Joey Pero continues to receive rave reviews, honors

Trumpeter and Batavia native Joey Pero's debut album, a daring blend of musical styles, continues to resonate with reviewers nearly two years after its release.

Pero's recording, "Resonance," was said to rank "as a most impressive instrumental debut" in a review published in the January-February issue of M Music & Musicians Magazine.

The review went on to say that Pero's "ability to repeatedly shift gears makes 'Resonance' remarkable. ... Pero injects rock, rap and rhythms that swing and soar."

Previous reviews have praised "Resonance" for a style that mixes classical and jazz music, with a little rock, pop and even hip-hop.

But Pero -- who is working to reschedule previously announced concerts in Rochester for the fall -- hasn't rested on the acclaim.

In April, he was inducted in to the Buglers Hall of Fame and last month the 1999 graduate of Batavia High School was the featured performer and a guest lecturer at the International Trumpet Guild's annual conference in Minneapolis, Minn.

VIDEO: Joey welcomes participants to the International Trumpet Guild's annual conference:

The buglers hall honor recognized Pero's earlier work in drum corps, including Mighty St. Joe's Alumni, Ghost Riders and Empire Statesmen, and his individual Drum Corps America championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

Pero was also the subject of a brief story last May in Downbeat magazine, in which he describes the challenge of studying trumpet at the Juilliard School before the famed school offered jazz studies and at a time when there was little enthusiasm for ventures outside the circumscribed curriculum.

"I was a black sheep at Juilliard in many ways," Pero told writer Phil Lutz.

Pero left Juilliard after two years for the New England Conservatory where he was able to integrate jazz formally into his studies.

Lutz also interviewed Simon Boyar, a percussionist who studied and taught at Juilliard and who now teaches at New York University, who said of Pero's musical style: "I think you can compare him more to an artist like Wynton Marsalis."

Marsalis has been a mentor to Pero, whose career has included a tour as second trumpet with the late Maynard Ferguson and his band and his own tour of Australia.

Hersey Junior Selected to Perform in International Trumpet Guild ...

John Hersey High School junior Thomas Martin of Mount Prospect travelled to Minneapolis, Minn., in late May to compete in the International Trumpet Guild Youth Competition. Only 11 students throughout the world were invited to perform in the under 18 category. Martin performed with excellent enthusiasm, control, musicality, and nuance, finishing in 2nd place in this prestigious event.

Once commentator stated, "It was apparent to all in attendance that there are an impressive number of young students… who will make their mark on the trumpet world in years to come.

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