Today we’d like to introduce you to Kail Limb
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always been influence by music, I grew up on Louis Armstrong and John Williams. Eventually I realized it was part of who I am and I knew that wherever I ended up in life I would be happy as long as music was the focus. Naturally, I decided to major in music in college. After I graduated I had the opportunity to spend 3 months on the road performing with the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps over the summer. The next year I wanted to start a little jazz combo to keep me playing, we added people until eventually we ended up with a full sized big band. The Odyssey is my truest passion project, I love that I get to hang out with my friends and create awesome music at the same time. I credit my friends for their support and willingness to come together and take a risk with me. Now, the Odyssey is thriving, we’ve had some times to find our bearings and I think we’re headed in a good direction.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s definitely had it’s challenges, getting 20 people in a room to play jazz music isn’t entirely the easiest thing ever. But it’s worth it once you get going. Another struggle is finding gigs, big bands are becoming obsolete and people are becoming more and more unwilling to pay them, because the truth is, it’s expensive, it just is. But you know, it’s never about the money for me, I just want to make big band great again. The world needs big band jazz more than ever now.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In no particular order I’m a trumpet player, educator, and bandleader in the Salt Lake area. I play trumpet in all kinds of ensembles and solo settings. I teach private lessons to beginners, and I plan to become a prominent educator in the state of Utah once I graduate from college. I pride myself on my versatility, I’m proficient in both jazz and classical both as a solo player, a section player, or even a lead or principal player in ensembles. Teaching-wise I’m the same way, from sit down concert band to jazz band to marching band, both visually and musically, I like to think I can cover all bases. In the big band realm, I direct The Odyssey Big Band, a top tier band in the state of Utah. We perform classic swing tunes, plenty of cruiner standards (think Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin), we also explore some more modern literature while maintaining that traditional big band sound.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Everything is what you make of it. If you get rained out and don’t get to play very much (which has happened), you could either get yourself down and be angry, or you could say: “hey, we played 30 minutes of good music, and the crowd loved it”. It’s all about picking yourself back up and moving on. Everyone fails, everyone makes mistakes, everyone is made a fool at times, but why do we have to bring it back up time and time again? Press forward and don’t look back!
Pricing:
- Trumpet Lessons: $25/hr, $15/30min (Salt Lake Valley)
- Full Big Band: very affordable, reach out for a quote!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/odysseybigband/ and https://www.instagram.com/kaillouistrumpet/p/DDfpShlsgjC/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kail.limb/
Image Credits
Daisy Nielson, Stephen Limb, Erin Blockston
