Don Rader

Who is Don Rader?

Don Rader is an American jazz trumpeter.

Rader began on trumpet at age five, taught initially by his father. He studied at Sam Houston State Teachers College and served in the Navy in the 1950s as a member of the band, then played and arranged for Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson, and Count Basie, as well as with Louie Bellson, Harry James, Terry Gibbs, Frank Foster, Henry Mancini, Les Brown, and Stan Kenton. He put together his own quintet in Los Angeles in 1972, and continued working with West Coast jazz musicians including Lanny Morgan, Lew Tabackin, and Toshiko Akiyoshi. He recorded prolifically as a leader and also worked in music education for many years, including in Australia in the 1980s.

Rader currently resides in Studio City, USA and Sydney Australia and continues to tour across the US, Europe, Japan and Australia.