Cuong Vu

Cuong Vu 2014

Cuong Vu (born September 19, 1969 in Saigon ) is an American jazz musician ( trumpet , song, composition) of Vietnamese origin.

Live and act

Cuong Vu was born in what was then South Vietnam ; his parents left the country with him in 1975 and settled in the United States in Bellevue , Washington , a suburb of Seattle . Although he grew up listening to the traditional music of his homeland, American pop music on the radio also influenced him. Vu started playing the trumpet at the age of eleven, and later a. a. in high school bands and jazz combos, influenced by the fusion jazz of Michael Brecker , Pat Metheny and Mike Stern . After graduating from high school, he went to the New England Conservatory of Music on a scholarship , studied there with Joe Maneri , Geri Allen and Dave Holland and worked with composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven , Arnold Schönberg , Witold Lutosławski and György Ligeti . In 1994 Vu moved to New York City , where he established himself as a trumpeter in the avant-garde jazz scene, but also incorporated influences from contemporary jazz, as well as rock and funk, into his work.

Vu has worked with Bobby Previte ( Too Close to the Pole , 1996), Laurie Anderson , David Bowie , Dave Douglas , Cibo Matto , Mark Helias , Andy Laster , the band Orange Then Blue , Mitchell Froom , Assif Tsahar , Chris Speed ( Deviation , 1998), Gerry Hemingway (1999), Nils Wogram ( Odd and Akward , 2000) or Mark O'Leary .

In 2001 he toured with Pat Metheny as a trumpeter and singer; he can also be heard on two albums by Methenys ( Speaking of Now , rec. 2001, and The Way Up , rec. 2003-04). He also led various formations of his own, which included musicians such as bassist Stomu Takeishi and drummer Ted Poor . In his band VU-TET he worked with Jim Black , Curtis Hasselbring , Chris Speed and Stomu Takeishi. Vu is Professor of Jazz Education at the University of Washington .

According to Cook / Morton, his playing ranges from Miles Davis- like impressions to rock and abstract soundscapes.

In 2003 and 2006 he received the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Album ( Contemporary Jazz Category ) for his contribution to Pat Metheny's albums Speaking of Now (2002) and The Way Up (2006).

Discographic notes

• Bound (2000, OmniTone )
• Pure (2000, Knitting Factory )
• Come Play with Me (2001, Knitting Factory)
• It's Mostly Residual (2005, ArtistShare )
• Vu-Tet (2007, ArtistShare)
• Cuong Vu Trio Meets Pat Metheny (2015, Nonesuch Records )
• Cuong Vu 4Tet w / Bill Frisell: Ballet - The Music of Michael Gibbs (Rare Noise Records)
• Cuong Vu 4-Tet: Change in the Air (RareNoise Records, 2018)

literature

• Bielefeld catalog 1988 and 2001.
• Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 .

Web links

• Cuong Vu website
• Cuong Vu audio samples
• Interview , March 2007