Hermon Mehari

Hermon Mehari is an award-winning jazz trumpeter based in Paris, France. Before going solo, he was a founding member of the group Diverse as well as an in-demand sideman due to his musical diversity, as the range of artists he's toured and worked with attests: Jaleel Shaw, Logan Richardson, Hubert Laws, Randy Brecker, and many more. In addition to Diverse, when he is in the U.S.A. he works with Bobby Watson, Kansas City-based Latin rock band Making Movies, and John Velghe & the Prodigal Sons. He began playing trumpet in the seventh grade, and it stuck. During middle school he became intensely studious on the instrument, and took improvisation courses during summer vacation. While still in college in Kansas City, Mehari won the 2008 National Trumpet Competition and placed second in the International Trumpet Guild competition in Sydney, Australia. He is a 2010 graduate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, where he received his Bachelor of Music in jazz performance. While touring and recording with Diverse, he was a semifinalist in the 2014 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition, and a year later he won the Carmine Caruso International Trumpet Competition. His debut solo album, Bleu, was issued by Origin Records in 2017. His sidemen included pianist Aaron Parks, Richardson on alto saxophone, vibraphonist Peter Schlamb, Ryan J. Lee on drums, and Rick Rosato on bass. In addition to critical acclaim, the album also placed on the jazz charts. ~ Thom Jurek