We talk to Nadje Noordhuis about her career and the second annual Jazz Girls Columbus event

Listen to a conversation between your host Nadje Noordhuis as they explore the many facets of Nadje her endeavours: from writing music for herself and others, to playing her own work and in the many famous bigbands, to teaching at Berklee College of Music.

Nosy trombonist Melissa Brown chats to fellow brass professionals about their careers, how they got there, and what music they'd happily put in the bin. In this episode Australian trumpet player, composer, and educator Nadje Noordhuis tells us about her original plans of becoming a sound engineer, we hear her stories of overcoming sexism in the brass industry, and there is some comparison between flugelhorns and goats (you'll have to listen for the context!)

Nadje Noordhuis has one of the most beautiful trumpet sounds on the planet. Besides releasing four albums of her own unique music, she has been a top-call sidewoman with many bands including the Maria Schneider Orchestra, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, and the Anat Cohen Tentet. She's also one of the most well respected private teachers in the world. Listen as she shares about finding her own voice, how Carmine Caruso and Laurie Frink have informed her own teaching, and about her experiences as a woman instrumentalist in jazz.

Keeping up with the Jazz world, Leander Young, carries out authentic conversions with and about musicians.

Nadje Noordhuis is my favorite trumpet player, and is the primary reason I worked up enough determination to (try to) learn the trumpet. Yeah, that bit of trumpet in the intro is me, heh. She's from Brooklyn, though she grew up in and moved from Australia. She is a wonderful teacher and performer, and an wonderful person to chat with. I first met her at a very small and intimate studio performance she did with my favorite pianist (Luke Howard). To this day, that's one of my absolute favorite musical experiences ever. Nadje has a very interesting and inspiring story, as well. She had to struggle to make her way into a male-dominated scene where it was thought that "a woman couldn't handle the position of audio engineer" and being pigeonholed into "female only" jazz bands. She's since made some incredible contributions to music both through her composition/performing and her teaching.

In this profile we hear her describing how she started playing music at a very early age but was introduced to jazz much later. Her ears were opened to the music by the legendary Kenny Wheeler. Moving from Australia to New York she talks about the challenges of making her way in the jazz scene in NYC. And her search for female role models. She also talks about the advice she gives to the young female musicians she teaches.

Trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis's eponymous debut will be available on Oct. 9, 2012. In this interview, Noordhuis talks about the stories behind her compositions; how a "fight" with a piano kept her away from that instrument for a decade and how she found her way back; working with Darcy James Argue and others; and the moment in the studio when the tape first started rolling.