Trumpet, Piano, Vocal
Jef started studying music from the age of seven with the piano. He picked up the trumpet when he was ten and started playing in school. In high school he was placed as the jazz trumpet soloist in the California All-State Jazz Band. He also was selected to sing in the California All-State Jazz Choir. During the summers he was one of two trumpeters attending the music camp put on by the Grammy Foundation, where he was able to study and work with Christian Scott, Earth, Wind and Fire, Ricky Minor, and Dave Koz.
Jef Derderian recently graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a Masters in Jazz and Improvisational Music, where he worked as a teaching assistant with Professor Larry Engstrom and helped to organize the Reno Jazz Festival. Jef performs regularly with the Reno Philharmonic, the Reno Chamber Orchestra and the Susanville Symphony. He can be seen playing around the Reno/Tahoe area with the pop, funk, jazz group The Pretty Unknown, as well as the funk group Rapplesauce.
Trumpet, Saxophone, Guitar, Bass, Piano