A touch of brass

Jeric Rocamora, a 16-year-old Roseville resident, only started playing trumpet about five years ago. Now, the Rio Americano High School junior practices approximately 11 to 12 hours a week outside the classroom and also takes private lessons from the likes of notable local jazz musicians Larry Lunetta, Tom Peron and Steve Roach. The teen’s also performed in a variety of state and regional honors ensembles and won several outstanding soloist awards. Recently, Rocamora was selected as a member of this year’s Mondavi Center SFJAZZ High School All-Stars ensemble and premiered one of his original big-band compositions in Davis at the Commissions in Concert 2011 event. Rocamora appears Sunday, September 23, at the Monterey Jazz Festival in an arena setting when he performs with the prestigious Next Generation Jazz Orchestra on the Jimmy Lyons Stage. That same day, Rocamora will also perform with the Rio Americano High School AM Jazz Band on the more intimate Night Club stage (Bill Perry Stage).

Do you remember the first time you put trumpet to lip?

I was 11 or 12. I had to pick an elective for junior high school, and it was either band or study hall, so I went with band. And then I had to get an instrument. Trumpet was the first one I picked up.

Did you struggle with playing?

Trumpet’s definitely a hard instrument. There’s a lot of work that goes into playing it—just trying to get a good sound out of the instrument [and] a lot of air through it. I think every trumpet player struggles a little bit with range and a little bit of technical studies, because there [are] some awkward movements between notes and fingers.

What’s your primary strength as a trumpet player?

I get a lot of compliments on my tone sometimes, but I think of myself as being more of a writer than anything else.

How’d you get interested in jazz?

The junior-high-school jazz band needed trumpets. I was pretty good for my age, so my band director just picked me for it. And I started listening to [jazz], because we were playing it and I loved it.

Which jazz trumpeter did you really dig when you started?

Maynard Ferguson.

What have you been listening to lately?

I’ve been listening to a lot of Blue Mitchell and actually some foreign pop. I listen to a lot of soundtracks and TV shows. If I’m in the mood, I listen to classical [and] a lot of soundtracks from Japanese movies. Howl’s Moving Castle has a really good soundtrack. There [are] a lot of thematic references. And the soundtrack from Cowboy Bebop is pretty cool. I love the composer from that, Yoko Kanno.

How was the audition for the Next Generation band?

It was a live audition. Not any sight-reading at all. They just had us play a prepared piece. I played a solo transcription from one of my favorite trumpet players, Woody Shaw. It was a solo [from] “There Will Never Be Another You” on the album Solid.

How many trumpets do you own? Do you have a particular favorite?

Three. [My favorite is] definitely the one that I most recently got. It was kind of designed by my … teacher Larry Lunetta. It’s got really nice valves. It plays really well, and it’s really open for a trumpet. The feeling when you play it, there’s no wind resistance coming from it.

You’ve won several outstanding soloist awards. Any highlights?

That would be at the Reno Jazz Festival [where I received] the outstanding junior-high-school trumpet-soloist award. That’s for the entire festival. It was improvised.

Any humbling music experiences?

My first jam session definitely was. It was at the Capitol Garage. They don’t hold jam sessions there anymore. I went in there and we played a tune, and I did OK on it, I guess, and the next tune they called, I didn’t know it, but I stayed up there and I totally just (laughs)—you could totally just [tell] I didn’t know what I was doing.

Where do you plan on going after high school?

I’ve been looking at some schools [on] the East Coast, like Manhattan School of Music or Berklee [College of Music].

Ever serenaded a lady with your trumpet?

Yeah, a couple of times.

How did that work out?

Um, not too great.