J. Clyde Neal Group and Session

The J. Clyde Neal Group is rooted in the spiritual and communal traditions of Black American music. Led by trumpeter Jonathon C. Neal, the ensemble creates space through devotional melody, collective improvisation, and music offered as a gift of love. Every performance is a transfer of energy from musician to listener, making the listener the final member of the group.

J. Clyde Neal is the performing name of trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Jonathon C. Neal, based in southeast Michigan. He is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance, where his work centers Black American Music as a sacred tradition. He brings a body-centered approach to the trumpet, grounded in breath and listening, and carries that same philosophy into his teaching, both privately and within the university.