In Detroit, a city long renowned for its musical innovations as much as its automotive creations, jazz trumpeter James O’Donnell has spent more than five decades building a legacy that threads together tradition, experimentation, and global influences.
From his first trumpet lesson in a Catholic school to his rise as a respected bandleader and vocalist, O’Donnell’s journey is one of passion, perseverance, and profound musical curiosity. When performing for Motor City audiences, he demonstrates the power of mentorship, community, and the enduring power of swing.
O’Donnell’s musical journey began in the 4th grade at Saint Martin’s Catholic School when Carlos Rivera Sr, a dedicated teacher from Monterrey, Mexico, and member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, placed a trumpet in his hands.
“He sat me down, looked at my fingers, and said, ‘Yeah, you could be a trumpet player,’” O’Donnell recalled.
Rivera, whose legacy included teaching jazz trombone luminary Curtis Fuller, quickly became a formative influence. Teaching from the Arban’s Conservatory Method, Rivera imbued O’Donnell with a foundation in a classic technique that would carry him through his entire career.
Though O’Donnell had no inkling that day of the life awaiting him, Rivera’s confidence lit a spark. In high school, he joined the jazz band, concert band and marching band. He studied music theory and harmony and listened to Detroit trumpet great Johnny Trudell and Marcus Bellgrave. It all earned O’Donnell a spot in the All City All Star Jazz Band.
Growing up in Detroit during the late 1970s, O’Donnell was surrounded by Motown, R&B, and rock. Jazz wasn’t exactly in vogue. But at 14, he discovered Freddie Hubbard’s First Light, and by 16, jazz had a grip on his soul. “While most of my peers were listening to soul or rock, I got into John Coltrane, avant-garde, and swing,” he says.
He found kindred spirits in musicians like RJ Spangler and Rick Steiger, who became lifelong collaborators and friends. Their early band, Kuumba (Swahili for creativity), leaned into avant-garde and blended experimental jazz with the groove of swing. “We had two trumpets, two trombones, four saxophones, drums, percussion—almost a little big band. It wasn’t traditional bebop, but creative jazz rooted in tradition.” That tradition was fueled by the music of Coltrane, Sun Ra, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
In 1980, O’Donnell co-founded The Sun Messengers, a genre-blending ensemble that incorporated Ska, South African grooves, and danceable jazz. They toured the Midwest in a yellow school bus, gigging in Toronto, Key West, and everywhere in between. “That bus broke down more than it ran, but it got us to the gigs,” O’Donnell said.
His education continued with another transformative figure: Russell Green, a veteran of the swing-era Jimmy Lunceford Orchestra throughout the 1940s.
O’Donnell recalled when he met the 69-year-old jazz man.
“I was playing a gig with the Sun Messengers at Alvin’s Finer Diner in Detroit. I was 22. After the first set I came off the stage and my friend Jim Gallert walked up with Russell. Russell had just done a live interview with him on Jim’s radio show ‘Jazz Yesterdays’ on 101.9 public radio. After meeting, Russ said to me; ‘Hey I’m a doctor of the lip, I can help you out!’”
Green introduced O’Donnell to the Costello embouchure technique and Max Schlossberg teaching method, emphasizing lip flexibility, tone, and a philosophical approach to performance. “Russell would always say, ‘Tell a story when you play. Play from your heart.’ That never left me.” The two would remain close until Green’s death at 85.
All of O’Donnell’s experiences deepened his resolve to live by the music, not for only commercial success, but for artistic truth. In 1982, he moved to Mexico for a year, playing jazz in supper clubs and forming a quintet in Mexico City. His experiences abroad broadened his perspective and infused his playing with Latin flavors and global rhythms.
From 1986 to 1994, O’Donnell played extensively on cruise ships, performing in show bands, orchestras, and lounge quartets. He backed stars like Petula Clark, Charro, Freddy Cole, Danny Aiello and John Davidson while also leading smaller ensembles playing jazz standards and ballroom dance tunes.
“It was like jazz boot camp,” he said. “Every night was different. You played merengue one night, Ellington the next.”
During this period, he also returned to Mexico several times to perform, while exploring another musical avenue—New York City.
O’Donnell’s stint in New York was brief, intense, and transformative. He worked part-time at the legendary Giardinelli’s music store on West 46th Street. “It was a great music store,” he recalls. “The owner had seen the Sun Messengers in Detroit and offered me a job. He even sent me a custom flugelhorn and trumpet mouthpiece with my name on it.”
Living in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, O’Donnell dove into the city’s vibrant music scene. “I was always leaving my desk to go talk to musicians,” he laughs. “New York was so big, with the hustle and bustle and everything.” He found work quickly—playing in a merengue band, sitting in on jazz club gigs, and even performing at Long Island University’s basketball games.
Still, home pulled at him.
“If I had stayed in New York, I probably would have gone on a completely different path,” he admits. “But I kept coming back to Detroit. My hometown. This is where I’m from and where I’m happy.”
Though he soaked up the energy, inspiration, and musical knowledge of NYC, he realized the lifestyle wasn’t a perfect fit. “After a while, I just thought, maybe this isn’t where I want to stay.”
In 1994, O’Donnell returned to Detroit for good to play jazz and raise a family. By 2007, he and his close friend Spangler founded Planet D Nonet—a nine-piece band dedicated to swing, Ellington, and classic jazz traditions. It was both a culmination and a rebirth.
“Swing was my first love,” said O’Donnell. “Planet D is my passion project.”
The band has recorded tributes to Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Benny Moten, and Joe Williams, receiving national airplay and even Grammy nomination consideration. Their 2017 Strayhorn tribute was released through Mack Avenue Records, a key player in elevating Detroit jazz.
What sets Planet D apart is their DIY ethos. “We tour in a 15-passenger van and fundraise through GoFundMe. It’s grassroots, but it works.” The group’s work has been lauded by critics and audiences alike, earning them multiple Detroit Music Awards nominations and honors.
In recent years, O’Donnell has stepped into the spotlight as a vocalist. His latest solo album Tough Talk, born from unused tracks during Planet D sessions, showcases his Armstrong-tinged vocal style. Songs like “Azalea” and “Tulip or Turnip” highlight his ability to embody the warmth and wit of the swing era.
“I don’t try to imitate Louis Armstrong, but I channel his spirit. People say I sound like him—and then they look for a Black guy on stage,” he says with a chuckle. “Then they see me—an old white guy—and it surprises them.”
His vocal inspirations span Louis Jordan, Sammy Davis Jr., Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, and Johnny Hartman. “I love Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday too. The emotion they carry in a phrase—that’s what I aim for.”
He adds, “Even trumpet players like Cootie Williams, Bubber Miley, and Charlie Shavers—those guys sang through their horns. You can feel their personalities in the sound.”
O’Donnell also uses, and teaches, nearly lost swing-era techniques like growling, half-valving and using plunger and other mutes to add character and personality to his playing.
The new album features the funky Eddie Harris tune “Mean Green’s,” which he learned from the book given to him by Harris on a jazz cruise, and “I Want a Little Girl,” a staple of Russell Green’s performances. O’Donnell never forgets to pay homage to his mentor and those who helped shaped his sound.
O’Donnell’s trumpet idols read like a pantheon of jazz legends: Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Clifford Brown, Roy Eldridge, and of course, Louis Armstrong. “Miles—I really hear him, especially the Kind of Blue and Round About Midnight stuff. I gravitate toward that sound,” he explains. “But I’m more of a swing stylist. I like the guys from the ’30s and ’40s best.”
He also treasures his time playing between trumpeters Herbie Williams and Charlie Hooks in the Bob Hopkins Orchestra, a full 17-piece big band in Detroit. “That was like college for me,” he says. “They taught me how to swing.”
O’Donnell seeks greatness wherever he can find it. In California, during his cruise ship years, he even knocked on the door of Uan Rasey, a legendary MGM studio trumpeter who played on such classic movie soundtracks as “An American in Paris”, “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Chinatown.” O’Donnell asked him for a lesson. “He gave me a masterclass in one afternoon,” O’Donnell said.
Even in casual encounters, he found gold such as the time he met Dizzy Gillespie’s protégé Jon Faddis in New York City. “When I said I had studied with Russell Green, who taught Freddy Webster”, he said, ‘Your teacher taught Freddy Webster? You and I are hanging.’ He took me to see McCoy Tyner’s big band that night in New York.” Webster, who died in 1947 at the age of 30, played with the Jimmie Lunceford band. He had been a major influence on many trumpet players, including a young Miles Davis, during his short life.
O’Donnell is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation. Through Planet D Nonet, he’s provided a platform for young musicians from Wayne State, Michigan State, and the University of Michigan. “They come to sub in the band, and they leave better musicians. That’s how the tradition stays alive.”
He credits the rise of strong local jazz programs and the dedication of educators like MSU’s director of jazz studies Rodney Whitaker and Chris Collins at Wayne State for nurturing new talent. “Detroit’s jazz scene is thriving again. The young cats can really play,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell insists on keeping the swing idiom alive—not just through the notes, but through the storytelling. “A lot of young musicians can play fast licks, but can they tell a story? That’s what I try to teach.”
He draws all of that from the lives of the musicians who came before him.
“When I studied with Russell Green, he’d make spaghetti, and we’d talk music all day. That’s where I learned the most – from hanging out, from listening and from his stories.”
These stories are now his to share. And he does so—on stage, in clubs, on records, and with young players eager to learn, and at 65, O’Donnell is as still very active.
“I thought I’d be semi-retired by now. Turns out, I’m busier than ever,” he laughs.
O’Donnell’s life is a testament to the idea that jazz isn’t just a genre—it’s a way of life. A life created by improvisation, community, resilience, and deep joy. In a world increasingly focused on speed and digital spectacle, he offers something richer: the sound of real human stories told in swing.
And that, as his mentor Russell Green would say, is the heart of the music.
You can find James O’Donnell at www.jamesodonnellmusic.com and Planet D Nonet at rjspangler.com. O’Donnell’s solo work and Planet D Nonet recordings are available on Bandcamp at planetdnonet.bandcamp.com.
Brian R. Sheridan, MA, is the chair of the Communication Department at Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA (hometown of Ish Kabibble) and a longtime journalist in broadcast and print. He also co-authored the book America in the Thirties published by Syracuse University Press. Sheridan can be reached at bsheridan@mercyhurst.edu. Find him on Twitter @briansheridan and Instagram at brianrsheridan.
