Today’s guest is a trumpet player, composer, a college professor and another one of my long time friends, Michael Dudley.

He’s performed and collaborated with some of the biggest names in Jazz such as Maria Schneider, John Daversa, Brian Lynch, and Donny McCaslin to name a few. He’s also currently an assistant professor of Jazz Studies at Crane School of Music in New York.

We get to talk about his struggles during our time in college together, his complicated relationship with trumpet and composition, and lastly answering the big question whether it’s still worth it to go to college for music.

Lastly, we touched on something Michael said to me a long time ago that has stuck with me since. He said something along the line of :

"I feel like I'm obviously not white from the color of my skin, but black people don't see me as being black enough either. So I sort of belong nowhere"

This really resonates with the concept of our podcast, being between the gap so to speak. I feel like I finally understand what that really means and I get to learn more about how Michael has come to terms with this in his young adult life.

Follow Michael:
https://www.michaelrdudley.site
https://www.instagram.com/mr_dudley.mp3

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