The Jon Menges Group is a mainstream jazz ensemble that performs various styles of standards, jazz classics, and original tunes. The group has played in many cafes, bars, restaurants, bookstores, and for private functions in the New York area. Also providing various styles of swing and Latin music, the group can perform as a trio on up.

A trumpeter, composer, arranger, and music copyist, Jon Menges’s creative and talented musical programs delighted the audiences in the Chicago area for many years. Jon has performed with such great artists as Cab Calloway, Lou Rawls, Neil Sadaka, Leslie Uggams, Joel Gray, Jim Nabors, Freddie Cole, and Jon Faddis.

As well as having traveled all over the world playing shows on cruise ships, Jon toured the country with the orchestras of Russ Morgan and Guy Lombardo. Jon also did a U.S. tour of the Broadway show Copacobana. Today, Jon resides and freelances in the New York City area as well as teaching music in Connecticut.

Jon Menges is thrilled to announce the release of his latest album, Spirit of 3, Spirit of 4, releasing on July 28th, 2023. True to its title, the album showcases two ensembles - one a trio, the other a quartet - presenting an eclectic collection of twelve Menges compositions that capture the essence of the group’s musical versatility.

Spirit of 3 Trio:
1. Anchor in the Path
2. Stairs
3. Tree of Hope
4. Angelynne
5. Turning Point
6. Walk into My Heart

The trio open on the stirring, Latin-grooved and rhythmic foot tapper Anchor in the Path and the playfully earnest Stairs and then proceeds to bring us the absorbing swing within Tree of Hope, the impassioned ballad Angelynne (dedicated to his daughter, and then come both the Celtic-hued, up-tempo Turning Point and the touching waltz Walk into My Heart (dedicated to his son).

Spirit of 4 Quartet:
7. Coqui
8. Focus
9. Heartbreak
10. Mina Buta
11. The Spirit Within
12. Somethin’

The quartet then themselves open with a track wholly inspired by the unique call of the coqui frog, Coqui and the up-tempo swing of Focus and then we get delivered the emotive ballad Heartbreak, the mellow, Latin-imbibed Mina Buta (which, interestingly enough, gets its name from the words his son uttered when he first learned to talk), the recording rounding out on the low slung swing of The Spirit Within, coming to a close on the quietly rambunctious, yet swing-hued Somethin’.

Spirit of 3, Spirit of 4 represents a fascinating evolution of the Jon Menges ensembles, blending personal narratives with diverse musical styles. The album is a testament to Menges’ ability to weave intricate musical stories while honoring the rich traditions of jazz.

Spirit of 3 Trio Musicians:
Jon Menges - trumpet, flugelhorn
Pete McCann - guitar
Evan Gregor - bass

Spirit of 4 Quartet:
Jon Menges - trumpet, flugelhorn
Nathan Childers - tenor and soprano sax
Joe Fitzgerald - bass
Robert Weiss

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