When you think of musicians from Charlottesville, the person who most likely comes to mind is Dave Matthews. Well, put him aside for a moment because the University has a talented veteran musician of its own. Meet John D'earth, a jazz trumpeter and composer who is currently part of the performance faculty in the music department.
Born in Massachusetts, D'earth has been playing music since he was a teenager. He studied with saxophonist Boots Mussulli and worked with Miles Davis and Bruce Hornsby, composing and arranging music for Hornsby, the Kronos String Quartet from California, and many orchestras and ensembles. And, coming back to our hometown celebrity, D'earth has composed for and recorded with the Dave Matthews Band. He has also recorded four albums of his own and with the Thompson D'earth Band, featuring his wife and fellow musician Dawn Thompson. When he's not busy as director of jazz performance at the University or teaching improvisation and jazz trumpet, you can find D'earth playing with other skilled musicians Thursday nights at Miller's in downtown Charlottesville.