Trumpeter Jon Lampley is what you might call a man about town. Born and raised in Ohio and now based in New York City, he somehow finds the time to play in Stephen Colbert’s house band on The Late Show, plus tour with O.A.R., Lake Street Dive, Huntertones, and more. In 2024 Lampley stepped up from side-stage to center-stage, releasing his live album Night Service - and now with his forthcoming studio album Notes To Self, he dives deeper into the spotlight. I recently sat down with Jon in Brooklyn to talk all about his 11 years in the Late Show band, and finding his voice by way of his new record.
"I did not grow up listening to any sort of jazz - mostly what I was listening to was gospel music.” Lampley explains “...from the beginning of when I started playing consistently at church, I was a trumpet player. When I first started touring with O.A.R. my junior year of college, I was playing trumpet. Funny enough - the lead singer of O.A.R. Marc Roberge heard me just kinda messing around singing backstage, and he was like '...you have a nice voice man, you should lean into that...' And so that was where I kinda gave myself permission to like, remove this thing in my head that is like 'you're a trumpet player that is singing...' and more just like 'you are a musician that is writing songs...'"
On the lead single from Notes To Self, “Greener,” Lampley explores comparison being the infamous thief of joy, mixing his gospel and jazz background with hip-hop and some unexpected tinges of musical theater - plus a masterfully executed cameo from his boss and esteemed colleague of over a decade, Stephen Colbert.
"Stephen's been amazing,” Jon told me with palpable reverence. “Having been in the band at The Late Show for 11 years now, to work alongside him has been a dream. And so, I knew I wanted that moment on the record to be special, and he was the first person I thought of. And I feel really cool that that's kind of like a collaboration between myself and somebody that I've looked up to and worked with for so long, that will exist forever."
Deeper into the album, Lampley sings a touching tribute to his father, covering the Otis Redding classic “Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay.” Jon began to show something of a bittersweet smile as he reflected on his past. Then, with surprising eloquence, he suddenly waxed poetic - almost anthropological, even.
"This was very personal because this was one of my dad's favorite songs. Dad could not sing a lick, but whenever this song would come on the radio, he would just kinda go into the zone. And he's no longer with us, but that is a song that whenever I hear it, I think of him. My dad was not somebody who expressed emotion very often. But in those moments where a song would come on, and he would sing, it's like I could see him being transported to a younger or a more carefree version of himself,” Jon nostalgically recalled.
“And I think that singing specifically does that, to a lot of us, because you can't sing without making certain faces, or having to actually do some work inside of yourself to access a pitch that, you know - regardless of whether it's actually right or not, you think it's right,” Jon laughs “...and I think going through the process of that allows us to emote in a way that kind of transports us. Some of my favorite memories of him were when he was emoting in that way."
Towards the end of the interview, I took a bit of a risk, and I actually read Jon a quote from his past self, which I found in his 2021 conversation with Leo Sidran on The Third Story. A strikingly vulnerable 2021-Jon confessed: “When it comes to creating, or writing, that’s where I’m just like man… I feel like I have something in me that I want to get out, but I just feel very insecure… very inadequate about it. But I think I do want to put something into the world that is… me.”
Luckily my gamble had the intended effect. Jon seemed simultaneously at peace, and increasingly animated. “...Wow! That’s from that interview?! That’s wild because… the biggest thing that was preventing me from really leaning into my artistry- and you know it's easy to say like 'oh well, I'm just busy, being a sideman and blah blah blah...' but the biggest thing was that insecurity. And kicking down that door between when that interview happened and now, it's very surreal to think about. Like this album that I've made really does feel like me." Jon’s uplifted energy was contagious at this point.
"...I hope that version of myself can hear the record, and be like '...dang!'"
John Lampley’s Notes To Self drops June 26th and is now available for pre-order. Jon will perform two album release shows at The Blue Note in NYC on July 1st, featuring special guests Lawrence and Sammy Rae. And on May 8th, Lampley releases “Dock Of The Bay” - on his father’s birthday.
Very special thanks to Leo Sidran for lending his archives, and again, please do check out Leo’s full conversation with Jon Lampley on The Third Story podcast.
