Bio
Ken Hales has played trumpet since 3rd grade. His love of jazz came from playing in intermediate and high school bands in the Bay Area in California.
In Concord, His high school band took honors in several jazz festivals, including Sacramento, San Francisco, Reno, and Monterey.
After taking some time off playing, he resumed in Chandler, Arizona with the CGCC big band, then later the "little big band", consisting of some of the most talented musicians in the valley.
He frequented several jazz jams, including at the Pita Jungle in Chandler, AZ where he sat in for over 20 years. His style has been greatly influenced by the likes of Chet Baker, Bobby Shew, Till Bronner, and Tom Harrell.
Recently Ken moved to Snowflake Arizona. He has found a new group of musicians to play with, performing at the Bistro at Annie's in Lakeside, Wine Mountains in Pinetop, and Swanky's in Overgaard.
Playing jazz is a lifetime process of learning, improving, improvising, collaborating, and sharing. Ken loves doing this, communicating at a level that bypasses words and cuts right to the soul. Along with his friend Dave Ihlenfeld, he has collected a set of tunes that are a little off the beaten path, but are fresh and cool.