Nadje Noordhuis: Jazz Trumpet, Inspiring Collaborations & Building a Career as a Woman in Jazz

The trumpet player and composer Nadje Noordhuis joined me for a wide-ranging conversation about identity, creativity, and carving out a life in music on her own terms. Nadje reflects on her early musical upbringing in Sydney, Australia, and the formative training that led her toward jazz trumpet. She remembers her friend Lois Martin, and Nadje speaks candidly about experiences of sexism in the music world, and the challenges of breaking into the New York jazz scene—financial struggles, years at the Manhattan School of Music, and finding her footing as a woman in jazz.

She reflected on her collaborative project Multitudes with composer James Shipp, and you’ll be hearing clips from that project as well as Gulfoss with Maeve Gilchrist, Full Circle with Fred Hersch. She talked about being about to record with the legendary engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug, and Nadje encourages all of us to take risks to follow our own paths.

Complete Show Notes with all the links! (Video, linked episodes, Transcript, podcast merchandise and Ko-fi support page, newsletter)

Nadje Noordhuis Website

photo: Matt Baker

(00:00) Intro

(02:12) Sara Caswell, Dutch heritage

(03:45) Multitudes with James Shipp

(07:06) clip of Run Together from Multitudes

(07:48) more about Multitudes, clip of Say Goodbye

(09:31) Lois Martin

(13:36) Laurie Frink

(16:09) versatility in building a career, Anat Cohen

(19:21) early music training childhood in Australia

(22:20) experiences of sexism, decision to pursue jazz trumpet

(30:15) Full Circle album Elan Mehler, Fred Hersch (clip Little Song from Full Circle)

(34:24) move to New York, financial struggles

(39:06) breaking into the jazz scene as a woman, Manhattan school

(43:54) other linked episodes and ways to support this project

(44:51) youth in Sydney, Australia

(48:40) teaching, Fifth Bridge

(53:26) recording Gulfoss album with clip of Seven Miles

(57:25) working with Jan Erik Kongshaug, recording Ten Sails with Luke Howard

(01:05:35) clip of Rainbow from Multitudes, living as an expat

(01:07:36) clip of Full Circle, reflections on choosing her own path