"That's right, I said it.": Trumpet player Gerard Presencer and the Us3 song "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)"

Trumpet player Gerard Presencer, featured soloist on Blue Note's biggest-selling release of the 1990s, talks about his performance on Us3's Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia):

[Quoting] I was 18 or maybe 17 at the time I did that, but I wasn't playing with DJs. I was playing mostly gigs in London on the jazz scene. Us3 knew me by reputation as a trumpet soloist. When I was 15 or 16, I started to play with the Brand New Heavies and on recordings for other acid-jazz groups. I'm on quite a lot of recordings in the early '90s, like with Jamiroquai, Corduroy, and Mother Earth. There were loads of them. I got to play lots of solos on those records, which is probably actually why Us3 got in touch. [Producers Geoff Wilkinson and Mel Simpson] asked me if I've heard of Freddie Hubbard, and at that point, I don't think I was listening to anyone else. [Laughs.] So I just played in the style of Freddie a little bit, but also I think it sounds like me -- but it's obvious I love Freddie. Other than that, they didn't give me much instruction at all, actually, and it was a very quick session. [End quote]

Source: The Oral History of Us3's Bold Jazz-Rap Breakthrough 'Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)'; How a team of U.K. producers went from infringing on Blue Note's copyrights to earning the label its first platinum plaque. Plus, Herbie Hancock and Lou Donaldson talk the joys of being sampled.

Original video of Us3's Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) on Vimeo featuring Gerard Presencer:
https://vimeo.com/31473575

The trumpet player in the 'emimusic'-uploaded YouTube music video isn't Gerard Presencer. Billboard's Gina van der Vliet spoke with producer Geoff Wilkinson about the making of that video in a 1997 article 'Us3 Takes A Walk Down Oldham's Video Runway' [p. 102].

Producer Geoff Wilkinson on Us3's surprise success: "I always thought there was a huge potential audience for jazz amongst younger people, and I wanted Us3 to be a point of access for them. By sampling classic jazz tracks, mixing them with beats and raps, and having younger jazz cats playing on top I was acknowledging the past, staying rooted in the present, and looking forward to the future, all at the same time." ← Amen to that :)

Us3's Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) contains samples of 5 songs...

Gerard Presencer on Facebook

Gerard Presencer's bio

Of course, the Us3 song was inspired by the original and wonderful "Cantaloupe Island" by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock from his epic 1964 'Empyrean Isles' album which also features musicians Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. Enjoy!