Mike Kaupa is a Jazz Legend

BY HELANA SHUMWAY

A er grad school, Mike began touring with the worldrenowned Glen Miller Orchestra, whose famous song “In the Mood” has a ubiquitous melody that almost anyone will recognize. He traveled with the orchestra to Europe, Asia, and Canada, playing night a er night at packed venues for three years.

As I listened to Mike list o accomplishments throughout his career, I remembered his genuine humility and down-to-earth demeanor. Even as he spoke of playing with Ray Charles - that’s right, RAY CHARLES - in 1993 to a live audience of 10,000 people, he did not boast or brag. at is simply not in Mike’s nature.

is humility rang true when I asked him what he hopes to be known as and remembered for as a trumpet and ugelhorn player. His answer was simple yet profound: “I hope to be known for playing sincerely and honestly.”

Imet Mike Kaupa some 17 years ago on my rst day of middle school band practice at e Harley School. As a timid ute player with high levels of social anxiety, I couldn’t have imagined a kinder, more encouraging band instructor than Mr. Kaupa. While my days playing the ute are long gone, Mike has had a lasting impact on me, my older brother, and countless others as a teacher and as an impeccable, world-renowned jazz musician over the past 40+ years.

I recently sat down with Mike and my brother, who is now a professional jazz guitarist himself, for a cup of co ee to learn about Mike’s incredible musical career thus far. At 69 years old, it was easy to tell one thing: he is only getting started.

Mike was born and raised in West Seneca, New York. With two older siblings who were very musically inclined, Mike began to take piano lessons at a young age. Shortly therea er, he discovered the trumpet. He shared with me, “I could tell what it would feel like to play the trumpet before I even started.” Having learned the basics of music theory from his piano playing, Mike began teaching himself trumpet by ear and eventually added ugelhorn.

His love for the trumpet was strong and mighty, but it wasn’t until high school that he discovered jazz. He began listening to the greats like Miles Davis, Chet Baker, McCoy Tyner, and Kenny Wheeler. His musical ear continued to develop, and a er high school, he began studying music at SUNY Fredonia. As Mike explained, there wasn’t a jazz program in the 1970s at Fredonia. So, he and the other students interested in jazz music began to “jam” together late at night. is was where the magic lived.

During his time at Fredonia, Mike performed in the prestigious Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival, where he won Outstanding Trumpet Player, a huge recognition of his talent as a musician.

Between his studies at Fredonia and starting graduate school in Miami at the Frost School of Music, Mike taught in Lisbon, Portugal, and Barcelona, Spain to some of the greatest jazz musicians of the generation.

At this point, I turned to my brother, Noah, who shared what Mike has meant to him and his career. “Mike Kaupa is a real master.” Noah described Mike’s impeccable control over his instrument and command of his sound, with the ability to play at a whisper volume. I looked at my brother and saw his face light up as he spoke of his hero.

Noah also went to Harley and played guitar in the school band. He shared that “Kaupa,” as he a ectionately refers to him, helped him nd his groove in jazz music. Noah said, “If you’re listening to him play a tune, you just have to listen to a few notes to know that it’s Kaupa. He’s that unique; he’s that good. I was incredibly lucky to have him as my teacher.” eir journey together didn’t stop at Harley, as Mike and Noah currently perform several times a month together in the local Finger Lakes area. When Mike isn’t playing a gig or teaching a master class in other countries like Spain, he continues to teach dozens of students a year. In fact, he has taught at Harley for 26 years, the Eastman Community Music School for 25 years, and at Finger Lakes Community College for 6 years.

I asked Mike what he would say to an aspiring music student, and in his typical fashion, he led with honesty and encouragement: “You can always play at some level, and you can always play on your own. Just keep practicing.” ank you, Mike, for your words. At the end of the day, we don’t have to be perfect to do something we love - we just have to try.