Every Wednesday, we present Chicago’s top jazz artists in a lively atmosphere, full of cocktail-shaking and spirited conversation. The Connor Bernhard Quartet features:

• Connor Bernhard - trumpet & compositions

• Jeff Swanson - guitar

• Evan Levine on bass

• Clif Wallace - drums

Connor Bernhard is an in-demand trumpeter in Chicago, where he plays every genre, from esoteric creative music, to simple and tight groove-based hits. He started playing at the age of 10 and was mainly self-taught until college when he studied trumpet with Art Davis and learned the roots and rhythm of blues and swing music from renowned jazz educator, Ronald Carter at Northern Illinois University where he was afforded the experience of touring with jazz greats such as Ernie Watts, Randy Brecker, Victor Lewis, Terell Stafford, and Steve Davis. Later, he would study with Victor Garcia at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts where he received his Bachelor's in Music Performance in 2017. While finishing his degree, Connor was selected as one of the 5 recipients of 2017 Luminarts Jazz Fellowship. In addition to his Quintet, Connor regularly performs and has recorded albums with groups such as Neil Carson's New Nostalgia, Sachmo, Zochen, and Zoofunkyou.