The Sharif Kales Sextet

First picking up the trumpet in the seventh grade at the age of thirteen, Sharif’s music teacher switched Sharif from trumpet to baritone horn because Sharif couldn’t get a sound out of the trumpet. He played baritone horn for his first year, but he was determined to play trumpet, so Sharif took a trumpet home over the summer to practice. By the time he returned to school, within weeks Sharif was playing first chair on trumpet and went on to perform in borough and city-wide bands.

Sharif is a graduate of The New School Jazz program, but his musical abilities are diverse. He plays many different styles of music such as funk, R&B, and Latin, just to name a few. Sharif has worked with a number of big bands, including Art Blakey’s big band, The Harlem Renaissance big band, and also such luminaries like Charles Tolliver, Buster Williams, Mulgrew Miller, Joe Chambers, and Wallace Rodney.