Trumpeter Theo Croker’s recent releases present his fluency and warmth as appealing flavours in a bed of studio-crafted hip-hop and R&B. Jazz is in the mix, but mostly limited to a few brooding phrases and occasional pithy bursts. Sullivan Fortner remains best known for his immaculate piano accompaniment and wide stylistic range — collaborators include Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon and vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant. The two now combine for Play: an exquisite, jazz-rich, equal-partners trumpet/piano duet that showcases their superb sonic control and grasp of mood.
The original project, based on a selection of covers, was recorded, and discarded, all in the same day. “It felt very stale,” said Croker, or in Fortner’s words “more like being in school”.
Tag Archive: Theo Croker
There are so many reasons that trumpeter Theo Croker graces the June 2025 cover of DownBeat. For starters, he’s been steadily building a loyal fandom with his beautiful tone and creative mind — from 2019’s Star People Nation to 2021’s BLK2LIFE // A FUTURE PAST to 2022’s LOVE QUANTUM. His live shows are mesmerizing, danceable joyfests. Moreover, he does all of this while refusing to be boxed neatly into any specific musical genre, as deftly displayed by his latest release, Dream Manifest. Jazz? Yep. Soul? For days. Hip-hop? No doubt. R&B? Yes, siree. All of that and some trippy melodies and beats to glide over. The album, which brings together members of Croker’s past and current bands, has a true party feel. It’s a group that transcends generations,…