James Ford (3)

US professor of Trumpet and Jazz Studies at California State University Los Angeles. Born in Georgia. He teaches studio trumpet and courses in jazz studies. He is the current director of the CSULA Jazz Orchestra. As an accomplished all-around trumpet player living in Los Angeles, Dr. Ford’s dexterity and warm sound has allowed him to cross many musical boundaries as he performs in diverse musical settings including big band, small groups, orchestral, chamber, pop, and early music ensembles. He is a member of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, the Benjamin Wright Orchestra, and has played in venues in Europe, Asia, South America, South Africa, Canada, and throughout the U.S. A few of the artists he has performed and/or recorded with include The Los Angeles Opera, Justin Timberlake, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Joss Stone, Michael Buble, Celine Dion, Queen Latifah, Paul Anka, Leon Russell, Renee Olstead, Eric Benet, The Temptations, Earth, Wind & Fire, Englebert Humperdink, John Pizzarelli, among many others.