A new campaign from the New York Times highlights some of their more remarkable readers. Jordan Rich is a jazz trumpeter who graduated from Lakeside High School here in Atlanta. He now plays in the funk-soul band Chanda and the Passengers. Jordan’s story is among those highlighted in the Times campaign, and he joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes via Zoom to share his snapshot from the life of a working musician that inspired the New York Times.
Rich’s story takes him from growing up in Decatur and joining the high school drumline marching band to today, where he lives and plays his music in Montreal, Canada. He spread the spotlight to many of his influences and mentors, but his first and most significant influence may well have been his grandmother.
“Grandma Velma. She played gospel music, and she would always … just hum and sing songs,” recalled Rich. “In her house, right next to the window, she had a Yamaha keyboard with a green music book that had all these notes, these foreign notes that I didn’t know what it was, but I knew it had something to do with music. And from there, I would just go and play, and just play and play and play, and pretend like I’m reading the music.”
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