John D'earth

John D'earth (born March 30, 1950) is an American post-bop/hard bop jazz trumpeter born in Framingham, Massachusetts, who has appeared on recordings by Dave Matthews and Bruce Hornsby as well as recording a number of CDs on his own. He currently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Early life John Edward Dearth II was born in 1950 in Framingham, Massachusetts, growing up in nearby Holliston. His father had survived the Pacific theater of World War II and was "obsessed" with jazz. D'earth, who added the apostrophe to his name later in life,

His father would blast his records throughout the night, driving the family crazy. He would also sit with his two-year-old son, teaching him to play drum brushes on a metal tray. His father was "drawn to the complexities of be-bop" with its raw rhythms and stylings. "He hated white bands that were corny and tight," D'earth states. "Those were prejudices too, and I learned some of those prejudices early on."

D'earth serves as Director of Jazz Performance at the University of Virginia and was at one point the jazz artist in residence at Virginia Commonwealth University. D'earth was music teacher at The Tandem School in Charlottesville from the early to mid-1980s.

D'earth regularly plays at Miller's Downtown on the Charlottesville pedestrian mall with other musicians including JC Kuhl, Pete Spaar, Jamal Millner, DJ Harrison, Pureum Jin, Brian Caputo, Wells Hanley, Adam Larrabee, Brian Jones, and many others. He often played at Fellini's No. 9 with Devonne Harris (drums), Bob Hallahan (piano), and Pete Spaar (upright bass).

D'earth makes frequent appearances with younger up-and-coming players as well as older mainstay musicians alike in the Richmond, Virginia, area. D'earth is known for his work with musicians such as Miles Davis, Buddy Rich, Dave Matthews Band, and Emily Remler. He has recorded for Vanguard Records, ENJA Records, DoubleTime Jazz, and his own Cosmology label. Yo, Susannah What Woody Do (Adam's Vamp) Prelude II Outside Insight Market Goodbye Secret King (for LeRoi Moore) Lady on a Train We Shall See Water Is The Blood of Earth

John D'earth - trumpet, flugelhorn Pete Spaar - bass Wells Hanley - piano Devonne Harris - drums J.C. Kuhl - tenor saxophone

Restoration Comedy (Double-Time, 2000) John D'earth - trumpet, composer, producer Howard Curtis - drums Mike Richmond - upright bass Mulgrew Miller - piano Jerry Bergonzi - sax

Thursday Night Live at Millers (Cosmology, 1998) John D'earth - trumpet Dawn Thompson - vocals Jeff Decker and Bobby Read - saxophones Jamal Millner - guitar Wells Hanley - piano Pete Spaar - upright bass Robert Jospé - drums guest Doug Bethel - trombone produced by Greg Howard

One Bright Glance (Enja, 1990) John D'earth - trumpet, composer John Abercrombie - guitar, guitar synthesizer Marc Johnson - bass Howard Curtis - drums Steve Gaboury - producer, engineer

With Thompson D'earth

When the Serpent Flies (Cosmology, 2006) Dawn Thompson - vocals John D'earth - trumpet and flugelhorn J.C. Kuhl - tenor saxophone Jamal Millner - guitar Daniel Clarke - piano Pete Spaar - double bass Brian Caputo - drums produced by Greg Howard

Mercury (Cosmology, 2001) Dawn Thompson - vocals John D'Earth - trumpet Carter Beauford - drums Dave Matthews - vocals Jamal Millner - guitar Bobby Read - sax Wells Hanley - piano Pete Spaar - upright bass produced by Greg Howard

As sideman With Ray Anderson Big Band Record (Gramavision, 1994) with the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band With Emily Remler Transitions (Concord Records, 1983) Catwalk (Concord, 1985)

Honors, awards, distinctions D'earth appears in The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, by Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler (Oxford University Press, 1999); pages 175–76.

Personal D'earth appeared regularly with his vocalist wife Dawn Thompson, who died August 31, 2017, after surviving nine years with brain cancer. She was born in Alexandria, Virginia, on October 9, 1946.