Author & Guest Instructor

Omar Lateef is a versatile trumpeter, educator, and musical leader whose career spans classical, jazz, and commercial music. A graduate of Juilliard and the Yale School of Music, he has performed globally with ensembles such as the Detroit Symphony and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. Lateef is currently Teaching Professor of Trumpet and Area Coordinator for Winds, Brass, and Percussion at Florida International University. He also performs with the Nu Deco Ensemble and leads the Paradise Big Band, affiliated with the Detroit Symphony. His collaborations include Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Julie Andrews, and Paul Anka, reflecting a dynamic career that bridges the stage and the classroom.

Co-Author and Instructor

Kris Johnson is a GRAMMY-winning trumpeter, composer, arranger, and educator based in Detroit. His work spans jazz, classical, film, and musical theatre, with credits including Basie Swings the Blues, the Emmy-nominated King Ester, and original musicals like Jim Crow’s Tears. He has performed and arranged for artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Tony Bennett, and Leslie Odom Jr., and toured internationally with the Count Basie Orchestra and Endea Owens and The Cookout.
Kris currently serves as Assistant Professor of Jazz Trumpet at the University of Michigan and has held leadership roles at the University of Utah, the Motown Museum, and MSU Community Music School–Detroit. His educational journey began at Michigan State University, where he earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Jazz Studies. is a GRAMMY-winning trumpeter, composer, arranger, and educator based in Detroit. His work spans jazz, classical, film, and musical theatre, with credits including Basie Swings the Blues, the Emmy-nominated King Ester, and original musicals like Jim Crow’s Tears. He has performed and arranged for artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Tony Bennett, and Leslie Odom Jr., and toured internationally with the Count Basie Orchestra and Endea Owens and The Cookout.
Kris currently serves as Assistant Professor of Jazz Trumpet at the University of Michigan and has held leadership roles at the University of Utah, the Motown Museum, and MSU Community Music School–Detroit. His educational journey began at Michigan State University, where he earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Jazz Studies.