Brad Mason (trumpet) was born in England on July 24, 1973. When only 5 years old, he began trumpet lessons with his father, Barry. At 9, he began piano lessons and played both instruments at school and outside recitals. By 14, he was performing three to four times a week in dance halls, theaters, clubs, and pubs. Though his repertoire included a variety of musical styles, the young musician was drawn early to jazz and improvisation. In 1991, at age 17, Brad won the national Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Soloist Award and was a featured performer at John Dankworths Wavendon Jazz School. ((Later that year, Brad moved to the United States to study, on a full tuition scholarship, at the Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts where he met and studied with Hal Crook and Phil Wilson, among others. He won his second Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Soloist Under 25 Award in 1993, the same year his younger brother, Elliot, won the Under 21 category. Brad represented Berklee at performances throughout the United States, and in 1995 he traveled to Israel to perform at Dave Liebmans annual I.A.S.J. conference. He received the Clark Terry Award in recognition of outstanding performance abilities from Berklee College of Music in both 1994 and 1995. It was during these years at Berklee that Brad developed his interest in the electronic valve instrument (EVI) and he soon integrated it into his performances. After graduating from Berklee, Brad moved to New York City where he quickly became in demand as a trumpet and EVI player. ((Masons recent career includes performances with the Mingus Big Band, John Mayer, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Jessica Simpson, Alicia Keys, Natalie Cole, Willie Nelson, Mike Stern, John Scofield, Gary Burton, Randy Brecker, Chico O'Farrels Latin Jazz Band, Joe Zawinul, Gary Husband, Lionel Loueke, Antonio Sanchez, Lionel Hampton, Bill Pierce, Hiram Bullock, Claudio Roditi, Dave Liebman, Ronny Jordan, Vincent Herring, Abe Laboriel, and Lenny White.((Mason performed at the 31st American Music Awards as a member of the band, Bombsquad, the recipients of the American Music Award for Best Unsigned Band of 2003. ((In January 2007, Mason joined the John Mayer Band on its 2007 world tour. While working with Mayer, Mason continues to co-lead the Mason Brothers Band with his brother, Elliot.Weblinks: http://www.masonbrothersquintet.com