Bria Skonberg Quintet

Juno award-winning trumpeter and vocalist Bria Skonberg is, in the words of The Wall Street Journal, “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation.”  

An artist deeply committed to the New Orleans “hot jazz” tradition filtered through contemporary influences, the Chilliwack, British Columbia native began her musical life as a big band vocalist (doubling on trumpet) at age sixteen and studying with trumpeter and swing veteran Warren Vaché. Skonberg traveled the world with veteran guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli and Horward Alden, and since arriving in New York, her profile has risen steadily with a New York Bistro Award for Outstanding Jazz Artist and a Swing! Award bestowed by Jazz at Lincoln Center.  

Her seventh and latest studio album, What it Means, is her first in five years and balances original compositions with classic material by Louis Armstrong, John Lennon, and Sidney Bechet. Recorded in New Orleans, the recording is steeped in the spirit of the Crescent City and features a remarkable assemblage of “local” talent including drummer Herlin Riley, guitarist Don Vappie, and sousaphonist and Preservation Hall director Ben Jaffe. 

With a deep, melodious trumpet tone and a voice possessed of warmth and clarity, Bria Skonberg is an artist whose approach, steeped in the past, points the way to a vibrant future.