Mayard Fregurson is still one of the best trumpet players alive... well at least i do still think he is alive... if yah never heard him... damn.. for a old man he is amazing...

I can´t believe none of you mentioned DON ELLIS. Never listened to his music? He leaded an awsome orchestra and had such a great technique and musical taste. He played a quarter-tone (4valve) trumpet. I think he is the best trumpet player ever. He was not a high note specialist, but I think this point is not so important. High notes are cool, yeah, but Trumpet was not made for this range. Like high notes? play a piccolo flute!!

JIM HYNES is the best player around -- and he is great looking, too. And, I beg to differ with the person who said it is just Byron Stripling you hear on CNN, 20/20 and other news show theme songs. It is JIM HYNES playing! As well as on the Monday Night Football program, and every commercial you see that has any trumpet in it.
Control, high notes, phrasing, AND hot! Jim is the best!

Definately Maynard Ferguson.

I just gotta say,
It aint Arturo, it aint Wynton, and it aint Maynard.
They do what they do...they all used to be great musicians...but none does anything worthwhile anymore.

Wynton plays solos that are very advanced harmonically, but lack soul. YES!! He lacks soul!! Anyone who says different needs to listen to Chet baker, Lee morgan, Miles Davis, Booker Little, etc. and learn what soul is!! He`s a great a great technician, but he`s not the most soulful soloist around. As far as his classical playing is concerned, his tongueing is rather harsh, and his tone can be a bit strident. He has a big, fat jazz sound, but it`s a bit too "choked" for my tastes...but I`ve heard the guy hit Dubba "C"`s...so he`s obviously doing something right with his emouchure. He`s the best of the "Extreme" trumpet players around.

Arturo can play very high and fast, with a big fat sound...probably higher and faster than anybody when he was younger...but now, he`s a circus freak that plays too many instruments, and puts on booring shows with mediocre bands. His classical playing blows donkey balls.

Maynard is the originator of the high note extremism school...and is a dinosaur who should be put in a museum and kept from gigging. He`s musically inept, his tone sucks, and his bands are filled with trumpet players that only screw up their chops after a month or two on the road with him because they are pressured to play a rediculous book that has zero musical value. He has no classical ability and can barely play a solo these days.

Allen Vizzuti comes to mind as one of the best overall trumpet players in the "all around" category. Bobby Shew is a supremely talented jazz player and lead player. Sergei Nakariakov is undoubtedly one of the best classical cats around; check out his playing when he was fifteen on the Haydn @ trumpetstuff.com. Just sick!!!

My favorites are to this day: Lee Morgan...nobody has soul like that these days; Maurice Andre...simply has "IT"...just the baddest legit man ever (Rolf Smedvig is sooo bad...but, he just isn`t Maurice). He just puts so much damn drama into what he plays; Why doesn`t anyone talk about Claudio Roditi? He`s got the best sound of any jazz player I`ve ever heard...big, brassy, full, loads of overtones...and ideas up the booty!!!!!

That`s my list. Hope you enjoyed my opinions.

Herb Alpert! I love the Tijuana Brass!

Christian trumpeter Phil Driscoll

In my opinion, He`s the best trumpeter, great tecnique, beautiful sound, and he`s only 30 years old!!!

for more info www.fabriziobosso.com

Just listen to the cd Evolution. Arturo Sandoval covers all the geat players of the century starting wih Satchmo and King Olliver through Maynard and Winton. He plays he Gliere better the Timofy and his tribute to Maurice Andre is outstanding. His rendition of Mendez`s Macarena is superb. I can`t see how one player can play convincingly in all the styles, and display a range of tonal qualities that mimic these great trumpet artists of the century. He could work in an genre he chooses. Don`t answer this until you hears this CD.

i`m a typical trumpet player so i have to say me

i`m a typical trumpet player so i have to say me lol

I saw a Maynard show last week he is amazing but he is 71 and has past his prime personally i think john faddis has the highest range also wynton marsallis is without a doubt the best technical player

I hear alot of people mentioning maynard and arturo. I never liked either. As far as straight technique, i dont think anyone can contend with Al Vizzutti (if you disagree, just go hear him live some time. Wynton is in my opinion as versatile as they come, he can play classical, contempory bop, dixie, and just about anything else he tries with ease and great use of different styles. Roy Hargrove is the current master of ballads, no one can play them sweeter than him. My favorite for bop is Nick Payton, he has the most swingin lines. A few others that no one has mentioned that are truly great: John Swana - lesser known but truly sick , and Dave Douglas - in terms of ideas and innovation, hes the man. He is in my opinion the closest thing to a modern miles davis thats out there. Well thats my 2 cents. - CHris

Jazz, Wynton Marsalis. Classical, Wynton Marsalis. Just plainly, Wynton. Control, tone, diversity, ease of upper registar. Complete control. Same goes with Allen vizzutii

The best trumpet player ever is Adolph "Bud" Herseth, the guy played for the chicago symphony for over 50 years as principle trumpet, all of you guys are talking jazz trumpets, or people that can do both, but no one has said anything about the people that just play classicals, as far as range, tone, technique, Bud Herseth has got them all beat. He is the reason that the Chicago Symphony was one of the very best ever. He got the principle chair the first time he auditioned, there was a huge line of people wanting that position, he came in there as a young person of 20 something years old, and before he left the room, after his audition he got the job, thats something that almost no one has ever done before, he has perfect tone, amazing range, and a great leader. To bad he retired in 2002 or something like that. As far as the best trumpet player thats still playing, Maynard Ferguson can play really high, but, doesn`t have the tone or the stanima that he used to, him in his hay day was a great pop trumpet person, most people only talk about him, but his band, always has screamers, and they are great, they should get more reconition, in all Maynard Ferguson has always been a "one trick pony", but i love to hear him, its unreal how fun it is to listen to him and his band, just energetic and fun, thats the way it should be. Dizzy, is the very best trumpet at playing be-bop and other stuff like that, in my opinion, he was a great trumpet player. Wynton marsalis, is a great great trumpet player, has a deep, rich tone thats something amazing, but, as far as jazz, he does more laid back stuff, with a couple acceptions, if he were to use a lot more energy like MF he would be awesome, cause he does have the control, technique, range, and all of that, but i still put him in a more of a classical person. Because he can play both classical and jazz true, but he really doesn`t go beyond belief in either one, more of a overall trumpet player, but doesn`t excell in either of them, great player though, Louis armstrong is only a great trumpet because he simply invented modern jazz, as far as a player, if he were alive today, he would be a mediocre trumpet player, but, because he revolutionized trumpet playing, he is one of the best. In my opinion, there is no truelly best trumpet player, the one i like the best because of awesome tone, range, and everything else is Bud Herseth, but, he never played jazz, as far as i know anyways, and that means he`s not a complete trumpet. If you are looking for a "perfect trumpet" good luck, cause there is no one that would ever do, There is no player who has it all, if he can play high, then someone has better tone, if he has awesome tone, he can`t play as high as someone else, there is no pefect trumpet player, but there are some darn good ones, there may be some Wynton Marsalis` out there, but they don`t excell in either of the two, you have three choices, be a great classical player, a great jazz player, or just mediocre in both of them. thats all i have to say, not much right, e-mail me if you want to argue about it, but thats my opinion.

Jeremy