates. After months of anticipation, the winners of the prestigious John Stites Jazz Awards have been revealed. This year, amidst stiff competition and extraordinary performances, tubaist and bandleader Ralph Hepola emerged as one of only three winners ...
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Nashville Drummer John Alvey Makes His Leadership Debut With 'Loft Glow,' Set For August 23 Release On Jazz Music City Records

Source:
Terri Hinte Publicity
Drummer John Alvey announces his formidable presence to the jazz world with the August 23 release of Loft Glow on Jazz Music City Records. Alvey’s recording debut presents a remarkably assured, but also risk-taking set of straight-ahead post-bop jazz, joined by a killer sextet of stalwarts from the increasingly hot Nashville jazz scene: trombonist Roland Barber, tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm, alto saxophonist Jovan Quallo, pianist Matt Endahl, and bassist Jacob Jezioro. Alvey is a native of Nashville, the son of ...
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Perfection: John Coltrane's "You Say You Care"

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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Continuing my new series called Perfection, today's sublime track is John Coltrane's cover of Jule Styne's composition You Say You Care, which Styne wrote for Broadway's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949). The song is from Coltrane's Soultrane album, which features John Coltrane (ts), Red Garland (p), Paul Chambers (b) and Art Taylor (d). Recorded in February 1958 for Prestige, Soultrane is also known for Ira Gitler's liner notes, in which he coined sheets of sound" to describe Coltrane's late 1950s approach ...
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John Pisano (1931-2024)

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JazzWax by Marc Myers
John Pisano, a Los Angeles studio guitarist who began recording in the mid-1950s and was so proficient that he appeared on some of jazz's finest chamber jazz recordings and pop's flashiest hits, died May 2. He was 93. [Photo above of John Pisano] Pisano, like dozens of other excellent Italian jazz guitarists of the era who came from working-class families, found that his home-encouraged passion for music, mastery of the inexpensive instrument and an ability to sight-read could lead to ...
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- Marcus Baylor
"John Lumpkin’s powerful playing and compositions truly shine..."
- Rufus Reid
“For an experienced record producer, the mix of polished soloists engaged with a stellar rhythm section - led by the spectacular drumming of John Lumpkin - and supported by a fine-tuned and powerful, and cohesive wind section suggests opportunities to create a high-quality recording.”
- Ed Calle
"The bottomline is that John Lumpkin is a musical tour de force and an exceptional musician that will lead us into the future of Jazz Music."
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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson