Arnold Hammerschlag is a trumpeter, improviser and composer, whose work is grounded equally in jazz and classical music with explorations into improvised, ambient and world music idioms. One of many musicians to relocate from Seattle to New York in the 1990’s, Arnold has led groups featuring Ethan Iverson, Michel Gentile, Owen Howard, Sam Bardfeld, Will Holshouser, Aaron Alexander, Phil Haynes, Katie Down, Alex Harding and Grisha Alexiev. 

Born in 1970 in Seattle, Arnold grew up playing music with Cuong Vu (trumpet), Jim Black (drums), Chris Speed (saxophone) and Andrew D’Angelo (saxophone). He attended the Cornish College of the Arts where he played with Brad Shepik and was a founding member of Timebone with Briggan Krauss (saxophone), J. Anthony Granelli (bass) and Aaron Alexander (drums). Timebone was selected Best Acoustic Band of 1990 by Earshot Jazz Magazine. While at Cornish, Arnold studied with James Knapp, Julian Priester, Jerry Granelli, Jay Clayton and Jarrad Powell.   

After relocating to New York, Arnold’s first co-lead was in 1995 with Sedonia Underground, a collective featuring J. Anthony Granelli (bass), Owen Howard (drums) and Peter Epstein (saxophones). Everyone contributed original compositions and the band performed at The Knitting Factory. 

QUAD emerged in 1996, a co-lead with dynamic baritone saxophonist Alex Harding featuring drummer Grisha Alexiev and bassist Joe Fonda. This band featured groove playing driven by Harding’s penchant for hard driving riffs, offset by ambient compositions by Hammerschlag and Alexiev. 

Arnold joined pianist/composer Tricia Woods’ band Les Fauves in 1996. Original members included Chris Komer (French horn), Curtis Hasselbring (trombone), Marcus Rojas (tuba), Chris Dahlgren (bass) and Aaron Alexander (drums). A 2002 reconfiguration included Chris Komer, Ryan Keberle (trombone), Gregory Jones (bass) and Andrew Drury (drums). 

Arnold led a trio featuring Ethan Iverson (piano) and Owen Howard (drums) at the Knitting Factory in 1997 which became a quartet with Michele Gentile (flute) in 2000. The ensemble combined classical and jazz sensibilities in an acoustic chamber music setting. A live performance at Greenwich House Music School was recorded and released as Sailing Neptune’s Waters (SchlaggyMan Records, 2003). 

Attended the Djerassi Resident Artists Program in La Honda, California in 1998 as composer. Recorded compositions from this residency: Jo and Bert (No Face No Name) and Ornette (Sailing Neptune’s Waters). 

A journey into Jewish, Israeli and Yemenite music began in 1999 with the Simcha All-Stars, a wedding band of top New York creative musicians, founded by Greg Wall (saxophones, clarinet), Alty Weinreb (voice), Mitch Schechter (piano), Brian Glassman (bass) and Aaron Alexander (drums). 

Studied composition and species counterpoint with Joelle Wallach from 2001 to 2004. Compositions included DU (Depleted Uranium) for Alex Harding (baritone saxophone) and Until the Birds Come Home for Michel Gentile (flute). 

In 2002 Arnold led a quartet featuring Phil Haynes (drums), Michel Gentile (flute) and Masa Kamaguchi in performances at CBGB’s Lounge, Cornelia Street Café and the Knitting Factory. 

A Balkan music adventure began in 2002 with the Zagnut Cirkus Orkestar, led by Matthew Fass (accordion) featuring Timothy Quigley (percussion), Greg Squared (clarinet) and Jessica Lurie (saxophone) with performances at The Golden Lips Festival, Hungarian House and New York City Subway stations. 

In 2004 Arnold performed with Aaron Alexander’s Midrash Mish Mosh in 2004. The group featured Alexander’s Klezmer, Balkan, Jazz and Punk inspired compositions featuring Michael Sarin on drums, Fima Ephron on bass, Greg Wall on saxophone, Margot Leverett on clarinet and Jay Vilnai on guitar. 

Created an original musical score in collaboration with dancer and choreographer Petra Martin for The Red Atrium, performed at Joyce SoHo with a grant from Dancespace in 2005. Compositions included The Zagnut Circus Waltz with a performance featuring Matthew Fass, Greg Squared and Timothy Quigley. 

A longtime interest in Tibetan Buddhism culminated in a residency at Gampo Abbey from 2006 to 2007, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Trained in several Tibetan liturgical instruments including radung (low brass), gyaling (double reed) and rolmo and sylnyen (cymbals). Trained as a Buddhist monk and attended the shedra (monastic college). 

Attended Music Omi in 2009, a collaborative music residency in Hudson, New York. Participants included Minako Arai (Japan), voice; Ricardo Cavalli (Argentina), saxophone; Alberto Fiori (Italy), piano; Anthony Garcia (Australia), guitar; Arnold Hammerschlag (US) trumpet; Cory Hills (US), percussion; James Ilgenfritz (US), double bass; Hyelim Kim (Korea), daegum (traditional Korean flute); Almut Kühne (Germany), voice; Dennis William Lee (Canada), drums, guitar, voice; Celia Malheiros (Brazil/US), voice, percussion; Angelika Niescier (Poland/Germany), saxophone; Angelo Sturiale (Italy/Mexico), composer; Wilfrido Terrazas (Mexico), flute; Soo-Jung Kae (Korea) piano; Jeffrey Leppendorf (USA), Japanese flute. 

Performed with Matt Darriau’s Ballin’ the Jack at Cornelia Street Café in 2009 with Matt Darriau, alto saxophone and clarinet; Andy Laster, baritone saxophone and clarinet; Curtis Hasselbring, trombone; Anthony Coleman, piano; Joe Fitzgerald, bass; and George Schuller, drums. 

Led the St. Winnoc Trio featuring Brent Arnold (cello) and Ezra Gale (bass) in 2011 to explore ambient improvisation and intervallic systems. A performance at University of the Streets featured the trio with special guest Katie Down on glass bowls and percussion. 

Songs from Sun, Sand and Stone was formed to perform and record original music that was written in response to playing in Greg Wall’s Simcha All-Stars. This material was released on the recording No Face No Name (Skirl Records, 2015) featuring Arnold, Sam Bardfeld (violin), Will Holshouser (accordion), Brian Glassman and Aaron Alexander. Performances at Cool Pony in 2013 and at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, Shapeshifter Lab and Jalopy Theater in 2015. 

Led a two piano quartet performances in Seattle and New York in 2017. A Seattle version featured John Hansen (piano), Geoff Harper (bass) and Bradley Gibson (drums) at The Royal Room. A New York version featured Neal Kirkwood (piano), Sean Smith (bass) and Vito Lesczak (drums) at Jacques Fages’ loft on the Upper West Side. 

Attended Residency #167 at the Atlantic Center for the Arts led by bassist, composer and master improvisor Michael Bisio in 2017. Participants included Thomas Helton (bass, tuba), Max Hyde-Perry (bass), Carlos Snaider (guitar) and Rebecca Novak (cornet, piano). The group performed in numerous indoor and outdoor spaces around ACA, presenting improvised music, new compositions featuring alternative notation systems and collaborations with artists and poets. 

In 2018 Michael Bisio led a quintet featuring Harvey Sorgen (drums), Erik Lawrence (saxes, flute), Adam Siegel (sax) and Arnold at Bisio’s curated series, The Moment at the Beverly Lounge in Kingston, New York. The group was joined by special guests Steve Gorn (bansuri flute) and Timothy Hill (voice, guitar) and featured entirely improvised music. 

In November 2019 Arnold joined Bisio and poet Paul R. Harding for an intimate evening of poetry and improvised music at Bisio’s curated series The Gallery at the Lace Mill, an artist housing development in Kingston, New York. 

Recorded improvised music with Mike Bisio (bass) and Chris Corsano in November 2019 at The Bunker in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 

Performed an outdoor duo concert with bansuri flute master Steve Gorn at Sky Lake Lodge in Rosendale, New York in August, 2021. Music could be heard while strolling the land or sitting with the band on a balcony during sunset. This was Steve’s invitation to mix the mind of meditation with the mind of music in a beautiful outdoor setting.