Bio

Roger Ingram is among the finest jazz lead trumpet players in the music industry today and is one of the top call lead trumpeters in Chicago. Ray Charles once said to Roger, "of all the lead trumpet players who can play notes up to double high C, when I hear you do that, you still swing."

As a session musician, Roger has played on hundreds of recordings. Among the many artists he has toured and/or recorded with are Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr, Ray Charles, Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson, Tom Jones, Paul Anka, Louis Bellson, The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Chico O'Farrill, Mark Tremonti and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra.

In addition to being a world class performer, Roger is also an educator and author. In 2008, Roger penned the trumpet textbook, "Clinical Notes on Trumpet Playing" which has sold in over 65 countries, and is on the required or recommended reading list for many undergraduate and graduate music programs world-wide. With Josh Rzepka, Roger co-authored "The Versatile Trumpeter," a book for intermediate and advanced trumpeters. Published in 2019, it features 16 original selections of printed music in the form of duets in multiple styles with written explanations of techniques and methods. It is complete with accompanying play-along tracks via download or CD. From 2013 until its final edition in 2019, Roger was a regular columnist for the British publication "The Brass Herald".

During the course of his playing career, Roger studied privately (or took at least one lesson) with Bobby Shew, Bud Brisbois, Laroon Holt, James Stamp, Uan Rasey, Carmine Caruso, Mel Broils, William Vacchiano, Roy Stevens, Jerry Callett, Don Raffell, Donald Reinhardt, Renold Schilke, Burt Collins, and Mark Colby.

At sixteen, Roger toured with the great Louie Bellson Big Band. After graduating high school, he toured during the fall of 1976 with the Quincy Jones Big Band to promote the Brothers Johnson's new album, "Look Out for #1." He went on to play lead trumpet with international pop star Tom Jones for six years. In the early 1980s, he was immersed with playing production shows on the world renowned Las Vegas strip working with Johnny Haig's (Haig Eshow) "Relief Band." In 1985 he joined the Woody Herman Orchestra on lead trumpet and remained until Herman's death in October 1987. During his tenure with Woody's band, he recorded 3 albums, all of which were nominated for Grammy awards. Ingram also toured with the Maynard Ferguson Orchestra in 1988, 1990 and 1992, recording three albums with Maynard's band. He later recorded with trumpeter Arturo Sandoval on the Grammy Award winning album "Danzon."

Beginning in 1994, Roger spent 14 years as a resident of New York City. In addition to playing lead trumpet with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, recording and performing on a multitude of jazz and commercial recordings, he was also involved with a variety of Broadway productions.

In 1990, Roger joined the newly formed big band of Harry Connick, Jr., recording 17 albums with Connick and working with Harry on a regular basis until 2010. Of the albums recorded with Harry, 3 were nominated for Grammy awards including "Songs I Heard" which won a Grammy award in 2001. When Harry Connick Jr. put his big band on hiatus to start a funk band, Roger toured in the trumpet section (lead by Walt Johnson) with Frank Sinatra, and juggled his schedule to work simultaneously with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Ray Charles, and Paul Anka. Ingram appears on seven albums with Marsalis, including the 1997 Pulitzer-Prize winning "Blood on the Fields."

Since 2020, Roger has been the lead trumpet player with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, and can be heard on their recording, "More Amor, a Tribute to Wes Montgomery". In the greater Chicago area, Roger is also the lead trumpeter for the New Standard Jazz Orchestra, the Pete Ellman Big Band, the Shout Section Big Band, and is a co-leader of the new Jazz For Chicago Big Band.

In 2025, Roger signed with the Conn Selmer Company and joined the Bach Brass family. He plays and endorses the Bach Stradivarius 190 Bb trumpet. What Roger says about this collaboration, "the folks at the Bach factory pay close attention to things like venturi measurements and bell tail specifications when manufacturing their trumpets. This is why these horns slot so well, get the sound they do, and have remained an industry standard for decades. A standard weight, brass lacquer ML Bach Stradivarius 37 was my very first professional trumpet. That's what I'm playing again, so it feels like I've come back home."

Originally from Los Angeles, Roger has resided in the Chicago area since 2008. In Chicago, Roger's schedule includes coordinating the musical requirements for shows, recording sessions and live events, writing articles, performing on big band recordings, live concert presentations, Broadway shows and star acts. Roger teaches in-person and online lessons from his home studio and also from the Westclox Fine Arts Factory's "Music Suite 408." He regularly presents brass clinics for local high schools, colleges, and universities. Mr. Ingram is actively involved with the Association of Professional Orchestra Leaders (APOL) to help further the promotion and advancement of live music performance in the Chicago area.

Further information, including Roger's complete discography and filmography is available in the Roger Ingam Wikipedia article.