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BIOGRAPHY

"Jazz is a backdrop for popular American music," Austin-based jazz trumpeter Jeff Lofton said in a recent interview with The Monitor. "Some think it's too complicated, sophisticated, or hear one artist playing avant-garde jazz and say, 'I don't like it.' But it's a myriad of cultures and diversity and connected to other music."

Lofton garnered attention in Austin's music scene with the Jeff Lofton Quintet in "An Evening of the Music of Miles Davis" show featuring all Miles' tunes from the 1950's kicking off his Sunday Night Jazz series at the historic Victory Grill. The well-received show was soon scheduled at the Elephant Room, Austin's famed jazz club. The Elephant Room was recently named one of the top 50 jazz clubs in America by Downbeat magazine, and made Wynton Marsalis' top 10 list of jazz clubs in USA Today.

Since relocating to Austin last year, Lofton has developed a following with shows at the Elephant Room and Victory Grill. He has shared the stage with the Marc Devine Trio at Reed's Jazz and Supper Club, performed at both Central Markets, and frequently sits in at the Elephant Room's Mike Mardecai Jazz Jam on Monday nights. Other Austin performances include Sunday jazz brunch at Waterloo Ice House, Club 40, the Austin Light Bar, Club 1808, Jerry's Artarama Artist Festival and a Barack Obama fund raising event. Recent Texas shows outside of Austin include Scat Jazz Lounge in Fort Worth, Kirby's Fine Dining in San Antonio, Cine El Rey historic theatre and Espana Mediterranean Cuisine in McAllen, and Shenanigan's in Brownsville.

Lofton debuted his first jazz CD, Jazz Therapy, in 2005, with the Jeff Lofton Quartet. The self-produced CD mixes old style be-bop with modern forms of jazz in the tradition of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane. In addition to Lofton on trumpet, the CD also includes Roland Haynes on piano, Reggie Sullivan on bass and Kenneth Salters on drums.

Born in Germany to American parents, Lofton grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, where he studied music at the University of South Carolina. Playing trumpet for thirty years, Lofton has spent time on the road in Chicago and New York City. He has performed with such musical talents as Austin's own guitarist Jim Mings, saxophonist Rene Sandoval, Ron Westray and Wycliff Gordon of the Wynton Marsalis septet, Fred Wesley of the James Brown horn section, Fred Hampton of the Chicago A.A.C.M., and South Carolina musicians Skip Pearson, Robert Gardner, Dr. Dick Goodwin, Dr. John Enkey, Teddy Linder and many others.

Lofton also works as an R&B and hip-hop producer, producing such artists as Legend and The Gutsmen. As a winner of the juried competition, Lofton was an artist in the music category of the South Carolina Arts Commission's Arts in Education Roster. The program provides grants for work in educational settings statewide. He leads jazz clinics for high school students in Austin.

In South Carolina, the Jeff Lofton Quartet had a strong local following from a long-running Friday night show at Meritage in the Vista, as well as performances at Mac's on Main. Lofton is also well known for the Jazz Therapy Jazz Quintet featuring himself and Skip Pearson performing on Sundays at the club Group Therapy. Other groups Lofton has played with include Defellas (an avant guard jazz group), Deja Voodoo (a hip-hop/jazz fusion group) and Wadada (a reggae group).

VENUES

• Elephant Room including an All Miles 1950s tribute, Austin
• Scat Jazz Lounge, Fort Worth
• Victory Grill - Sunday Night Jazz series, Austin
• Reed's Jazz and Supper Club with Marc Devine Trio, Austin
• Austin Light Bar, Austin, Texas
• Central Market, Austin
• Barack Obama fundraiser, Victory Grill, Austin
• Waterloo Ice House, Austin
• Kirby's Fine Dining, San Antonio
• Espana Mediterranean Cuisine, McAllen
• Cine El Rey historic theatre, McAllen
• Shenanigan's, Brownsville
• The Irish Pub, Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico
• Three Rivers Music Festival, Columbia, South Carolina
• Mac's on Main jazz and blues, Columbia, South Carolina
• Hunter Gatherer Café and Brew Pub, Columbia, South Carolina
• Group Therapy, Columbia, South Carolina
• The Bop Shop Club (sat in), Chicago, Illinois
• The Green Mill (sat in), Chicago, Illinois

AIRPLAY/WEBPLAY

• KSDS Jazz 88, San Diego, California
• KOOP Sounds Around Town, Austin, Texas
• KMBH, Harlingen, Texas
• WGJB Jazz Suite, Southfield, Michigan
• WUSC, Columbia, South Carolina
• SmoothAtlanta.com
• Cathay Pacific Airline on board broadcast channel, Hong Kong
• Air New Zealand on board broadcast channel and Alyn Shipton's Jazz Cafe
• SkyJazz.com

RECORDINGS

• Jazz Therapy, The Jeff Lofton Quartet, featuring Jeff Lofton on trumpet, mixes old style be-bop with modern forms of jazz in the tradition of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane
• Black Magic, DejaVoodoo, hip-hop/funk/jazz
• Self-titled, Jahson, reggae

PRODUCER

• Power to the People, DejaVoodoo, hip-hop/funk/jazz
• Self-titled, Legend, R&B/hip-hop
• Calling a Spade a Spade, The Gutsmen, R&B/hip-hop

PERFORMED WITH

• Marc Devine Trio
• Sean Hopper Quartet
• Mike Mordecai Jazz Jam at The Elephant Room
• Rene Sandoval
• Ed Friedland
• Jim Mings, Austin guitarist (now in South Carolina)
• Ron Westray and Wycliff Gordon, trombonists, of the Wynton Marsalis septet and Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
• Fred Wesley, trombonist, of the James Brown horn section
• Fred Hampton, saxophonist, of the Chicago A.A.C.M
• Skip Pearson, saxophonist
• Dr. Gregory McPherson, pianist, composer, teacher, Berklee School of Music
• John Blackwell , drummer, Prince