Jonathan Finlayson

Jonathan Finlayson is a trumpeter, composer, and bandleader best known for his long tenure in saxophonist Steve Coleman's Five Elements, where his precise, angular lines became integral to the group's intricate rhythmic language. Raised in Oakland, California, he moved to New York to study at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, graduating in 2005, and established himself as a distinctive voice in the city's creative music community. He has performed and recorded with Henry Threadgill, Mary Halvorson, Steve Lehman, Vijay Iyer, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Ravi Coltrane, among others. As a leader he released a series of albums for Pi Recordings beginning with Moment & The Message in 2013, followed by Moving Still and 3 Times Round. The New York Times has described him as an incisive and often surprising trumpeter.