Jacob Varmus

Trumpeter and composer Jacob Varmus is steadily gaining a reputation for his highly melodic yet rigorous music. In May 2009, Jacob premiered his second original score to Genes and Jazz: The Music of Cell Biology at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. The three-act lecture on cells, evolution and cancer supported and enhanced by the Jacob Varmus Quintet earned rave reviews for its innovative portrayal and illumination of cellular biology thru music. The original version premiered at the Guggenheim in New York in November 2008. In December 2008 The New Yorker magazine described Jacob’s music as “lyrical and self-assured.” To date, Jacob has recorded two albums of his original compositions, All the Things We Still Can Be (2006) and Terminal Stillness (2009). Varmus’ compositions have been praised by Jazz Improv magazine (2007) for their “sense of purpose, structure and memorable melody lines.” Jacob has a personalized tone on trumpet and cornet, both tender and strong, with clear connections to Clifford Brown and Miles Davis.