Trumpeter Summer Camargo recently joined Tilles Center for an interview that touched upon Jazz Fest, composing, and influences (musical and non musical). Camargo is a trumpeter and composer hailing from Hollywood, Florida where she began making music at a young age. Camargo attended the Juilliard School, graduating with a BM in Jazz Studies in 2023 and MM in Jazz Studies in 2024.
Camargo performs regularly at notable NYC jazz clubs including Dizzy’s Club and Birdland. In 2022, Camargo joined the Saturday Night Live House Band–a position she holds today. Camargo continues to perform regularly with musicians/groups including Ulysses Owens Jr, Jon Batiste, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Camargo has found both early and enduring success as a composer, with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra recording her first, original big band chart, “Leap Froggin’” in 2018 and more recently “Alalazoo” in 2022. Camargo has participated in and won a long list of competitions and festivals including the International Trumpet Guild’s Ryan Anthony Trumpet Memorial Competition, and Essentially Ellington Festival where she won both the Ella Fitzgerald Outstanding Soloist Award and the Dr. J. Douglas White Student Composition Contest.
In 2024, Camargo released her debut album, To Whom I Love. Camargo will perform at the second-annual Tilles Jazz Fest on July 19th.
Read our interview with Camargo
Summer Camargo will be joining us for Tilles Jazz Fest this year. Camargo released her debut album, To Whom I Love, in 2024. Thanks for joining us. Do you want to start by talking about your background in music, anyone or anything that inspired you to pursue music and jazz professionally?
For sure. Thanks so much for having me. I’m very excited to be performing [at Tilles Jazz Fest].
I first started music when I was eight. I started playing the violin for a couple of years [and] I grew up listening to a lot of music. My parents really loved jazz. They’re not musicians themselves, but they really loved listening to the big band swing era stuff.
My grandpa was an amazing musician as well. He was a Baptist pastor and loved singing gospel. He loved singing with organ and different gospel choirs. He actually grew up in Astoria, but he went to Bible college in the South. It’s just so funny to picture him being in Astoria, but then releasing all these country gospel albums.
So I grew up with music just playing around in the house. I saw these posters in my school saying that they were offering violin lessons. So I started playing the violin. Then in fifth grade, we had the option to pick band or chorus.
And so I went with band. And because it was a band, you couldn’t play a string instrument. So I decided to play the trumpet.
I met my private instructor, Raul Stevens, that summer (summer going into sixth grade). And he completely changed my life, my whole outlook on practicing. He gave me a bunch of different goals. He was like, “okay, you’re going to… audition for this band and this band and you’re gonna perform here and you’re gonna do this.”
I didn’t have those types of goals when I played violin but it was super great because it helped me with my ear. With the trumpet you can press the valves and the note will come out, with the violin you have to make sure that your finger is in the right position–tuning-wise, it can be a bit more tricky. So that really helped me a lot. And it also exposed me to Celtic music. I played a lot of Irish jigs and reels. Wynton Marsalis actually talks about the connection between Celtic music and jazz. A lot of Celtic music has a 12/8 feel, very much like that triplet sound of swing.
And they also have something called lilting, which is basically like scatting. It’s really, really cool. It’s really interesting how I just went from that style to jazz.
In sixth grade I joined the jazz band. We played the classics like “Sing, Sing, Sing” and “In the Mood.” I was such a nerdy middle schooler because those were my favorite songs ever when I was in middle school. People would ask what’s your favorite song and I’d be like “Sing, Sing, Sing.” You don’t expect that from a sixth grader.
I started getting recruited by this amazing performing arts high school in South Florida, the Dillard Center for the Arts. They had an amazing program and competed in the Essentially Ellington competition at Jazz Lincoln Center.
I started going to their concerts and I saw how much music could be a part of my schedule every day. I joined that high school and auditioned for the band. I ended up making it to the top band my first year there and actually stayed in the top band my whole time there.
During my time in high school, I really tried to take advantage of auditioning to as many honor bands as possible. Really just putting my name out there–playing with as many people as I could. It was a really fun time making so many friends and connections. And it was just really, really great.
And ultimately, it was the Essentially Ellington competition that provided me a way to come to New York City, which is where I met Wynton Marsalis. That’s where I formed that connection with Jazz at Lincoln Center. I felt very much like I had a home away from home before I got to New York City [because of Essentially Ellington], which was really, really amazing.
I ended up going to Juilliard and I graduated last year from Juilliard [with my Masters]. And during my time at Juilliard, I released my own album, my debut album, through Jazz Lincoln Center’s record label, Blue Engine.
I joined the Saturday Night Live house band, which has been an amazing experience. I’ve just been playing all around the city. I just started in a Broadway show called Just In Time which was nominated for six Tonys.
Just playing with so many different people, Jon Batiste, I subbed with the Jazz Lincoln Center Orchestra and Mingus Big Band. Touring in different places.
It’s just been super, super incredible. And I’m really, really, really grateful.
Awesome. I’m a bass player, actually. I’m also an aspiring musician.
To what you just said, do you have any advice as to how you got where you are today. Are there certain things you learned that have helped you succeed?
For sure. One, I would say to be as versatile as possible. I think now, especially the way that the industry is, you have to be versatile because you can’t just be playing one thing.
I can only think of maybe two or three jazz musicians that could just be playing with their group–they’re more in the pop or style of jazz.
Other than that, you really just need to be super versatile because you want people to call you for different styles. As a trumpet player, I’ve worked hard to be able to play lead really well. I was able to get the SNL band job because I can play lead, I can solo, and I can also write.
And he also said that I look good on camera–I don’t look dead while I’m playing. I look alive–that’s what they want to see on camera.
Composing has opened so many doors for me. If a college reaches out to you, like, “so-and-so do you want to play with our band and you can come and teach a masterclass? But then they’re like, oh, do you have any of your own charts? It’s like, well, yes, I actually do. I have all of these charts and we can play this chart or this chart. And then you put your name out there as a composer as well.
Being able to teach is also another way you can, you can, you know, build your career for yourself.
It’s great to go online and just see what you can apply for. You can apply for different grants. You can apply for different awards. I just performed at the International Trumpet Guild–I was able to perform there because of a competition of theirs that I won. That’s how they knew who I was. They called me to play at that conference. You just have to put yourself out there and meet people.
I think social media is a really great way as well. I got a lot of opportunities through social media. I wouldn’t have the SNL job if it weren’t for YouTube. If it weren’t for Instagram, I wouldn’t be with the company that I am right now. I’m with Conn Selmer/Bach.
Jon Batiste saw me on Instagram. It’s just a great way to put yourself out there.
And I think there’s a way you can do it where it’s not like… look at me, look how amazing I am. It’s more of just like, hey, this is what’s going on in my life and maybe this will inspire you.
And I’ve received messages from people where they’re like, “thank you so much for posting this because it’s really inspired me to do this.”
I’m just sharing what I’m working on. I think it’s a win-win and it’s a lot of fun to see what people are up to. I personally get sad when people don’t post as much. I want to see what they’re doing. I want to see all the cool things that are happening to them.
When I was at Juilliard, everyone there was an amazing player. Would I hire everyone? No, I would not.
People are always watching and they’re already watching how you are as a student when you’re at school. How seriously do you take rehearsals? Do you come prepared to class? Do you come on time to class? Do you bring subs to rehearsals and make sure that your part is covered?
I recently put together a big band. I’m thinking of all these players and I’m like, okay, this person’s an amazing player, but I already have so much on my plate.
To put the music together and to reach out to the venue and to organize rehearsal is a lot. I don’t want the extra stress of worrying whether someone will show up to rehearsal on time? Will they cancel on me at the last minute? There was one time when someone did cancel me at the last minute. And then when the opportunity came again for me to play with my band, I was like, “respectfully, I need to hire someone else because I don’t want that extra stress on me.”
So that’s another good way. I talked about composing and I think that’s really helped me a lot with improvising as well.
When you’re improvising, it’s spontaneous composition–you’re composing melodies on the spot. When you’re composing you’re basically doing the same thing but it’s a lot longer and more methodical. When I go back to improvise I try to have that same mindset of being more thoughtful.
Another thing that has helped me a lot is playing with people my age.
I find that I get super, super inspired when I play with people that are around my age. I look up to the people that are older than me, like Sean Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Terrell Stafford, Marcus Printup, all of those people are amazing. I really, really look up to them. But the people that really inspire me, have inspired me the most are the people that are in my age range.
Organize jam sessions with them. And that’s how you really get to know these people. That’s another way to get yourself more connected within the scene. It’s a win-win because you get to play with people that you get inspired by and then make a meaningful connection.
If there’s an opportunity for them to recommend different players on the scene they’re gonna be like oh I just played with so-and-so, you should call them because we just played together and they sound super great. So those are a few things I can think of right now.
Thank you. And pivoting just a little bit, this year’s headliner is Arturo Sandoval, who hails from Cuba, where there were significant restrictions on what and how he could play. For Sandoval, his defections in the United States yielded artistic freedom in a literal way. Can you talk about the importance of free expression and artistic freedom and your relation to it as a musician?
Totally. I feel very strongly about the relationship between jazz and democracy. I think jazz is definitely the ultimate form of American expression because in order to be a good jazz musician you have to play in a very democratic way. We solo and have the chance to voice our opinions, but we’re also thinking about the people around us. It’s really just having a musical conversation on stage.
And I think that America thrives the most when we voice our opinions. Maybe I don’t agree with you, but it’s like, okay, how can we work together? How can we compromise? How can we be a society that respects one another? I personally feel that we could do a better job of doing that as a country.
It’s really amazing to see the correlation between jazz and this democratic country America claims to be.
I think in many ways it is [America], but no one’s perfect.
There are areas where we can improve, but I think that’s why people love jazz so much because you feel free when you play. It’s just like talking–having fun and hanging out with people–but in a different language.
And before we wrap up, is there anything else you’re looking forward to musically this year other than the Festival at Tilles center?
I’m looking forward to making more music with more people. I’m doing a camp in Austin, Texas with Chad LB. I’m very excited about that. I’ve met him once or twice, but I’ve never had the chance to work with him. I have a few hits with Endea Owens.
There’s talk of a potential tour with a band that I play with through Jazz at Lincoln Center called the Future of Jazz Orchestra. I’m excited about that.
I’m also very excited to be playing in Just in Time on Broadway. It’s a lot of fun. What’s really cool about this show is that we’re on stage–we have choreography and we’re in costume.
I’ve never subbed on a Broadway show where you’re on stage and you feel very much a part of the show–that is until now.
In this production, the cast is super small–11 people I think. The band is also 11 people. It’s just a little over 20 people in total that are performing. We all know each other by name. Jonathan Groff stars. He’s incredible and the sweetest man ever.
It has a lot of jazz in it, as jazzy as Broadway can be. It’s about the life of Bobby Darin. We play stuff like “Mack the Knife” and “Splish Splash.”
I’m super excited for SNL to start up. We just finished the 50th season. That was a big hurrah.
And I’m just excited to go back and to be playing more and to be writing more music and living in the city. I’m just excited to see what’s next.
I’m very grateful to be excited about life. As corny as it sounds, I’m literally living the dream. Things that I’ve always dreamed about are happening to me. And so I’m very, very, very, very grateful.
We’re excited to see and hear you at Tilles Jazz Fest on July 19th. Tickets are available now on the Tilles Center website or over the phone. Thanks again for joining us, see you on the 19th.
Tilles Jazz Fest will take place on Saturday, July 19. Produced by Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center. The one-day event will take place on four indoor and outdoor stages across the beautiful Long Island University Post campus, including Tilles Center’s Concert Hall, with performances starting at 1pm and swinging into the night! Get tickets on our website, over-the-phone, or in-person through our box office.
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