Song For Someone: The Musical Life of Kenny Wheeler. With Nick Smart & Brian Shaw. Ep. 155
The Other Side Of The Bell - A Trumpet Podcast
This special episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring the life of trumpet composer, performer and innovator Kenny Wheeler, a conversation with biographers Nick Smart and Brian Shaw, is brought to you by . This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here: "" --- Kenny Wheeler has been an inspiration to trumpet players for generations, but in typical Kenny style, we haven't known a lot about his back story, career path and personality. Until now. Nick Smart and Brian Shaw, trumpet trailblazers in their own right, have...
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Kellin Hanas: Find People who Align with You and Your Values, and Stick With Them. Ep. 154
The Other Side Of The Bell - A Trumpet Podcast
This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring trumpet performer, producer and creator Louis Dowdeswell, is brought to you by . This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here: "" It all started with a dream, at four years old: an actual dream, that sticks in her memory to this day. Kellin Hanas is known for her social media presence, her combination of comedy and trumpet, and her recognition as a bright young star on the jazz trumpet circuit. She joins us today to share her back story of having that first light...
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Louis Dowdeswell: Finding Your "Why" for Playing Trumpet. Ep. 153
The Other Side Of The Bell - A Trumpet Podcast
This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring trumpet performer, producer and creator Louis Dowdeswell, is brought to you by . This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here: "" Louis Dowdeswell has an invitation for you, especially if you're embarking on a career as a professional musician: Find your Why. It may not be as obvious as you think! It'll take time, hard work and introspection. But you're a trumpet player: you already know what that's like! Louis joins us today for what evolves...
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Jay Webb: How to Say "Yes" to a Gig With Confidence. Ep. 152
The Other Side Of The Bell - A Trumpet Podcast
This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring trumpet performer Jay Webb, is brought to you by . This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here: "" You might know him from TikTok, or perhaps any of the myriad projects where he appears: The Hornheads, the Cory Wong and the Wongnotes YouTube series, any number of Broadway orchestra pits, the Grammy-winning 8-Bit Big Band, or most recently his Doc Severinsen tribute project (DST Band). Jay Webb is as versatile as they come, and today he shares his story and...
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Kyla Moscovich: Building a Career in Modern Trumpet. Ep. 151
The Other Side Of The Bell - A Trumpet Podcast
This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring trumpet performer and recording artist Kyla Moscovich, is brought to you by . This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here: "" At a year old she had a trumpet in her hands, and she hasn't looked back since! Kyla Moscovich has built a burgeoning career that bridges classical, jazz and pop music, performing concerts all over the world and, more recently, developing her studio skills as well, on Grammy-nominated records. She has studied with Vincent Penzarella, Mark...
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José Hernández: The Mariachi Master and a Lifetime of Innovation. Ep. 150
The Other Side Of The Bell - A Trumpet Podcast
This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring Mariachi trumpet performer and recording artist José Hernández, is brought to you by . This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here: "" Few people have had a greater impact on Mariachi music over the past 50 years than José Hernández, and today José joins us to share his musical upbringing, his influences and education, his passion for education and some very interesting insights on balancing a professional music career with business ventures, such as his restaurants....
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Johnny Thirkell: Jamiroquai, Spice Girls, BTS, 38 Number One Records - A Charmed Life! Ep. 149
The Other Side Of The Bell - A Trumpet Podcast
This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring trumpeter performer and recording artist Johnny Thirkell, is brought to you by . This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here: "" Find the expanded show notes, transcript and more photos here: About Johnny Thirkell: In a long and varied career, Johnny Thirkell has an impressive record of achievements and unparalleled experience as a trumpet player, producer and latterly as a tech entrepreneur. Upon leaving Leeds College of Music, he studied trumpet in New York...
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Holiday Special! John Snell and Friends, The Other Side of the Bell Episode 148
The Other Side Of The Bell - A Trumpet Podcast
This episode of The Other Side of the Bell is brought to you by . Makers of the finest handcrafted , & mouthpieces since 1968. Visit to find your next mouthpiece and trumpet accessory! This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here: "" Find the expanded show notes, transcript and more photos here: John gets some good friends together to toast the end of one year, and the start of the next: it's our 2025 Holiday Special - perhaps the first annual? It was a lot of fun, so we might just start a new...
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Uptown Horns and the Litteral Truth: Paul Litteral Returns! Episode 147
The Other Side Of The Bell - A Trumpet Podcast
This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring trumpeter performer and recording artist Paul Litteral, is brought to you by . This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here: "" Find the expanded show notes, transcript and more photos here: About Paul Litteral: Hollywood Paul Litteral began to build his career playing in Broadway hits such as The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, A Chorus Line and Chess. In 1978, Paul and saxophonist Arno Hecht founded the well-known group called the Uptown Horns. As their visibility...
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Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind & Fire, Quincy Jones: Stories from the Studio, with Jerry Hey. Ep. 146
The Other Side Of The Bell - A Trumpet Podcast
This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring legendary trumpeter and horn arranger Jerry Hey, is brought to you by . This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here: "" Find the expanded show notes, transcript and more photos here: About Jerry Hey: Jerry Hey is one of the defining trumpet voices and horn arrangers in modern popular music. Born in Dixon, Illinois, into a deeply musical family, he honed his craft with Charlie Geyer and later at Indiana University under legendary pedagogue William Adam. After an...
info_outlineThis episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring trailblazing lead trumpeter Liesl Whitaker, 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:
"Liesl Whitaker trumpet interview"
About Liesl Whitaker:
Liesl Whitaker is an American lead and commercial trumpeter based in the New York City metropolitan area.
She currently plays lead trumpet in the pit orchestra of the hit Broadway musical Death Becomes Her (2024). Her other lead trumpet Broadway credits include Mr. Saturday Night - starring Billy Crystal (2022); Some Like it Hot (2023) and Suffs (2024). Off Broadway credits include Tappin’ Thru Life – starring Maurice Hines (2016).
Liesl is a twenty-one year veteran of the United States Army: In 2000, she won a national audition and became the first female lead trumpet player to be selected by any premier military unit when she won the lead chair with the US Army Blues.
In 2012, she repeated this feat when she won the lead chair in the US Army Jazz Ambassadors, a second premier unit - something not done by anyone (male or female), prior or since. Liesl deployed twice with the Sergeant Major of the Army and the Third Army to Afghanistan and Iraq (2002; 2004).
Additionally, Liesl was the lead trumpet player for the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra in Washington, D.C. (2004 – 2022). She is a charter member of the all-woman big band The Diva Jazz Orchestra (1993 – present) based in New York City.
Liesl attended college at both Appalachian State University (Boone, NC) and The University of Cincinnati—College Conservatory of Music (Cincinnati, OH). She studied trumpet with Bill Adam, Pat Harbison and Joe Phelps.
In 2004 and 2005, Liesl performed with the WDR Big Band in Cologne, Germany, recording with the ensemble and Conductor/Chief Arranger Michael Abene and guest artist Joe Lovano.
Additionally, she has performed on various recordings including projects by the Army Blues and Jazz Ambassadors, Sherrie Maricle and the Diva Jazz Orchestra, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, Victor Goines Big Band, Ed Palermo Big Band, various original Broadway cast recordings, as well as many others.
Liesl currently resides in upstate, New York with her husband, Kenny Rampton, and her daughter, Lauren. When not performing or touring, she spends her free time honing her skills as an amateur writer.
- Blog: lieslwhitaker.wordpress.com
- Liesl Whitaker on Instagram (@lieslwhitaker)
- William Adam Trumpet Festival, June 19-22, Clarksville, Tennessee.
Podcast Credits:
- “A Room with a View“ - composed and performed by Howie Shear
- Podcast Host - John Snell
- Cover Art - courtesy of Liesl Whitaker
- Audio Engineer - Ted Cragg