John McNeil, A Trumpeter Robbed Of His Breath, Blows Again

NPR STAFF
DECEMBER 27, 2014 6:01 PM ET
John McNeil may be the most important trumpet player you've never heard of.

Many aspiring musicians know him as an educator, through his many instructional books like The Art of Jazz Trumpet. But getting to know McNeil as a performer or recording artist hasn't always been easy: his records could be tough to find.

The musician suffers from a neurological disorder — Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which, despite its name, has nothing to do with your teeth. At its worst, it robbed him of his ability to perform for years at a time.


Now at age 66, McNeil is back. He's in a band, Hush Point, with a group of much younger musicians; their latest album is Blues and Reds. He tells NPR's Arun Rath about the medical advances that enabled his recovery, and how the age difference does — or rather, doesn't — affect him and his bandmates.

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John McNeil - trumpet
Jeremy Udden - alto saxophone
Aryeh Kobrinsky - bass
Anthony Pinciotti - drums

New album Blues and Reds now available on Sunnyside Records