Quentin Coaxum

One of Chicago’ brightest young trumpeters, Quentin Coaxum is one of our most thoughtful composers. He is inspired by great literary voices including James Baldwin, Maya Angelou and Nikki Giovanni, the civil rights movement and “the dynamics of human relationships in America’s current social climate.” His deeply moving song, “Alton Sterling,” honors the memory of the African American shot to death two years ago by white police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Coaxum, who grew up outside of St. Louis, is heavily influenced by the soulful post-bop styles of the late '50s and early '60s, but as evidenced on his well-received 2014 debut album, Current, his music has a contemporary edge.

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