Trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso started playing professionally in and around Detroit, Michigan, where he was born in 1964. Jon began early, playing in a big band at age 11, in the International Youth Symphony at 13, and in a concert alongside Wild Bill Davison at age 17.

In '88, Jon-Erik joined James Dapogny's Chicago Jazz Band, with whom he's made appearances throughout North America, concertized on PBS-TV and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., performed on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion live Public Radio show, and recorded extensively.

Since moving to New York City in 1989 to join Vince Giordano's Nighthawks, Jon has enjoyed performing and recording with Ralph Sutton, Dan Barrett, Howard Alden, Marty Grosz, Milt Hinton, Dick Hyman, Leon Redbone, Ken Peplowski, and Kenny Davern.

Jon-Erik can be heard on several television and movie soundtracks, including the Nickelodeon children's show Blue's Clues, and the recent movie Ghost World with the Nighthawks.

He has been featured several times on Arbors Records, including two CDs as a leader and one (with more to be released) with Ruby Braff. His debut album, Chapter One, captured the attention of noted jazz critic Owen Cordle, who wrote, "Kellso may be the best traditional jazz trumpeter to come along since Warren Vaché. He has a fluent gift of melody and a knack for spicing it up with a Roy Eldridge-like rasp, a Howard McGhee-like excitability, and Rex Stewart-like tonal effects."