Alex Ridout Trumpet Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #136 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter Alex Ridout. Listen to or download the episode below:

About Alexandra Ridout

UK born multi award winner Alexandra Ridout is a trumpeter, bandleader, composer and educator based in Harlem NYC.

Alexandra Ridout episode links

Website: alexandraridoutmusic.squarespace.com

Instagram: @alexandra.ridout

YouTube: @alexandraridout6998

Facebook: @AlexandraRidoutMusic

Podcast Credits

• “A Room with a View“ – composed and performed by Howie Shear
• Audio Engineer – Ted Cragg
• Cover Art Photography – Alice Leggett
• Podcast Host – John Snell

Transcript

Please note, this transcript is automatically generated. It may contain spelling and other errors. If you would like to assist us in editing or translating this transcript, please let us know at info@bobreeves.com.

[00:00:00]

JOHN SNELL: Hello, and welcome to The Other Side of the Bell, a podcast dedicated to everything trumpet brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass. We’ll help you take your trumpet playing To the next level, I’m John Snell, and I’ll be your host for this episode. Joining me today is trumpeter Alexandra Ridout. We’ll get to Alex’s interview here in a moment after a word from our sponsor and some trumpet news.

[00:01:00]

JOHN SNELL: I want to give a huge thank you to Dr. Rob Waugh, who hosted the William Adam Trumpet Festival a few weeks ago in Clarksville, Tennessee at Austin P University. It was a fabulous event [00:02:00], so many great speakers and performers, uh, Steve Patrick performed with a big band, Anson Banks. Dr. Carl Seavers, Greg Wing, Charlie Davis was there, Bob Slack and so many others, was a wonderful, wonderful event.

As always. This was their 11th one such an honor to take part of the event And I had the honor of speaking, giving a talk on mouthpieces and mindset and all kinds of fun things that we talked about. So thank you to everyone who showed up for my, uh, my talk at Adam Fest.

The next one, next year we’ll be in, uh, southern Illinois. Dr. Ricky Spears is hosting that one, so never too early to plan and put that on your calendar. I don’t think they’ve set the dates yet, uh, but it’s usually summertime and it’s gonna be in southern Illinois. I can tell for those of you watch on YouTube.

I’m not in the shop. I’m in my hotel room, in London right now. I just came from Sweden at, uh, the Biba, the Blacking Academy in southern [00:03:00] Sweden, in the beautiful town of Carls Krona. Uh, we had a great time there. Marcus Paterson and, uh, his team put on a wonderful academy, for young brass players and for adults as well.

Uh, mark in away was there, Mark David from the Royal Academy. Tim Higgins from San Francisco who just won, uh, Chicago Symphony and Principal Trombones, uh, and many others. Uh, that is just a stacked brass faculty. I was there with Las Lindgren and Vin Mute, and I had a modest little setup.

Whatever I could bring in my carry on, about a dozen or two dozen mouthpieces. Not the normal 350 that we normally have, but it was great to be there. also on my trip, uh, we went by the metal spinner for, uh, VIN mutes and got to see his shop. What? I’m so jealous.

He has so much space and so many great machines. Uh, but I got to see how the vin mutes are made. Michael’s, uh, father, he inherited the business, from his father, and his father was the metal spinner for Vin mutes for many [00:04:00] years. So it’s great to see that history and legacy, uh, going on.

So check out our Instagram because I have some photos and some videos of the factory there. in, uh. The middle of nowhere, Sweden, just a beautiful little town, little village. So great trip. Uh, now I’m doing some nont trumpet things. I have all of my trumpet, travel and exhibitions are over for a few months, and so I’m gonna do some nont trumpet stuff here in London.

I. Well deserved. I’m looking forward to it. Anyway, speaking of London, our guest today, Alexandra Ridout, uh, was originally from London. She’s now in New York, and what an amazing interview. I caught up with her, uh, before I left. And, uh, without further ado, let’s get right to my interview with Alexandra Ridout.​

UK born multi-award winner. Alexandra Ridout is a trumpeter band leader, composer, and educator based in Harlem, New York City. At only 26 years [00:05:00] old, Alexandra is already one of the most talented young trumpet players on the international scene. Since winning the UK’s prestigious VBC Young Jazz Musician Award in 2016, she was catapulted into a busy high profile career and has been captivating audiences ever since.

Her awards include the British Jazz Awards Rising Star in 2018. Keep an Eye. International Jazz Awards best soloist in 2023 and second place at the esteemed Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Competition. Most recently, she won the next Jazz Legacy 2025 Award through new music USA.

Alexandra is a busy performer with her own outstanding bands of various sizes in leading venues in New York, London, and beyond. She has performed in jazz festivals worldwide, including Montreux, the North Sea Jazz Festival, and Unity at the Lincoln Center. Alex was a showcase performer composer in the International [00:06:00] Festival of New Trumpet music or font with her trio in New York in 2022.

The festival is curated by world famous jazz trumpeter, Dave Douglas, who she performed with in font in 2024 and recorded an album with in his new project Alloy in 2025. here’s my interview with Alexandra Ridout.

​

JOHN SNELL: I am so excited to have on the other side of the bell all the way from New York City, Alexandra Ridout. Alex, how you doing today?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I am doing great. Thanks. Yeah. Good to be here.

JOHN SNELL: Yeah. Thank you so much for, for joining us, uh, especially with your, your crazy schedule. and I want to, you’re on, cause you’re working on a project with, uh, Dave Douglas and David, ABMI.

Correct. That’s gonna come out later this summer. Um. I wanna plug that up front, but we’ll get to that. It’s just as a teaser. And quick note, we’re gonna have both Dave’s on future episodes as well for those listening. but let’s talk about you, Alex, and let’s start right from the beginning. I know you’ve, uh, you come [00:07:00] from a musical family, but how did you end up on trumpet?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah, so I grew up yep, in a very musical family. My parents, both musicians and both my brothers also musicians. I dunno. I was kind of, I was drawn to the trumpet when I was like seven or eight years old. I think I maybe saw my brother playing in a band and it was a trumpet and it was really loud.

but I also really liked, the Hello Dolly, that Louis Armstrong song. So yeah, I, I kind of was drawn to the trumpet, which was not something anyone in my family knew anything about. So, yeah.

JOHN SNELL: I was gonna say your, your father’s a guitarist, right? Uh, And what kind of, uh, like session guitar or jazz or,

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Jazz. Yeah, I mean, he does, a bunch of different things, but um, yeah, my parents are both jazz musicians. My mom plays saxophone.

JOHN SNELL: So you, you just, all you know is music

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: totally. Yeah.

JOHN SNELL: from, from before you could walk, you’re surrounded by music.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: essentially no escape. Um, but yeah, just growing up listening to all the [00:08:00] classic jazz records. That I still listen to now,

JOHN SNELL: And that, Louis Armstrong’s, uh, sound spoke to you. So what, what happened Did you say, dad, I wanna play mom and dad. I wanna play trumpet or.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah, I did. I just said I wanted to play trumpet, but I didn’t have my front teeth yet, so I had to wait for my front teeth to grow before I was allowed to start. And then I just started having lessons at at my school. That was it really?

JOHN SNELL: So elementary school,

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah. I was, I think I was like nine maybe when I started. Yeah.

JOHN SNELL: Wow. And already into private instruction. what kind of stuff were you doing? I mean, were you already learning jazz and changes and things

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I actually did do a lot of classical, like I started off, playing in like the local music center and the ensemble, like the brass band, all that kind of stuff. But then, you know, slowly but surely my dad and my mom were introducing me to jazz and I was always listening to it.

And then. They would see like, oh, maybe we can play, like, just try playing a little, just [00:09:00] improvise a little bit, you know, that kind of thing. So, yeah, I started off classical and I was pretty, I was quite serious about that actually. Like, for a while until, until I was about 18, I was, I was really doing classical a lot, and then I was kind of doing both for a few years.

from, when I was like 14, I started doing, there’s like in the uk, Pre-college type thing on a Saturday. I started doing that for jazz and classical when I was 14. So I was not sure which one I was gonna go for at that point, you know?

JOHN SNELL: So all in, tell us about the classical stuff. I mean, did you have aspirations to be in a, like the, uh, London Symphony or BBC Symphony, something like that, or like a soloist, or did

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I don’t know really. I think at that age I was thinking it would be cool to play in an orchestra, and I liked doing that and I liked. You know, I was playing in a really good orchestra at the Royal Academy of Music, the junior department, and I actually went to a specialist music high school for my last two years from when I was age 16 to 18.

And that orchestra was great too. I [00:10:00] think I. By that point though, I was starting to be like, ah, actually I think I, I like jazz a bit more. You know? It was, it was, it was always a because I wanted to do both, you know? And then, and I thought maybe I could be in an orchestra during the day and do jazz gigs at night, but it’s too hard.

It’s kind of impossible. I mean, yeah. So I, I’m, I’m glad I, I’m glad I went with the jazz route. Yeah.

JOHN SNELL: There’s also a deeper discussion there about growing up and choosing one or the other, like you, I mean, you successfully did both up until 18 years old. gotta ask, what was your, practicing like? I mean, was it, was practicing difficult for you, you know, as a lot of young folks, or did you enjoy doing it?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I was practicing a lot and I think when I was from, yeah, from about 14 to 18, I. had quite a sort of intense practice schedule. You know, I would practice, a lot of it is connected, like I still do all of the routines type stuff that [00:11:00] all of the classical players do, like jazz players. We all do it as well, of course.

So I was doing that, but I was also playing orchestral excerpts learning a piece, and then I would spend time learning like transcribing, you know. I basically did not do very well in my academics. I basically, I, I think from when I went to this music specialist school, I just kind of stopped caring about anything else, and I was just.

Practicing. I love, I mean I loved practicing and I loved yeah, I was transcribing a lot, but I also really loved like learning, hide and trumpet concerto and I got a lot out of doing all of that. And I had some really good teachers, so I was very lucky. But it was that, it was just music. And there was some times when people would ask me like, so what are your hobbies?

I’m like. So it’s still kind of the case, but it’s like I don’t really do anything else,

JOHN SNELL: so you would just, would you literally just play all day, play and transcribe and,

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Every day. Yeah. I was just playing all day, like I really [00:12:00] didn’t do much else. Yeah,

JOHN SNELL: Let’s talk about your teachers. Who, who did you, uh, study with privately, especially during this time? And then we’ll get into your later studies. and, uh, what were they like? What did you learn from them?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I learned a lot. I think. when I was that age in, uh, high school, it was a great classical trumpet teacher I had at my school called Tony Cross. I haven’t even, like, I should maybe get back in touch with it. It is like I’m remembering all the stuff now. It’s like, wow.

he was a great classical trumpet teacher. I had, Steve Waterman was my jazz trumpet teacher. I had some. Lessons with Tom Challenger about, jazz. It was kind of like jazz piano, just jazz harmony. and at this junior department at the Royal Academy, I had Gareth Crain. these are all UK people, so people might not know who they are, but check them out for sure.

JOHN SNELL: Yeah, I was gonna say, that’s why I love doing this ’cause it puts folks on on their radar.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Totally. Yeah. So Gareth was amazing. That was like some pretty life-changing, experience, you know, because we, it was one [00:13:00] combo. We had three hours together. Jazz, you know, this was the afternoon jazz experience for me. The morning was all classical and then the afternoon was jazz and it was three hours and we were just playing music that I loved and I still play and love, you know?

yeah, he was amazing. I had Nick Smart, who also is the head of jazz at the World Academy of Music. which I later went to study at the Royal Academy of Music, so I had him. It is all, it’s all quite connected, you

know. yeah, those are the names that kind of off the top of my head I can think of. I had Kit Downs as well.

He’s a piano player, but you know, you teach like learn about jazz theory and stuff like that. yeah. Yeah. A lot of people.

JOHN SNELL: you were surrounded by sounds like several amazing mentors.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that combined with just being all in, practicing all day,

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I mean, yeah, yeah.

JOHN SNELL: I and I, that’s why I love, I’m glad, um, you know, love talking to, to folks like yourself, young players especially. ’cause you know, they see your [00:14:00] people, see your rise to stardom, so to speak.

and think, oh, she must have been born with a trumpet and was just, you know, the natural, I hate the

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Right, right.

JOHN SNELL: was natural. It’s like,

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Trumpet is way too hard for anyone to be natural.

JOHN SNELL: you’d like discounting the hours and hours and sacrifices that you made from, uh, you know, a very young age when a lot of us were playing Mario Kart or doing something

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah, exactly.

JOHN SNELL: Uh, let’s talk about your jazz, inspirations. I mean, obviously satchmo from a very young age. who did you developed, interest in, in terms of who you were transcribing and

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: So my main sort of, I was transcribing a ton of Freddie Hubbard when I was. In that I remember it so well. I can take myself right back there. Like when I was at this music high school, I was just transcribing. I remember doing one Finger Snap for the first time and like, yeah, I was obsessed with Freddie Hubbard.

Clifford Brown. I was transcribing a lot, blue Mitchell, lots of people. I loved Ambrose as well from, uh, from a quite young [00:15:00] age. But yeah, there’s just so many trumpet players. But at the time. Freddie Hubbard’s, number one. And I think still, like for me, I still am like he is probably number one. I think that era of Freddie the Imperion Isles album, that was my favorite with the one Finger Snap, and I think it probably still is.

To be honest. But I was really getting into it at that point and Miles Davis on like Pinocchio, that kind of like, almost like the sixties jazz. I was like really, really obsessed with that. Yeah.

JOHN SNELL: So, the process of transcription I mean, would it take you, especially something like a Freddie Solo, I mean, how long would it take you.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: it’s a good question. I never really thought about it. I think. When I was, I mean, it’s still the same now. It’s like if I really go for it and kind of commit to doing it, I’m pretty fast. Like I have perfect pitch. So it is quite, I can find the pitches quite quickly, but then, getting inside the way that Freddy plays takes some time.

So maybe, I [00:16:00] guess like, maybe like, I would spend a week. Getting it together. And then I would just keep, I mean, I still practice those transcriptions and actually when I teach trumpet players that want, they like ask me like, you know, how do I get that, that kind of like articulation and the high range when I’m improvising, I just transcribe some Freddie Hobert and then we do it all together and they, they can do it.

You know? So I’m still advocating the same stuff that I was doing at that age, you know?

Yeah, I think maybe like safely if I’m transcribing something, it’s like a week, I’ll spend a week learning it and then forever more playing it.

JOHN SNELL: Yeah. So what does that look like? So you, you transcribe it and then you just, you just shed it until it’s under your fingers or?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: It depends. Yeah, I mean like recently when I’m transcribing, I really try to emulate the person and really get inside their essence. You know, that’s something that young people are, I was, you know, you think, oh, I’ve got it now. I can just do it. You know? You wanna get the [00:17:00] essence of their playing and you really want, like, I’ll play along to the recording, playing the transcription, and then I’ll also like play.

With the transcription, which is something I’ve started doing recently. So like playing in that style with the recording, but not necessarily playing the exact transcription. Which I think has been cool because then it kind of, it’s like a transition into improvising rather than like. Because obviously, you know, I’m sure we all know, like you can take a phrase and you put it through the keys and like I’ll do all that stuff as well, you know?

But this is something I’ve started doing recently. It’s like, like I’ve been transcribing Sonny Rollins and just playing the transcription, playing parts of the transcription, playing with the transcription so it feels natural, you know? Yeah. Just there’s different ways you can mess around with it. And I think, to be honest, I just do the thing that like.

I enjoy, like the thing that I find most fun to do, I start doing it and I’m like, oh, okay. This is, I don’t know, I usually, I usually end up getting [00:18:00] there sort of quite naturally, I guess, you know?

JOHN SNELL: Fascinating, fascinating. And I mean, there’s no end to what you can, transcribe and turn into exercises and things to extend your, extend your vocabulary. When you were, uh, well, you were doing a lot of classical as well, like you said, during high school. Were you, would you, uh, play with your parents and your family? jam with them and

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah, totally. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I would be, I still do, to be honest, like, yeah, whenever we’d have a free moment, you know, play some tunes. and I think especially at that age, I was getting a little bit, I wasn’t getting a ton of input from my parents. Like they didn’t want to be sort of, they definitely didn’t want.

To force us to be musicians and they didn’t wanna be overbearing in that regard, but, you know, sometimes they did have things that would be helpful. So, yeah, I would play with my dad and he would help me, with harmony basically. And then my mom as well, like, I. Yeah, the same kind of thing.

Usually Harmony. They don’t know anything about brass, which at [00:19:00] first was kind of frustrating because I would be like, I, I literally can’t play anymore. That took them a while to understand. I was like, no, I can’t just keep playing and playing.

JOHN SNELL: So, yeah, the, the, the pedagogy part of the, the brass playing, but the, the musicals, the, the jazz side, the theory side. They can certainly help you with and, and helpful to have a guitar player to be able

to lay down

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah. My, my dad’s a guitarist and then my little brother plays drums,

JOHN SNELL: Oh, so you guys have your own combo.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: much Yeah. And my older brother’s a sax player as well, so Yeah. We’re,

JOHN SNELL: Geez.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: it’s, it’s, yeah.

JOHN SNELL: so during high school, correct. Is when you won the BBC Young musician, uh, jazz Award. What was that? experience like?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: It feels like so long ago now.

JOHN SNELL: Well, I mean, we’re coming up on 10

years, so

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I know. Yeah. It was, it was really cool. Like I. I auditioned on a whim, not thinking it was very much like, oh, I guess I’ll see what happens. In fact, it was Gareth Crain. the [00:20:00] teacher I had at the junior Academy department thing, told us all to apply.

He was like, you guys should all apply. It was pretty new. It only happened once before the jazz award. And yeah, I just, you know, it, it really, that was a time when I really like, really started practicing a lot because I was like, okay, like this is a big deal. I’m gonna really try and put my B best foot forward, you know?

and I had to put, to put together a set of music and I played, you had to play like an original composition. yeah, and I, you know, I learned a lot about. I think the main thing I learned was how to just like deal with nerves because it was so scary. And I think that was the first time I really felt like, okay, I’m gonna use this and like.

Ha have that helped me rather than like, get in the way. So yeah, it was great and I, I really, I enjoy playing with, the rhythm section and playing my composition. it took me a while before I could watch it back though, ’cause it’s so hard to watch. [00:21:00] So it’s like cringe watching yourself at that age.

I don’t know.

JOHN SNELL: Yeah. Well, I mean, it’s, it’s, yeah, essentially, I mean, I, I have pictures and videos of myself, and this is a teenager that I cringe at, but I’m not in a, on a world stage winning a, a major award,

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah. There’s also just like a lot of interviews and stuff. I’m like,

JOHN SNELL: But it’s the same. Yeah, it’s still, still still the same. We’re still teenagers at, you know. But so you said something interesting there about, you know, recognizing your nerves and then using them.

Can you, uh, for your benefit, can you talk more about that?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah, I think everyone who’s ever performed knows what it’s like to be nervous, and I think I, I, you know, I’ve done performances before and I got nervous and maybe it had like, got in the way somehow. Just some often physical with the trumpet, you know, like you could have a dry mouth or just. Various weird physical things that happen that you have no control over.

but I definitely, yeah, I kind of like, it was quite a mental game, you [00:22:00] know, ’cause I’m watching all the other contestants and like, oh, they sound amazing. And I was like one of the younger ones. And. I just felt like you have to get over that feeling of like, am I, should I be doing this? Am I like good enough?

You know, all those kind of feelings. I kind of just had, I told myself, I was like, okay, like either, either you get nervous and that’s gonna get in the way. Either or you use it as like adrenaline. So I guess. What I did was like, I really, I’m trying to remember now. It was like, it was a long time ago, but I, I really focused on okay.

I’m gonna listen to the rhythm section. I’m gonna try and have a really nice sound. I. And the rest Will, and I, I, I just really like made sure, I was like, okay, I’m gonna try and be in the music as much as I possibly can, and I still do that for sure. You know, because you ha that’s really the best way to like channel your nerves, I think.

And it was the first time I really experienced doing that and I felt like it actually worked, you know? So yeah. [00:23:00] I think it was more of like a mental kind of like. Okay. Nothing to worry about, like, let me use this nervous energy as a way to really focus, you know? So I felt pretty focused. Like if it was one of those concerts where you kind of close your eyes and you open it and you’re like, oh, I didn’t know everyone was here, you know?

JOHN SNELL: That’s, uh, wonderful advice and, and I mean, there’s folks that are, you know, two, three times your age that are still working on

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I mean, I’m, I’m still, I’m still working on it, you know, but it’s, it was definitely the first like real like, oh, like this is how to, how to do it, you know?

JOHN SNELL: reframe it as, uh, as energy and put it to good use.

Yeah. Yeah. so what happened after you won the awards. I mean, you were on, you said you were on tv, you were interviewed. I mean, did you just go out and start working?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah, pretty much

JOHN SNELL: so you start getting calls?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: yeah, it was like, well, I got a lot of band leader gigs from, I was 17 when I won it. And um, yeah, I had a band, I had a [00:24:00] quintet, and we were all very, very young. Like, um, I think I was the oldest in the band. And like my band who, so two of my friends who now live in New York, they were in my band and they were 15 when they were in the band.

And um, yeah, I just got, like, I never had to try to get a gig. I got like, all of the venues just got in touch with me and were like, yeah, we wanna have you play, because it was, it’s a name, you know, it looks good for them. so that was great. I had to learn how to be a band leader very quickly. I wrote a lot of my own music and, you know.

It was great. Like I was really lucky I got sort of launched into that very quickly. And uh, you know, the odd kind of like, sort of more prestigious type things would come out of the fact that it was the B, B, C, you know? Uh, but mostly it was like jazz festivals and venues reaching out, which, you know. It was definitely a peak in terms of that. Now I have to really send the emails. I have to do the [00:25:00] work now, you

JOHN SNELL: So yeah, I mean, did you have management or were you, uh,

a high school kid answering the phone and booking and negotiating wages and things? I mean,

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Kind of, yeah, it was like my parents helped me for sure, you know, because they understand how the jazz industry works, you know? But yeah, I, they kind of like hooked me up with some sort of management, but it didn’t really, they were a classical organization, so they didn’t really know any of the jazz venues.

And I think that I got a couple of things out of that, but it was basically, yeah, I didn’t really have, I, I was organizing it and I’d get emails and then I would like. I ask my parents, what should I say? You know? And then I would reply and then we’d all come and do the gig and all our parents would be there, you know, because none of us could drive it.

It was, yeah, it was like we were all very young. We were very young.

JOHN SNELL: what an experience though. So, I mean, considering you were working at such a young, young age, was it a difficult choice to go on and get you know, college [00:26:00] degrees, or

were you ready to just jump into the workforce?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I don’t know. Yeah, I think when I got to college it was like I’d already sort of done that stuff, so I was kind of ready to like, actually what I did was I was really busy, like my first two years studying in London at the Royal Academy. I had a gig like every night basically.

Not just my own stuff, but like other stuff, which, you know, it was great, but I was doing, I was doing everything, you know, I said yes to everything and I was actually doing a lot of stuff I didn’t particularly love, you know? And I kind of felt like I didn’t have time to practice at all. Like, it was, it was one of those weird, like, okay, maybe I need to, which I think everyone has at some point.

You, it’s okay either. Like I just keep doing all these gigs and, you know, I was kind of saving up money, which was good as well, but. I kind of made the decision I always wanted to go to the US to like do jazz basically in the us for many reasons. And actually, when I was 16, this is a little bit of a side note, but when I was 16, I [00:27:00] did the Brubeck Institute summer camp, it was called, I think.

JOHN SNELL: That’s out here in California,

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: It is. Yeah. Yeah. It was in Stockton, California, and that was my first flight I ever took it. Was it?

Yeah. Yeah.

JOHN SNELL: Wow. Never been on an airplane. And then you fly, uh, fly to the us.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: float. It was like an 11 hour flight and I got to the US and it was, you know, it was all paid for through the National Youth Jazz Orchestra in the uk. It was me and one other guy from the uk.

So it was pretty crazy. Like it was a pretty crazy thing to do. And I was six, it was like just before the competition. Um, But that was when I was, you know, getting very serious about jazz. And I remember that, that summer camp really sort of opened my eyes to like. Jazz in America is a different thing.

Like there’s history here and everyone’s amazing. Basically like I was like, oh wow. Like there’s so many people my age that are like. Obsessed with jazz like I am, you know? so that was like a real kind of, okay, I want to go back at [00:28:00] some point. and I made the decision to do an exchange year. So my third year of college was in Miami at Frost School of Music.

’cause it was the only place in the US that we could do an exchange. So I was like, yep, that’s good enough, I’ll take it. You know? so yeah, I was busy in my first second year of college. Very busy. Not enough time to practice. I was like, okay, I’m gonna go to Miami. I, you know, legally can’t work in the US for the first year.

So it was like going from every single gig to like no gigs, you know? So I really just like, I’m gonna keep my head down, I’m gonna practice. And yeah, I needed that intense kind of practice thing a bit later, you know, like, ’cause I had it, I did it as a, like as a teenager and then I wanted to do it again, you know?

JOHN SNELL: Just, yeah. Bear down and focus on your studies. Uh, so, and my Miami’s certainly known for their music scene. Uh, what, what was it like in Miami, being in the US for a, a, a long stint or longer stint

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah, yeah, it was, it was [00:29:00] amazing. I mean, it was absolutely terrifying, but it was amazing. You know, like I think doing the exchange is so much scarier than like, I. Because I did my masters in New York and I came and that, that felt so easy because I did this exchange. So yeah, you come in and like everyone’s already got their friends and the people they play with.

So you’re just like a random person. Just random, like no one. It’s really scary actually. But it was great. I had Brian Lynch as my trumpet teacher. He was fantastic. And yeah, just, it was, it was pretty like shocking at first ’cause I was like, wow. Okay. This is so different to the Royal Academy where we’d have, you know, like two, maybe three classes a week.

It was pretty relaxed. Not relaxed, but like we didn’t have like. 9:00 AM every day kind of thing. Whereas Miami, it was like all day, every day. We had you know, like big band was four times a week, and then we had like a trumpet group. We had trumpet lessons. We have practice [00:30:00] partners, like very, like, you are here, you’re gonna get your money’s worth.

Like, you know, which I, I love that. Like, I think, you know. If I’d done that for four years, it might not have been what I would’ve wanted to do, but for one year it was amazing. Like I practiced so much and I like, you know, there was, there was something like 20 or 25 trumpet players and like everyone could play, you know, which I like.

The academy’s so small, it was just one of every

instrument each year. So

JOHN SNELL: So you were the only jazz trumpet

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: There was actually one other in my year, but that was pretty like unusual and they didn’t have a trumpet in like the year above or something, you

know? So,

JOHN SNELL: Interesting. Yeah. So to go to that, to one of 25,

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: and everyone’s great. And I was like, oh, okay.

JOHN SNELL: Yeah, and, and also being on my Miami, you were probably exposed to a lot of Latin music

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah, totally. Yeah.

JOHN SNELL: that start having an influence on you or on your plane and

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Definitely, yeah, I had, I, so there’s a lot of Cuban musicians and I had [00:31:00] Daphnes Prieto, who’s an amazing Cuban drummer. I was in his ensemble the whole time. So yeah, I learned a ton about that. And just, it was just like, okay, there’s a whole world of music, I’ve don’t know, and musicians I’ve never even heard of.

And yeah, it was just really cool. It was

terrifying, but really cool.

JOHN SNELL: And the humidity as well.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Oh,

that

took some getting used to. Yeah. I

JOHN SNELL: don’t get that much. Yeah, Yeah.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Not the same.

JOHN SNELL: 90 degrees and 85%

humidity. You’re not gonna,

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yep. Yeah,

JOHN SNELL: so then, uh, take us into the Manhattan. What, made you decide to choose, uh, well, I mean, New York seems like an obvious choice for a jazz player, but, uh, Manhattan School and, uh, deciding to go for your masters, take us through that.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Sure. Yeah. so like, came back from Miami during COVID, so that I, I actually had my year cut short by about a month or two. And then I did my fourth year in London sort of online, sort of in person and. I was so desperate to just get [00:32:00] back. I was like, oh, I really wanna, like, I always wanted to go to New York for sure, you know, somehow, but didn’t know how really yeah, it’s really hard to just, you can’t just like move to America when you’re, you know, you have to have a, you have to have a visa.

A visa and a visa, you know? so I didn’t really like look into it particularly. I kind of went on a whim. I was doing this like online thing that Ingrid Jensen was running and she, so she’s the head of, she’s the dean at, uh, Manhattan School of Music, for Jazz. and I kind of knew her a little bit, but like we’d met a couple times.

But I was, yeah, I was like doing this, uh, this ensemble that she was running online um, during COVID, and I kind of just got in touch and I said, yeah, I think of maybe applying to go to MSM because that was the place I really wanted to go because she was the trumpet teacher and that was, I didn’t really want to go somewhere.

I’d, you know. It’s a [00:33:00] huge sacrifice and it’s a lot of like paperwork and money. So it’s like, okay, that I wanna do the thing I wanna do. So I, I kind of got in touch with her and I was like, yeah, I’m thinking about applying. Like, yeah, let me know if you have any like advice. And then she was like, ’cause I was kind of thinking for the year after, ’cause I think I missed the deadline.

And she was like. Send in your audition video like now, basically. And I was like, okay, cool. I’ll try. And it was all online so I didn’t have to go there. Like I just did it all because it was COVID. Like I did everything online and then I got a full scholarship and I was like, okay, I think I’m gonna have to do this.

Because it was like. I didn’t, if I didn’t get full scholarship, I don’t like, I, you know, I couldn’t have afforded it. It was, you know, it’s a lot of money and it was a lot of money even with the scholarship. So, yeah, it was, I, I felt very lucky. It was like, okay, this worked

out the, the best it could have.

Yeah. I,

JOHN SNELL: so what was that timeline between applying or that email and actually starting school? I mean, it had to have been fairly quick then

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: [00:34:00] yeah, it was, it was like, God, I think, yeah. I sent the email around like.

I guess like December or November and then, yeah, and then I was there

in August, so Yeah.

JOHN SNELL: later that year

fit.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

JOHN SNELL: Yeah. So had, had you been to New York when you came out, when you were in Miami, or

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I did, I visited, yeah, when I was, when I was living in Miami, I made sure to go a couple times. And yeah, I wanted to go more actually, but I, I would’ve gone again, but it, I had to leave early ’cause of COVID. But, um, yeah, like, I just loved it. I was like, yeah, I would, I, but I, you know, I only visited twice.

I didn’t really spend a long time. When I did visit as well, I was only just like, it was only for a few days, but I just kind of knew and I, all the musicians that I’d met that were from New York, I was just thought were the best. So yeah, I, I, I kind of loved it and as soon as I moved there, I knew that it was the right

choice, you know?

[00:35:00] Yeah,

JOHN SNELL: You felt, felt kind of at home?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: totally. Yeah. Even though, you know, even though I didn’t know, I literally didn’t know anyone. I think I knew. There was one person that I knew and I kind of, and we hadn’t seen each other for a really long time, but yeah, it’s like just again, just like, okay, I’ve gotta make something happen here. You know?

It’s, but it’s good character building.

Yeah,

JOHN SNELL: I love it. Good. Yeah, that’s right. what doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger, you know? That’s, so how did you get on the scene in New York then? I mean, was it through the schooling, your connection at, at school, or? You know, outside of school jam sessions.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: bit of everything. Yeah. The same as what you would imagine, you know, like I, I, so I had Ingrid my whole time. She was an amazing teacher and yeah, she, One, she gave me a lot of advice, so that was really helpful in meeting people and getting places. But she also, she got me like a few things, like she got, it was amazing.

Like I got to sub with Artemis, the band that she [00:36:00] plays in pretty early on. So that was a really nice, really great of her to give to me. but also, yeah, I met Dana Stevens there. He was teaching me and he booked me in his band. So there’s. When I really think about it, it’s like, yeah, there was definitely, if I hadn’t have gone to M Ms M it would’ve been not the same experience.

But, yeah, Miguel Zenon as well. Like, there’s a few people I can think of. Okay. They booked me for this and it’s because of MSM. Um, and you know, you meet people, I met a lot of my peers, there and people that I still play with for sure. But also, yeah, just going, going out to gigs. I think being, you have to be out.

All, like most nights, you know, you gotta meet people. Jam sessions. Yep. They’re great. But also the places I met people that I’m playing with a lot now was like, like at someone’s apartment or in a rehearsal studio, you know, like you meet someone and Oh, you wanna play a session tomorrow?

You know? Yeah. And I think actually now it’s like. I think about it, I basically play a session like [00:37:00] most days still. You know, it’s like you just do that when you live in New York and it’s great. And now in my apartment it’s got to the point now where we have a music room and a piano and drums and we just had a session today.

It’s so funny. Like I literally, the, we had a session this morning and then I went and did another session and now I’m doing this. So it’s like, it’s definitely just like never

ending. It’s like, yeah.

JOHN SNELL: that’s, great. And very, uh, yeah, inspiring to hear that there’s that much work out there and you know, the connection and I, I think that, you know, it is often overlooked part of going to school, university, and graduate programs. So many folks, me included, you know, we’d lock ourselves in the practice room and practice and practice and practice, which is great.

And that’s one of the aspects of going to college. But you do, a lot of us do that, you know, at the, uh, expense of. Networking and making connections and

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: It’s, you have to, yeah, you have to do it. And I think like, or in a way, like the practice is the easy part. You know, like, ’cause you know what to do. It’s like, okay, I can sit and practice. [00:38:00] Like we can all do that. But you have to just go out and meet people and like, and I, what I started doing I still now, you know, I still just go and see a gig. If there’s a gig that I feel like might be something I’d wanna check out, I pretty much always go then you’re part of the community and there is a community and, and it’s like, once I started realizing I was becoming part of that, I was like, oh wow, this is, this is sustainable.

You know, rather than like, okay, I’m, I can do this anywhere in the world. But then For what reason? You know,

JOHN SNELL: Yeah. So did you, you ended up, deciding to stay in New York, or you split your time? live in New York and like I spend, you know, I pay rent, so I spend my time here. But I do a lot of touring and I go back, quite regularly to kind of like do a tour, do some gigs, but yeah, I’m, I’m essentially, I’m based

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: here, so,

JOHN SNELL: You’re based, based outta New York now. before I forget, uh, I, you did mention talking about studying with Ingrid, that you gave you lots of advice. Can you [00:39:00] share some of the, maybe the more meaningful, advice that she had given you?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah, I mean so much, so, so much. I mean, the main thing that I took away from having lessons with her was just like the approach to actually like playing the instrument, you know? I think the first thing she ever said in a lesson was like, okay, trumpet. Isn’t supposed to be hard, like it should be easy.

And I was like, what? You know? No, it’s not, it’s really hard. But she is very, uh, everything, I’m sure you probably know a lot about this ’cause she’s, you know, such a great figure and for everyone. But, um, yeah, so much stuff just to do with the body and like, I would be like playing and then she would just like move my shoulder and I’m like, oh.

Yeah. Now I can play, you know, it’s easy to kind of like think that, but. Once you start really tapping into like, oh, what [00:40:00] am I doing? Like, Because I feel like you are, there’s always something that you’re kind of clenching or holding, and if you can just be fully relaxed and like, take the breath that you need to take. it was just like having a sort of guru in the room. Like she would watch me and then kind of, you

know, move me around.

JOHN SNELL: so it was

even more than just, uh, playing changes.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Oh God. Yeah. Yeah,

JOHN SNELL: body awareness and trumpet and, well, I mean, she’s, uh, close with Dave Monnet and, and Monette to, you know, his credit has done a lot for body awareness and, uh, posture and body mechanics of playing an instrument. Um, so yeah. That’s, that’s great to get that passed down to you

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah. I mean, it, it was like, it was definitely eye-opening and also like. Just realizing how much you, we do as trumpet players that we don’t need to be doing, and it’s just getting in the way, you know? and she even, like, there was so many things I ne I realized I never even thought about, but just like my onu, I was like, I was never thinking about what I was doing.

I was just doing it, you know? And then [00:41:00] she was like, this is so obvious, like everyone knows that. It’s like you just like, you need to have these muscles like engaged literally all the time. I was like, oh. Yeah,

like, ’cause like sometimes I wouldn’t and then you get tired and, and that was a really cool thing.

Yeah. It’s all coming back. There’s all things I do now, you know, it’s like

habits, you

JOHN SNELL: which you give you exercises for that, like strengthening the corners or

just make you aware of them?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: yeah, she would tell me to say the word ear, so I’ve got ear.

With an American accent. And then I would do that. And then, yeah, and then I still do that. And then there’s another one. Maybe I’m giving away all her secrets, but I don’t think so. Take a deep breath. Just say the word Hawaii when you breathe in, like, and then you can get like, loads of air.

That was a really cool one. And if you are like, I still do this now, and it works. It’s like if I’m on a gig and like starting to feel fatigue rather than kind of like doing this, just, she would just go like, Ooh. [00:42:00] And then it like it’s, ’cause it’s like the opposite of what you’re doing and it really helps, you know?

JOHN SNELL: Bringing

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: So. Yeah. Yeah.

JOHN SNELL: Oh, there we go. Trumpet

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I mean, there’s a few things that I do. Yeah.

JOHN SNELL: uh, uh, I wanna talk about some of your current projects. Um, I mean, you released, A duo Correct. With you and, uh, and guitar.

That was a few years ago.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: That was during the pandemic. Yeah.

JOHN SNELL: Yeah.

But you’re also, you’re working on your own, debut album. Is that correct?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah. I mean, that’s something

I’ve been saying I’ve been working on for a long time, but,

um, yeah, it,

JOHN SNELL: now, now you have to commit to it is.

is it still in the works or where are we on that?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Well, this is the thing, like I actually recorded an album a little while ago that I never put out. I probably will at some point. I just wasn’t a hundred percent. Like, it’s mostly the, the sound, like I recorded it with a, everyone in the same room and I’m kind of like, uh, I wish I didn’t do that.

But I am planning on recording. at some point this year, probably at the end of the [00:43:00] year, I’m about to go. Do some gigs with, I basically kind of formed a band now it’s really hard in New York to. Settle on a band because everyone’s so good. But I’m getting to the point now where I’m pretty, I’m pretty confident in the band.

And, we’re gonna go on tour in Europe in November, and the plan is to record directly after the tour when we sound really good together. So, yeah, that’s the plan. They don’t even know it

yet, so.

JOHN SNELL: Well, they’re on, they’re on notice

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: It is gonna be, yeah. I mean, I think they know to some extent. But yeah, we’re going on tour. That’s all confirmed. Like the tour is happening in Europe, mostly in the uk. Uh, and we have some gigs in New York. We’re playing at the jazz gallery actually it’s the half Dave Douglas’s project and then half my band.

And Dave Ademi is doing

the same thing on a different day, so

JOHN SNELL: Oh, what fun. And a perfect segue because I also want to [00:44:00] talk about, this project you have with the two Davids Dave Douglas and David atmi. First of all, how did you get connected with those fine players and, how did this project come about?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I’m trying to think how I met Dave Douglas. I think he came into the Royal Academy when I was a student there. but he actually asked me about three years ago for the Festival of New trumpet music, which he curates to bring a band. And I did that three years ago.

And then, yeah, I kind of got to know him a little better and he’s heard me play and stuff, so he would probably know better than

I’m like, I don’t know how he found me.

JOHN SNELL: and like, like I’d mentioned there, uh, both David’s are gonna be future guests on here. They both confirmed, so we’ll, we’ll certainly talk to Dave more, uh, Douglas, more about his, his project. But can you tell me a little bit about what your part is in it? I mean, is it, what kind of music is it?

And,

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah. So, um, it’s a three trumpet thing with a rhythm section and it’s. [00:45:00] Mostly a lot of, openness, so a lot of free sections. But it’s Dave Douglas’s compositions some new ones and some stuff. He is done before. I think we did a monk tune in there, but we did the monk tune in every key sort of ascending, there’s a lot going on.

And yeah, I guess us three trumpet players. We either play together or we take it in turns to sort of have the spotlight. It’s very, it’s very open. So there’s, it’s not too strict. Okay, you play this one, you play this one. it’s amazing. It’s, it’s so cool being on a pro, like a small band project, but with three trumpet players.

It is very cool. And those two, both very, very inspiring trumpet players for me. know, obviously Dave Douglas, like I’ve listened to his music and checked out him over the years, and Dave Atmi is a very good friend of mine who I also, anytime he has a gig, I’m gonna go and see it. And he is one of the best young trumpet players around.

So, yeah, it’s, [00:46:00] for me, it’s like I’m in heaven. You know, I just, and I can keep continuously be inspired by what they, by what they’re playing. And yeah, we play a lot together and then we come apart, you know, it’s

kind of. Yeah.

JOHN SNELL: What fun. And it’s already been, it’s already recorded, right? So I think it’s in, I think Dave said he was, it is coming out later this summer. So

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah, we recorded. We

recorded in January. Yeah.

JOHN SNELL: We’ll, uh, we’ll get the information for that and make sure it’s in the, the description and everything so folks can find out about it when it’s released.

and for that recording, was it all at the same time? Were you guys in the room together or

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah, all the trumpets were in the room and then the rhythm section, we could all see each other, but they were isolated. yeah, that was a crazy day for me because I had Norovirus and I, it was the end of how I was like on the end of it, so I hadn’t eaten anything for four days, so I have no idea what I sound like. Insane. Like, so weird. little fun fact for you there. Yeah. It was like, it was, I can barely remember

that recording to be honest.

JOHN SNELL: [00:47:00] I love it. I love it. Um, any other projects you have? I know you’re playing with your, as a side person on a lot of projects and, and you’re, you said you’re touring, uh, later in the fall in Europe. Any other projects you want to, let us know about? I.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Various things. I mean, I’m, yeah, I’m leading my band, in New York for a couple of gigs, and then I’m doing another band, uh, I’m trying to think, I’m playing in Europe with a trio with a drama. Quentin and Bass player, Freddy. and we’re doing a few gigs around Europe. I’m gonna be traveling a lot this summer.

But we’re playing at this cool festival in Austria called the Outreach Festival. And that’s my first time playing there. So I’m excited for that. And that’s a trio that, it’s kind of like we’ve all played together, but we’re getting a trio together for some gigs around Europe. Freddy lives in the uk and Quentin and lives in New York, so it’s gonna

be a nice combination.

JOHN SNELL: What fun. What fun. And you have, uh, you post your tour dates and things on your website.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I

try to be, try to be,

[00:48:00] on it. Yeah.

JOHN SNELL: Okay. I, another, another thing we’ll have, uh, make sure everyone can get to in the, the description. We’re almost outta time here. I want to, a couple geeky questions if you’ll allow me, um, ’cause it is a trumpet podcast.

You’d mentioned you still kind of stick to a classical warmup routine. Can you kind of give us the synopsis of what you do? Is it, uh, religious, like every day the same kind of thing? Do you mix it

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I pretty much do the Caruso six notes. I do six notes every day. If so, the six I do I need

to explain what that

is. I, feel

like

everyone,

JOHN SNELL: some, some folks have done the crew, so we’ve had like Chuck Finley’s talk about it. But if you could just do your version of it

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: yeah,

so the six notes is just it’s like you play G three times and you go up to chromatically up to a, so middle G up to a C. You play the note three times. You don’t take it off your face when you are doing this. It’s the whole point and then you go back to a G and repeat the exercise.

JOHN SNELL: but [00:49:00] it’s like a long tone, like isometric,

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah,

I do that for sure every day. I do that every day. And I buzz on the mouthpiece. I do, I think it’s the stamp one and two, and I do some free buzzing every day. I do some breathing exercises every day, and I, yeah, so usually I’ll do like more of the Caruso routine, so I’ll do that.

That’s like my go-to. Sometimes if I need a change, uh, well, I mean, I always try and do a bit of everything. So some Clarks, studies, get the fingers going. I just like interject different things. I’m sure all trumpet players do this, but a little bit of flexis for flexibilities. A little bit of bans for articulation.

what I, I, there’s so many more things

I’m trying to, and I do it every day, you

know?

JOHN SNELL: but, but it sounds like, so the, like the stamp, the, the, the Caruso is pretty much your regular stuff and then you’ll, you have your bag of tricks that you’ll

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Basically.

JOHN SNELL: keep things fresh or depending on what you

wanna work on.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Yeah, just try and cover [00:50:00] every little thing, so I’m not like, oh, my tongue isn’t working. You know, like everything’s gotta be working. And if, if I have a day where I don’t have a gig, then I’ll like get deeper into it. But like most days I have a gig, so I kind of like.

I try and cover everything, and then I probably have to work on someone’s very hard original music for the rest of the day. You know? That’s what it’s been like at the moment, like,

JOHN SNELL: Yeah.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: yeah.

JOHN SNELL: Love it. And then, uh, and equipment, what do you use? trumpet, fluger, horn, mouthpieces.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: So I have a Monet, it’s like the new, I think it’s called, is it called

Resonance? The new Monnet

JOHN SNELL: I think so. I, I should know

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I should know. It is

my mouthpiece.

And it’s, I think it’s the B four. It’s quite big. I think I’m terrible with this. And my trumpet is a mount, it’s a bark Mount Vernon, which I got like a year and a half ago.

I really like it. [00:51:00] Um, my Flugel is a Yamaha custom, Wayne Bergeron, which is actually really, it’s really good.

Um, yeah, and I have a war button. Mouthpiece, I’m not sure the size. And that’s everything.

JOHN SNELL: And, and any, any favorite mutes that you use.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Not

really, no. I, mean, I I’m very lazy. I don’t like carrying stuff, so.

JOHN SNELL: I, I was, I

always ask the jazz players, oh, I have this Harmon that I got from 1936, you know, or something like that. So, so sometimes,

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: I’ll get there, I’ll be, I’ll be that person one day. I’m just not there yet. Like, I talk to other trumpet face, I’m like, I don’t really know what mouthpiece I have. It just felt good in the shop and then I got it.

But, um, I’ll

get into it one day. I’ll get there. I’ll get there.

JOHN SNELL: You know, if it ain’t broke, you know, don’t fix it. Uh, I love it. Well, Alex, it’s an absolute pleasure to talk to you. Maybe we’ll get to meet in, uh, person one of these

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Uh, yeah. Hopefully, yeah.

JOHN SNELL: next time I get out to New York City or, um, maybe I’ll catch you. Any excuse to go to [00:52:00] Europe. Maybe I’ll catch you at one of your festivals.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: That would be great. Yeah. Yeah. Why not?

JOHN SNELL: How can folks, find out more about you? The website? Do you do social media, YouTube, anything like that? You wanna plug? Yeah.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Sure. Yeah. My website is just Alexandra Ridout, if you just put my name in, it’ll come up. Um, I, yeah, I’m getting better at putting all my gigs up there, so.

That’s probably the best. I have Instagram, Alexandra Readout, yeah, that’s

what I’m using mostly.

JOHN SNELL: Okay. Yeah. And we’ll get these, so if people don’t wanna write ’em down, they can just click on the links on the show notes and the description and all that magical stuff we can do these days. Yeah, like I said, absolutely honor having you on. Uh, before I let you go, Alex if you could leave our listeners with one last piece of advice you’ve given us a lot so far, but the piece of advice that you would consider your best piece of advice, what would that be?

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Hmm. For trumpet players, I think, I think, just relax, you know, like, don’t take anything too seriously, like take the music seriously. Don’t take yourself too seriously. I know people [00:53:00] say that, but I think trumpet players, you know, we get in our head about stuff and then you just can’t play the trumpet anymore.

So yeah, take the music seriously. Like, love the music, but just relax and don’t take

yourself too seriously. Yeah,

JOHN SNELL: Just relax. I love it. Yeah, I

I think a I’m, I’m pretty relaxed. I’m pretty relaxed.

me included. Thank you for joining us on the other side of the bell, Alex. Great to have you on.

ALEXANDRA RIDOUT: Absolutely. Thank you for having me.

​

JOHN SNELL: What a refreshing interview that was with Alexandra. Uh, really amazing talking to her. And, um, to be honest, you know, I, I always get nervous talking to someone that young. I. Only because, not that they don’t have anything to say, but they’re just, they don’t have the context that someone at the end of their career might have.

and obviously you can tell why she’s so successful. She’s so thoughtful, and, so mature for her age, um, in terms of how she’s thinking about music [00:54:00] and her career and the business side of things, and, um, all the pieces that fit together to make a, uh, successful career as a. Trumpeter as a composer, as a band leader, et cetera.

so I’m so glad to bring her interview to you, and a huge thank you to, uh, Dave Douglas and others for putting her on my radar. And, uh, she gave me a few tips. I talked to her the week before I was leaving to go to Europe to go to London and having grown up here. so Alex, thank you not only for a wonderful interview, but also for the great.

Tips, uh, for before, uh, getting here to London. all of the links to Alexandra’s website and social media will be down in a description. And on the show notes page for this episode, make sure you hit that subscribe button. Make sure you hit that five star review button. And I’m getting lots, lots and I’m so grateful for this.

Lots of, uh, tips. In fact, Alexandra was one of those, a lot of, uh, guests that you wanna see on this podcast. So keep them coming. [00:55:00] Uh, even better if you know the person and you can send me their contact information. I. Uh, but even if not, you know, I have my ways to get around and, uh, to reach out to people.

So, of course, uh, you can send those to John JOH n@bobreeves.com. If you can’t remember my name, that’s okay. You can also just send it to info@bobreeves.com and, uh, we will, uh. Add those guests to our contact list. Another thing to mention, since it is summer and we’re traveling and my podcast producer is traveling, uh, we may not be posting every two weeks like we have been, uh, mostly this year.

So even more important to hit that subscribe button because then you’ll know as soon as an episode hits because it’ll download automatically. and of course if you watch these on YouTube, that’s where that, uh. subscribe and hitting the notification button will let you know as well on that platform.

Thank you so much for listening. Really means a lot to me. Keep those emails coming and if I see you at an in-store event or at an exhibition, please come up [00:56:00] and say hello. Uh, even if you don’t wanna buy a mouth feast or do a valve alignment, it means the world to me to here and meet my listeners. there’s plenty of those in Sweden, uh, and plenty of you came up to me at, the Adam Fest in Clarksville.

So thank you. It really does mean a lot. Till next time. Let’s go out and make some music.