Kid Chocolate

Singer and trumpeter Kid Chocolate continues the New Orleans trumpet tradition begun by musicians Louis Armstrong and Henry "Red" Allen. Kid Chocolate was honored one night in 2000 by legendary drummer and his mentor Bob French. He was on the legend's bandstand when crowned "Kid Chocolate" in the same tradition of New Orleans jazz greats "King Louis," "Kid Ory" and "King Oliver." There had not been such an ordination for many years prior, nor has there been another since. Kid Chocolate has been protégé to many of the late great musicians who are very important in the history of New Orleans' music-from trumpeter/composer/educator Clyde Kerr, Jr., to tenor sax extraordinaire Frederick "Shepp" Sheppard to the world famous bandleader Anthony "Tuba Fats" Lacen. Kid's relevance to the history is the seminal link, from the aforementioned musicians and the current bearers of the flame, to the younger musicians of his adjacent generation.

My Take (2011), his debut release, pays homage to standards made popular by the great King Louis Armstrong while simultaneously keeping the sounds fresh and current. His talents for trumpet playing, singing, and arranging are all showcased here along with the members of his quartet Thaddeus Richard (piano), Richard Moten (bass) and Ricky Sebastian (drums).

Kid Chocolate began learning the trumpet at the age of nine years old and has toured the world playing music since the age of 15. Along Kid Chocolate's musical voyage, he has had the honor of being nominated for a Big Easy Award, won a Latin Billboard Award, been nominated for 2 Grammy Awards and won a Grammy in 2010. Like other young New Orleans musicians, Kid Chocolate is musically diverse and fluent in jazz, blues, soul and New Orleans R&B. He has recorded with Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (Book 1), Jill Scott (Beautifully Human), and Lenny Kravitz (Baptism).

In addition to his quartet's weekly performance at Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse, Kid Chocolate's trumpet can be heard every Sunday on HBO's Treme, as the instrumental voice of lead character Delmond Lambreaux. Kid Chocolate is also a faculty member of the Don Jamison Heritage School of Music (N.O., La) and is using this post as a vehicle to share his knowledge and experience, of the art of New Orleans trumpet, on to his young students.