Bruce Purse
Background information
Birth name	Bruce Clayton Purse
Born	Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, soul, R&B, blues, avant-garde jazz, hip hop soul, urban, reggae
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, writer, artist, producer
Labels	Next Plateau
Website	www.brucepurse.com

Bruce Purse is an American musician, composer, producer, vocalist, bandleader, arranger, performer, music educator, and guest lecturer. Proficient at various wind instruments, including the trumpet, pocket trumpet, bass trumpet, and flugelhorn, Purse has performed with many well known artists, such as Lester Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Faith Evans, Nas, Leona Lewis, and Johnny Kemp. He has also assembled large ensembles from a 11-piece bands to 30 piece orchestras, including his premiere ensemble called Bruce Purse and the Pocketbooks. The band performs originals in various genres such as; jazz, reggae, R&B, and heavy blues.^[1][2]

Purse describes himself as a sound mentalist. A mentalist practices Mentalism one who creates sound vibrations, music, and frequencies that create music. He creates music acoustically and digitally. In addition, he writes stories and plays.

Purse is the president of bcpurse music.

Early life

Purse was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He grew up listening to music on the radio, television, and in church. Bruce was exposed to gospel music, jazz, spirituals, rhythm and blues, and country music. He moved to St Louis as an adolescent. Bruce was introduced to the trumpet and instrumental music at an assembly performance at his Middle School in St Louis, Missouri.

Purse started at an early age in his teens at Sumner High School in St. Louis, Missouri with William Paul Overbey. He attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for his Baccalaureate Degree. He completed Masters work at Columbia University, ultimately receiving his Master's degree from Lehman College in music education in New York City.^[3]

One of his earliest influences in music growing up was Louis Armstrong, who he heard on the radio and television and who inspired his fascination with the trumpet.^[4]

Career

Purse has performed as musician with Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy. His band called Bruce Purse and the Pocketbooks and other ensembles such as his 11-piece big band with members that has included Vincent Henry, Tyrone Jefferson, Bob Stewart (musician), Lonnie Plaxico, and Frank Lacy. He has written, arranged and performed for Amy Winehouse, Johnny Kemp, Peter Brown, Arthur Blythe, Alicia Keys, Craig Harris, Leona Lewis, Faith Evans, Mary J. Blige, Olu Dara, Stanton Davis, Malachi Thompson, Noel Pointer, Melba Moore, Youssou N'Dour, P-Diddy, Heavy D, Erica Badu, Zap Mama, Garland Jeffreys, Toots & the Maytals, Sybil (singer), Nas, Alison Hinds, Anthony Hamilton (musician), Pete Brown, Stanton Davis, Vincent Chancey, Steve Turre, Phillip Wilson, Salaam Remi, Joseph Bowie, Henry Threadgill, Julius Hemphill, The Blind Boys of Alabama.^{[5][4][6][7][8][9]}

He has composed for the anthologies for the Art Ensemble of Chicago.^[8][10]

Bruce is a music educator and guest lecturer. He has been an artist-in-residence with the New York City Board of Education, with Lincoln Center Jazz with Wynton Marsalis, LaGuardia Performing Arts High School, New School for Social Research, and the Harlem School of the Arts.

In 2018, Bruce portrayed himself in the Classic Albums (TV Series documentary) Amy Winehouse: Back to Black.

In 2016, Purse wrote the play "The Band Room" about his musical educational experience at Sumner High School, in St. Louis, Mo. His teachers were William Paul Overbey and Ken Billups. The play was produced and directed by the Susan Watson Turner, and performed at Lehman College, in the Bronx, New York City. The play takes place in the late 1968 in St. Louis during the Civil Rights Movement.^[11][12]

In 2019, Bruce Purse composed and produced the music for the narrative film entitled Rapid Deployment 'We Belong Network'. It was screened in 2019 at the Black International Cinema in Berlin, Germany.^[13]

He is a member of American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers known as ASCAP.

Instruments

Trumpet, pocket trumpet, flugel horn, baritone horn, bass trumpet, French horn

Discography

Record labels

• CBS
• RCA
• Warner Brothers
• Atlantic Records
• Polygram
• BMG
• Purse was a staff writer for Warner Chappell Music Publishing

References

External links

• All Music discography and credits
• The Indie Artists Jukebox Interview with Bruce Purse
• Discography Bruce Purse
• Bruce Purse Videos