Brass Roots

By Mary Ellen Mitchell

Gerald Chavis is one of Wilmington’s most respected jazz ambassadors. An endlessly inventive trumpet master with national chops, he has been playing in local studio sessions, concerts, festivals and church services for more than 40 years.

Chavis has shared stages and studios with a broad range of artists, including Mick Jagger, Phyllis Hyman, Donald Byrd, The Temptations, The Dells and The Spinners — to name a few.

Today he fronts the hard-hitting Gerald Chavis Quintet and performs with national acts at Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia and other area venues. He’s also a member of the wedding band Soul Patch Philly and directs The Fast Lane, a collective of accomplished Wilmington musicians.

A frequent presence in Philadelphia area recording studios, Chavis is as comfortable behind the board as he is behind the horn, contributing as a producer and session man for a wide range of local and national acts.

“I love what I do, and I’m at a point where it almost sounds good,” he quips. “I wouldn’t trade my memories and experiences for anything.”

 

Playing It Forward

Chavis’s contributions as an educator, mentor and advocate are no less noteworthy. Throughout his career, he has worked with youth ensembles such as the Wilmington Youth Jazz Band and created showcases for emerging local musicians.

He also spent nearly three decades studying and teaching jazz trumpet at the Christina Cultural Arts Center in Wilmington.

“Now that I’m in my golden years, I’m no longer actively involved there,” he says. “But I serve as an influencer, if you will, and I’m still a resource for anybody who is honestly seeking to learn.”

In his role as a civic leader keeping jazz alive and well in Wilmington, Chavis’s dedication to the success of the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival goes back to the beginning. Created in 1989 to honor Wilmington’s native son, the annual event brings musicians of every jazz tradition to play in Rodney Square for four days in June.

Not only has Chavis worked behind the scenes to support the festival’s mission, but he has also played on stage and led the Clifford Brown Tribute Big Band performances many times over the years. Today, the band is called The Clifford Brown Festival Orchestra, an outgrowth of The Fast Lane.

“When I and other local jazz musicians first started thinking about having a festival,” he says, “we were performing in different places around the city, so we offered Jazzin’ on the Square, a series of outdoor summer concerts that preceded the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, which came about through a grassroots effort.”

These days, Chavis is less a performer and more a resource for the festival. “I’ve been blessed with opportunities, and I believe there are young players who deserve the same,” he says.

 

Playing by Ear

Born and raised on Wilmington’s northeast side, Chavis embarked on his musical path at age 9.

“When I was in fourth grade at George Gray Elementary School, I wanted to take up the sax, but the school didn’t own any saxophones,” he says. “So, they gave me a clarinet. That didn’t feel right, so I swapped it for the trombone, but my arms weren’t long enough. That’s when I said, ‘All right — give me the trumpet.’”

What started as a process of elimination quickly became a natural groove. Chavis practiced the trumpet tirelessly, and by age 13 was playing paid gigs. “Each neighborhood in Wilmington had its own band,” he says. “We’d gravitate toward one another and just start rehearsing.”

“Before long, I was working with high school guys playing dance music, R&B, and rock ’n’ roll in packed school auditoriums and dances across the city at a rate of $10 per man,” Chavis says. “At that age, I felt rich.” ($10 in 1968 is equal to $93 in 2025.)

 

The High Notes

While a student at Wilmington High School, where he played in concert and marching bands, Chavis met school administrator and professional musician Hal Schiff, who exposed him to big-band music while leading a 1973 trip to Europe, which included musicians from several other area high schools.

“I was blessed to be able to go on that trip, and I gained exposure to many New York jazz professionals under Hal Schiff,” he says.

Also, as an aspiring young musician, Chavis was fortunate to catch a glimpse of the business side of the music industry through his father, James.

“My dad earned a living in the trades and couldn’t play a tune, but he was a natural businessman whose hobby was producing music — first R&B, and then later, gospel,” he says.

Consequently, “I’d tag along with my dad to studios and shows in New York, Philly and Atlantic City, and sit in the engineer’s booth or in a corner backstage. I remember watching international performers from backstage at Club Harlem, thinking, ‘One day I’m going to be doing this.’ ”

 

Catching Fire

After graduating from Wilmington High School, Chavis studied classical and jazz trumpet at Florida A&M University (FAMU), where he gained a technical foundation before returning to Wilmington to study under jazz trumpet master and educator Robert “Boysie” Lowery.

Known for his unconventional approach to music theory and improvisation, Lowery shaped generations of jazz trumpeters, including the legendary Clifford Brown.

“In my freshman year, the president of the Delaware FAMU Alumni Association gave me a recording of Clifford Brown that changed my entire trajectory,” Chavis says.

“When I listened to that recording, I was blown away — and every time I played it, I heard something different. That’s what led me to Boysie.”

Through Lowery, Chavis discovered his own style of play. “Boysie didn’t give me the answers to musical puzzles — he wanted me to ‘discover things for myself,’” he says. “He encouraged me to create my own melody every time: big band, quintet, all kinds of jazz. Everything goes.”

Furthermore, Chavis says, “He taught me patience, which he defined as, ‘to be undisturbed by obstacles.’”

Indeed, Chavis wondered if his location in such a small city would become an obstacle to success. He considered moving to New York, but Lowery told him, “It doesn’t matter where you’re playing — it’s about what you’re playing. What’s wrong with here?”

As his studies under Lowery progressed, his phone started ringing.

For example, early in his career, Chavis joined The NewTech Uptown house band. Under the direction of Teddy Pendergrass’s bandleader, Sam Reed, NewTech played at the historic Uptown Theater in Philadelphia.

“James Brown, Kool & The Gang, Gladys Knight — all the national and Motown acts came through the Uptown over the years — so I gained a lot of diverse opportunities from that,” Chavis says.

Fellow local trumpet legend Tony “Big Cat” Smith, whom Lowery also mentored, describes Chavis’s sound: “Gerald’s music tells a story. He takes the audience on a journey, and that’s how I know he’s one of the best. His sound speaks straight from his heart.”

 

Playing for the Community

For the fourth year running, his production company, Gerald Chavis Music, presents ensembles of accomplished local jazz musicians who perform concerts at Theatre N in downtown Wilmington on the third Thursday of every month (except January and June).

“Theatre N was open to community-based programming, and I wanted to present world-class concerts in the city,” Chavis says.

A highlight of the series is that it helps introduce young listeners to live jazz close to home. “Kids can get in free with an adult, so we wrap up at 9 p.m. since it’s a school night,” he says.

“There’s nothing greater than when the house is completely attentive — unlike at a bar,” Chavis says. “How you converse with your audience musically — using sound waves to create a chemical change in the listener so that they feel you — that is your art.”

While he’ll forever be known as one of the area’s jazz trumpet greats, with a sound rooted in a small city that played an important role in the origins of the genre, Chavis deflects praise.

“I’m only ever as good as the guys and gals who are supporting me,” he insists. “We’re family. Many of them I’ve known since I was 13.”

He also credits much of his success to his partner and production manager, Linda Pitts, who handles the administrative side of his work. “I couldn’t do this without her,” he says.

Summing up his career, Chavis says, “Ultimately, I hope to be known as someone who left the place better than he found it. Every day I thank God for another chance to try to get it right. I’m almost there.”