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This reporter asked: “So I hear you’ve been playing trumpet for Stevie Wonder for 25 years.
Dwight Adams responded: “28 years, man. I started in 1998”
Oops. So much for research. But the thing about Adams is that while, yes, he’s played with one of R&B’s great legends for more than a quarter century, it’s actually one of the least interesting things about the guy.
Adams grew up in Southwest Detroit, attending Henry Ford High School. He started out perfecting his trumpet-playing in ninth grade, after being recruited to play in the marching band, first on baritone horn, then on trumpet.
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He fell in love with the instrument when he heard a record by famed musician and trumpeter, Freddie Hubbard.”I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,”explains Adams, asking,”A trumpet can make those sounds?
Adams participation in a high school summer program led him to studying the trumpet full time. After graduating from Henry Ford High School, Adams got his first regular gig at an venerable Detroit jazz club, Breed Bebop Society. Adams vowed “I’m going to practice two hours a day and find all the jam sessions I can.”
And in the end, Adams’ self belief and determination paid off, In the late ’90s, through a series of serendipitous connections, he auditioned for Stevie Wonder’s band. — and he’s been playing with the man ever since.
That job has taken him all over the world, but when he not getting “Superstititious” with Mr Wonder , he finds time to hone his craft at jazz rooms like Toledo’s Peacock Cafe, where he’s played many times before.
“The Peacock is just a great place to play, man,” said Adams. “The vibes are always great and everyone can participate,”
Join Dwight Adams at the Peacock, Thursday Sept 25 at 7 pm, Enjoy the higher ground!
