Jun Iida Quintet

About the Artist

Jun Iida Quintet
Seattle, WA
Grant amount: $13,707.79

Trumpeter, composer, educator, and recording artist Jun Iida (Joon Ee-da) has quickly established himself as a highly sought after musician. A recording and performing artist, Iida has performed extensively throughout the U.S. at notable jazz clubs, theaters, and festivals with his sextet and as a sideman.

Originally from St. Louis, MO, Iida has lived in Seattle, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Los Angeles, and has recently relocated to New York City. Iida has internalized the different styles of music from each region, making his approach to composing and arranging appealing and unexpected with his subtle amalgamation of contemporary jazz, blues, pop, hip-hop, soul, and classical music.

The son of Japanese immigrants, Iida’s mother, a semi-professional koto (Japanese harp) player, had a profound influence on his love of music. Iida says, “My mother was always playing music around the house. She loved all types of music, especially classical, and I spent my formative years listening to Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Mendelssohn. My mother wanted to make sure we didn’t lose our culture and language, so she also taught us Japanese folk and children’s songs. But I also listened to jazz, blues, soul, rock & roll, and hip-hop, which were all prevalent in St. Louis when I was very young.”

Iida began studying the piano when he was five years old and subsequently started playing the trumpet when he was nine after listening to his mother’s Louis Armstrong album, Hello Dolly! Although Iida was mainly attracted to jazz when he was young, his interests encompassed a wide range of styles, and he performed in several classical orchestras and wind ensembles throughout his high school and college years. Iida went on to study classical music at the Cleveland Institute of Music and jazz at Case Western Reserve University, where he also studied aerospace engineering.

Iida’s debut album as leader, Evergreen, was released January 19, 2024 on Origin Records.