Home » Member Page
Thomas Heflin
Jazz Trumpeter Thomas Heflin
About Me
Tennessee-born jazz trumpeter Thomas Heflin has been hailed as a
fluent trumpeter with a bright tone and a forward-looking style by
jazz writer Scott Yanow. In 2005, he placed second in the Carmine
Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition in Seattle, WA and
has since been featured or mentioned in Italy's Jazz Magazine, The
Pittsburgh Tribune Review and The International Trumpet Guild Journal
among others.
A recording artist for Blue Canoe Records, Heflin has released three
albums on the label. His 2007 debut album Symmetry was dedicated to
the memory of pianist James Williams, who is featured on half of the
recording. In 2009, Heflin produced and performed on Introducing the
New 5 by the cooperative group, The New 5 and In 2011, he released
his third album, a collaborative CD with Ron Westray, former lead
trombonist with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.
The album also featured drummer Adonis Rose and bassists Eric Revis
and Neal Caine.
As a former member of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, Heflin has
performed with the likes of Hank Jones, Wycliffe Gordon, Mulgrew
Miller, James Moody, and Monty Alexander; recorded with Stefon Harris,
Donald Brown, Gregory Tardy and John Clayton; and performed in
festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Ezcaray Jazz
Festival, and Jazz a Vienne. Outside of the KJO, Heflin has performed
in a professional capacity with the likes of James Williams, Vincent
Herring, Donald Brown, and Lou Rawls.
Heflin is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, where he studied
with jazz education pioneer, Jerry Coker. He received his masters
degree from William Paterson University and his doctorate in Music
Performance (Jazz Emphasis) from the University of Texas, Austin. In
addition to serving as brass instructor at Roane State Community
College, he has served as an instructor for the University of Texas
Jazz Department, the University Outreach and Continuing Education
Program at the University of Tennessee, and the The Jefferson Center
Jazz Institute. Heflin also served as the Central Greenough Artist-in-
Residence in Western Australia as well as the Always on Stage festival
in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. He currently works
full-time as Program Manager at the Manhattan School of Music
Precollege Division, where he is also on the jazz faculty.