Music
Press
“Heflin's playing is as strong as his conception of music.”
- Bob Karlovits
“Five Stars” - James Hall
“His original compositions both reflect his classic influences while demonstrating he clearly has his own voice.”
- Daisy Riprock
"Symmetry makes a strong and distinctive statement.”
- Joe Ross
"Tennessee-born trumpeter Thomas Heflin has taken an approach to his first album that the French might call a fourre-tout: a grab-bag that you fill up with all sorts of odds and ends - a variety of styles, material and recording dates . In this case it’s a strategy that is pretty darn successful." - etnobofin.com
“Heflin plays with a very fluid approach generating lines in a seamless, highly polished manner that is really a joy to experience.”
- Gary Mortenson
"...Thomas Heflin's meticulous trumpet sets the compass."
- Jack Bowers
"Thomas Heflin’s “Symmetry” is the quintessential name for an album whose instrumentation is in perfect rapport." - Sari N. Kent
"A fluent trumpeter with a bright tone and a forward-looking style..." - Scott Yanow
Discography
Blues Man From Memphis: More from the Musical Mind of Donald Brown
The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
Blue Canoe Records
2007
Featuring Stephon Harris, Gregory Tardy and John Clayton and Donald Brown
Love and Circumstances
Christabel and the Jons
Independent
2006
A Year in the Life of the Band
The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
Independent
2002
One For the Team!
The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
Independent
2001
The Music of Donald Brown
The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
Independent
2000
Photos
Bio
Jazz trumpeter Thomas Heflin is the newest rising star in the jazz world. In 2005, he placed second in the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition in Seattle, WA. One of the most esteemed jazz trumpet competitions in the world, the event was judged by jazz trumpet greats Ingrid Jensen, Terell Stafford and Scott Wendholt. One reviewer from the International Trumpet Guild described his playing there as "a very fluid approach generating lines in a seamless highly polished manner that is really a joy to experience." As a former member of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, Heflin has recorded with the likes of Stephon Harris, Donald Brown, Gregory Tardy and John Clayton, as well as toured Europe playing festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Ezcaray Jazz Festival, and Jazz at Vienne. Outside of the KJO, Heflin has performed in a professional capacity with the likes of James Williams, Vincent Herring and Donald Brown. Heflin's new CD, "Symmetry," showcases Heflin's brilliant, highly praised improvisational skills as well as the formidable talents of his band, including four tracks featuring the late world renowned pianist James Williams.
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