TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
From the very beginning, the trumpet has been a defining voice in jazz. In early New Orleans ensembles, it carried the melody—bold, clear, and leading the way.
Louis Armstrong transformed the instrument into a vehicle for personal expression, shaping phrasing, swing, and improvisation.
As jazz evolved, so did the trumpet’s role.
Dizzy Gillespie brought harmonic complexity and Afro-Cuban rhythms into bebop.
Miles Davis showed how space, tone, and restraint could speak as powerfully as speed.
Later, Wynton Marsalis expanded the trumpet’s expressive range even further.
Whether signaling joy, protest, celebration, or reflection, the trumpet remains jazz’s storyteller—cutting through the ensemble and speaking directly to the listener.
This has been Rapp On Jazz, a co-production of ColaJazz and SC Public Radio, made possible by Layman Publishing Partners, celebrating 50 years of expert content creation, authoritative information management, and standards-driven print and digital production.