Ryan Kisor

Ryan Kisor (born April 12, 1973) is an American jazz trumpeter.

Ryan Kisor with Wynton Marsalis playing with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in Denmark (Aalborg 2020)

A native of Sioux City, Iowa, Kisor learned trumpet from his father, Larry Kisor, and started playing in a local dance band (the Eddie Skeets Orchestra) at age ten. Kisor began classical trumpet lessons at age 12, met Clark Terry when he was 15 (attending his summer jazz camp), and played with all-star high school bands. In 1990, Kisor won the Thelonious Monk Institute's trumpet contest at the age of 17; Nicholas Payton and Marcus Printup were among the other contestants that year. HIs younger brother Justin Kisor is also an accomplished jazz artist (trumpet) who he has performed numerous concerts and had record releases with Kisor.

Following this he was signed by Columbia Records, who released his first two albums, 1992's Minor Mutiny and 1993's On the One. Following this, Kisor entered the Manhattan School of Music, where he was a student of Lew Soloff among others. He has played in New York with the Mingus Big Band and the Michel Camilo Big Band, with Gerry Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Horace Silver and Walter Blanding. Since 1994 he has been a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and has released many albums as a bandleader.

Discography

As leader

• Minor Mutiny (Sony, 1992)
• On the One (Columbia, 1993)
• The Usual Suspects (Fable/Lightyear 1998)
• Point of Arrival (Criss Cross, 1998)
• Battle Cry (Criss Cross, 1998)
• Power Source (Criss Cross, 1999)
• Kisor (Videoarts, 2000)
• Kisor II (Videoarts, 2001)
• Awakening (Criss Cross, 2003)
• The Sidewinder (Videoarts, 2003)
• Donna Lee (Videoarts, 2004)
• This Is Ryan (Videoarts, 2005)
• Live in New York with the Uptown Quintet (Cellar Live, 2005)
• Live at Smalls (SmallsLIVE, 2010)

As sideman

With Wynton Marsalis and Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra

• Blood On the Fields (Columbia, 1997)
• Big Train (Columbia/Sony, 1999)
• Live in Swing City, Swingin' with Duke (Columbia, 1999)
• Essentially Ellington 2000 (Warner, 2000)
• Plays the Music of Duke Ellington (Brooks Brothers, 2004)
• A Love Supreme (Palmetto, 2004)
• Don't Be Afraid...The Music of Charles Mingus (Palmetto, 2005)
• Portrait in Seven Shades (Jazz at Lincoln Center 2010)
• The Abyssinian Mass (Blue Engine, 2016)
• The Music of John Lewis (Blue Engine, 2017)
• The Music of Wayne Shorter (Blue Engine, 2020)
• Vitoria Suite (EmArcy, 2010)

With the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra

• Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Sweet Basil, 1992)
• A Night in Tunisia (Sweet Basil, 1993)
• Get It On (Sweet Basil, 1995)
• Paint It Black (Sweet Basil, 1996)
• Black Magic Woman (Sweet Basil, 1997)
• Hey Duke! (Videoarts, 1999)
• Some Skunk Funk (Videoarts, 2002)
• Birdland (Videoarts, 2004)

With David Matthews

• Watermelon Man (Sweet Basil, 1997)
• Furuhata Jazz in N.Y. (WEA, 1997)
• Mambo No. 5 (Sweet Basil, 1998)
• Back to Bach (Milestone, 2000)
• Impressions (Videoarts, 2002)
• The Girl from Ipanema (Videoarts, 2002)

With Mingus Big Band

• Nostalgia in Times Square (Dreyfus, 1993)
• Gunslinging Birds (Dreyfus, 1995)
• Live in Time (Dreyfus, 1996)
• Que Viva Mingus! (Dreyfus, 1997)

With others

• Ray Anderson, Big Band Record (Gramavision, 1994)
• Ehud Asherie, Lockout (Posi-Tone, 2007)
• Ralph Bowen, Keep the Change (Criss Cross, 2003)
• Michel Camilo, One More Once (Columbia, 1994)
• Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band/Music Director Jon Faddis (Blue Note, 1996)
• Jesse Davis, Live at Smalls (SmallsLIVE, 2012)
• Michael Davis, Trumpets Eleven (Hip-Bone Music, 2003)
• Ivan Farmakovsky, Next to the Shadow (Boheme Music, 2009)
• Wycliffe Gordon, What You Dealin' With (Criss Cross, 2001)
• Jim Hall, Textures (Telarc, 1997)
• Mike LeDonne, Soulmates (Criss Cross, 1993)
• Mike Longo, Explosion (Consolidated Artists, 1999)
• Pat Metheny, Secret Story (Geffen, 1992)
• Andy McKee, Sound Roots (Mapleshade, 1997)
• Gerry Mulligan, Dragonfly (Telarc, 1995)
• Ted Nash, Presidential Suite: Eight Variations On Freedom (Motema, 2016)
• Melvin Rhyne, Stick to the Kick (Criss Cross, 1995)
• Herlin Riley, Watch What You're Doing (Criss Cross, 1999)
• Horace Silver, Jazz... Has... A Sense of Humor (Verve, 1999)
• Steve Slagle, Alto Blue (SteepleChase, 1997)
• Steve Swallow, Deconstructed (XtraWATT, 1997)
• Ian Hendrickson-Smith, Still Smokin' (Sharp Nine, 2004)
• Grant Stewart, Tenor and Soul (Videoarts, 2005)
• Bobby Watson, Tailor Made (Columbia, 1993)
• Michael Weiss, Soul Journey (Sintra, 2003)
• Paula West, Come What May (Hi Horse, 2001)
• Ben Wolfe, Live at Smalls (SmallsLIVE, 2010)
• Sam Yahel, Searchin' (Naxos, 1997)

References

• Ryan Kisor at Allmusic

Yanow, S. (2001). Trumpet Kings. In S. Yanow, Trumpet Kings (p. 222). San Francisco: Backbeat Books