Episode #144 Pete Rodriguez

Episode #144 Pete Rodriguez

Author: Bob Reeves Brass Mouthpieces November 5, 2025 Duration: 1:45:16

This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring trumpeter, vocalist, composer and percussionist Pete Rodriguez, is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass.

This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here:

"Pete Rodriguez trumpet interview"

 

About Pete Rodriguez:

Trumpeter, vocalist, and percussionist Pete Rodríguez carries the bloodline of Nuyorican salsa as he takes his unique brand of jazz to exciting new places.

Son of salsa singer Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez and godson of Fania Records bandleader Johnny Pacheco, Rodríguez cut his teeth playing with some of the greatest names in Latin music.

By age 19, he was musical director of his father's band. As a vocalist, he sang on Tito Puente's Grammy-award winning Mambo Birdland. As an instrumentalist, he's appeared with legends including Celia Cruz, Chico O'Farrill, Bebo Valdez and Eddie Palmieri, including performing on the Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project's Grammy-winning release, Simpatico.

As a bandleader, Rodriguez draws on his diverse upbringing—including living through the birth of Hip Hop in the Bronx and becoming an accomplished classical trumpeter during his adolescence in Puerto Rico—to create his own brand of jazz that defies categorization.

The result is music that has been praised as "not only instrumentally ferocious, but texturally rich and at times profoundly intimate," with compositions "rich in musical depth, tone and beauty, as well as rhythm and melody… giving his music an appeal beyond genres." (Downbeat).

His music demonstrates his aptitude for hard-driving, modern post-bop jazz, as much as melodic Latin variants and R&B-tinged grooves.

Rodriguez has released a series of acclaimed albums as a leader, including Mind Trip, The Alchemist, Caminando con Papi (Destiny Records), El Conde Negro (Destiny Records), Obstacles (Sunnyside Records), and his most recent, I'm Pete Rodríguez, Vol. 1 (Sunnyside Records), named one of the Best of 2024 by the New York City Jazz Record.

His forthcoming I'm Pete Rodríguez, Vol. 2 continues his exploration of identity, resilience, and innovation.

"As a bandleader he's working on a clean, complex and flexible model of modern Latin jazz … his compositions change shape and character, according to the free flow of the arrangements, among art song and swing and clave. Draped over all of it is Mr. Rodriguez's powerful playing, soft-toned but battling." – The New York Times

 

Episode Links:

 

Upcoming Events:

 

Podcast Credits:

  • "A Room with a View" - composed and performed by Howie Shear
  • Podcast Host - John Snell
  • Cover Photo Credit - Pete Rodriguez
  • Audio Engineer - Ted Cragg

There's a whole world of sound that happens before the music reaches the audience, a space filled with the clatter of valves, the whisper of breath, and the shared stories of a unique community. The Other Side Of The Bell-A Trumpet Podcast invites you into that world, offering a backstage pass to the realities of brass life. Hosted by the team at Bob Reeves Brass Mouthpieces, this series goes far beyond simple gear talk. Each episode feels like a conversation in the practice room, blending practical trumpet tips that address the daily hurdles players face with deep-dive interviews featuring the musicians themselves. You'll hear firsthand stories about the craft, the unexpected challenges of performance, and the personal journeys that shape an artist's sound. This podcast is built on decades of specialized knowledge, translating the nuanced experiences of embouchure, articulation, and endurance into accessible insights. Whether you're a student navigating your first orchestral audition or a seasoned professional refining your approach, the discussions here are grounded in real-world application. It’s about the person behind the instrument as much as the instrument itself, creating a genuine resource for anyone passionate about the trumpet. Tune in for a blend of technical wisdom and personal narrative that only comes from a lifetime spent listening from the other side of the bell.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Other Side Of The Bell - A Trumpet Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Episode #84 - Danny Falcone [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:05
Daniel Falcone began working professionally in Las Vegas at age 15. The son of Vincent Falcone, musical director, pianist and conductor for Frank Sinatra, he literally grew up on stage. Starting in high school, Daniel ba…
Episode #83 - Morris Northcutt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:32
Morris Northcutt's playing has been described as artistic, lyrical and expressive with a beautiful, smooth, and rich tone. At home in all musical styles from swing to Broadway to classical, this Global Music Award Winner…
Episode #82 - Karl Sievers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:51
Dr. Karl Sievers enjoys a successful and varied performance career, having performed in countless studio sessions, on live television, in jazz ensembles, chamber music of all kinds, solo recitals, and in symphony orchest…
Episode #81 - Matthias Höfs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:10
When he was six years old, Matthias Hoefs declared the trumpet "his instrument, because it shines so nicely". He received his musical education from Professor Peter Kallensee at the Hamburg University of Music and Theatr…
Episode #80 - Jim Manley [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:44
Jim Manley figures he had spent around 10,500 plus nights playing his trumpet around town in his hometown of St. Louis since the 1970's. His recordings have gathered critical acclaim as well and have traveled all over th…
Episode #79 - Bria Skonberg [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:01
Bria Skonberg is a trailblazing triple threat trumpeter, singer and songwriter. Born in British Columbia, Canada and now residing in New York City, the Juno Award winner for Best Vocal Jazz Album has performed hundreds o…
Episode #78 - Christopher Still - Honesty Pill [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:45
Honesty Pill founder Christopher Still joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Second Trumpet in 2007. Before coming to California, he was the Principal Trumpet of the Colorado Symphony. He has also held the positions of…
Episode #77 - David Elton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:21
David Elton is principal trumpet of the London Symphony Orchestra since December 2017 and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra since 2011. David is also a trumpet professor at the Royal College of Music in London, and a member…
Episode #76 - Gary Guthman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:07
Gary Guthman, originally from Portland Oregon, started his career at the age of nine. As a young teen, Gary was a member of the nationally acclaimed "Seldom Six" Dixieland Band, comprised of 12 to 14 years old who travel…
Episode #75 - Tom Clary of Clary Woodmutes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:03
Tom Clary is a freelance trumpet-player/composer/arranger/woodworker/mute-maker and sometimes-attorney living in Memphis, Tennessee. Tom was born in Northern Ireland, grew up in South Arkansas and moved to Memphis, Tenne…