I've known trumpeter Joshua Bruneau for about 17 years now. He is a special and gifted musician, with a clarion, soulful sound on the horn. Josh's keen musical instincts are always readily evident. His notes possess a deep feeling - you can hear the history of the music in his playing. Josh has been one of my absolute favorite players and frontline collaborators for over a decade now. We've played countless gigs together in clubs, concert halls, outdoor festivals all over Connecticut, NYC, New England and around the US & Canada. One day we'll get to Europe & Southeast Asia together, too! Josh and I have recorded extensively together, as well. He appears on my recordings Gettin' It Done (Positone, 2011) and Correlations (Smoke Sessions, 2018) and I played on his leader debut Bright Idea: Live At Smalls (Cellar Live, 2012). We've also appeared on several other recording dates together and have worked steadily for years with Ed Fast & Conga Bop, the Connecticut-based, latin jazz ensemble.

As you can hear, we all had a great time playing together on this session (recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studios in Nov 2019)! Josh put together a thoughtful repertoire for the date, including some standards, a few not-so-often played chestnuts and a few originals. The music was swingin' hard that afternoon out at Rudy's, yet retaining a buoyant, almost gliding feeling the whole way. Being one of the musical participants that day, I can say authentically that it was a real treat to be a part of the band for this date!
Josh embraces his influences... Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham, Chet Baker, Clifford Brown, Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Eddie Henderson, Tom Harrell, Wallace Roney, Jim Rotondi, Roy Hargrove... all the while, having his own very distinctive sound on the trumpet & flugelhorn. At age 35, Josh Bruneau is without a doubt one of today's distinct, vibrant & charismatic voices on the trumpet. Whether as a leader or as a member of one of the many bands with which he plays, Josh stands poised to deliver fresh and exciting music, on the bandstand and in the studio, for years to come!

Steve Davis
Stamford, CT
June 2023