Chad McCullough
in these hills, beyond
in these hills, beyond
Reflecting on IN THESE HILLS, BEYOND, trumpeter and composer Chad McCullough says “this album is a celebration of life, but it wasn’t planned that way. I just wanted to play great music with my friends, as lofty a goal as I have most of the time. However, the recent passing of my grandfather just before the tour added more weight to everything.” On the road with his quintet last year, McCullough realized midway through the second concert that it was his grandfather’s birthday. “It brought home the importance of being surrounded by good friends and family both to grieve and to celebrate life.” In these hills, beyond documents the band’s last two nights of the run at the North Street Cabaret in Madison, Wisconsin, capturing a level of musical communication and camaraderie that can only develop through a band playing night after night on the road.
About Chad
Hailed for his “stunning, chilled lyricism and compositional acuity” by Downbeat Magazine, Chicago-based trumpeter/composer Chad McCullough is active throughout the world. Dan McClenaghan writes, “He is a rare instrumentalist who makes each note sound as if it were imbued with a deeper meaning. Certainly a player with great chops, his approach is one that is measured and deliberate, often introspective, sometimes gorgeously melancholic, and one that employs a continuity of mood and atmosphere.”
McCullough keeps busy. He is co-owner of Calligram Records, teaches in the jazz departments at both DePaul University and Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, has scored films and documentaries, all while maintaining an international performance schedule.
His latest album – a live offering capturing the trumpeter in top flight, In These Hills, Beyond was released in the Fall of 2024 to rave reviews, with All About Jazz calling it the “best playing of his career.” On the heels of that release, he toured in 16 countries with the Japanese band MONO as the tour music director, and played trumpet + percussion.
He is a member of the genre-bending international group Atlantic Road Trip, and their debut album ONE was nominated for a Scottish Jazz Award for “album of the year.” Over the past five years the group has been collaborating on large-scale works such as the massive “Over Mountain, Under Sky” (for full big band and orchestra) and has performed in eight countries. His work with Belgian-pianist Bram Weijters has been praised around the world, and they have collaborated with nearly 200 concerts through the last decade.
Festival performances include the Festival of New Trumpet Music (New York), the GG Jazz Festival (Russia), Chicago Jazz Festival, The Islay Jazz Festival (Scotland), The Earshot Jazz Festival (Seattle), Halifax Jazz Festival, Prilep Jazz Festival (Macedonia) and The Appeltuin Jazz Festival (Belgium). His albums have been released internationally on Calligram, Origin Records, ears&eyes records, Monks and Thieves, and Shifting Paradigm. He’s a frequent collaborator with many musicians/ensembles, including groups with; Bram Weijters, Matt Ulery, Dana Hall, Neal Alger, Jon Irabagon, Ryan Shultz, Luke Malewicz, James Davis, Rob Clearfield, and Tim Hagans and has performed with Maria Schneider, Miguel Zenon, Stafford James, Michael Shrieve, Avishai Cohen, Kendrick Scott, Claudio Roditi, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, Charles Tolliver, Ambrose Akinmuserie, Steve Coleman, Dave Douglas, and many more.
Chad is an AR Resonance Performing Artist, and plays their mouthpieces, trumpets, and four-valve flugelhorn exclusively.
… IS A RARE INSTRUMENTALIST WHO MAKES EACH NOTE SOUND AS IF IT WERE IMBUED WITH A DEEPER MEANING. HIS APPROACH IS ONE THAT IS MEASURED AND DELIBERATE, OFTEN INTROSPECTIVE, SOMETIMES GORGEOUSLY MELANCHOLIC, AND ONE THAT EMPLOYS A CONTINUITY OF MOOD AND ATMOSPHERE …
DAN MCCLENAGHAN
Bram Weijters & Chad McCullough Duo
Bram Weijters & Chad McCullough Duo
Different But The Same / from the album FEATHER