FAREED SIMPSON
Trumpet
Fareed Simpson-Hankins first picked up the trumpet at eight years old. Born in Philadelphia and a graduate of Central High School, he grew up learning in the Philadelphia School District and studied music at the Tony Williams Mount Airy Cultural Center jazz program. Mentored by Byard Lancaster, he would play at local venues at a young age with the Developing Excellence organization. He acquired a love for music when he was a child, and his parents would practice and bring him to restaurants where they would perform. He also learned from playing in the church he grew up in, Shiloh Temple, where he played spirituals and gospel music.
Recently, he has been seen on PBS and heard on WRTI 90.1. He’s performed at local Philadelphia venues, The 2017 Jazz is Back festival in Grožnjan, Croatia, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and at the 2016 North Sea Jazz Festival, in Rotterdam.
KYNOEBI SIMPSON
Flute | Sax
Kynoebi Simpson began his musical journey playing the drums at the Mount Airy Cultural Center program, giving him a strong rhythmic foundation. In the third grade, he switched to playing flute. He received flute lessons from the Temple University Community Music Scholars Program. He was also a member of the Philadelphia All-City Orchestra where he played flute and piccolo, and toured and performed in Europe with the orchestra in places such as Rome, Florence, and more. When Kynoebi entered the 10th grade, he began playing alto and tenor saxophones and eventually became the lead alto saxophonist in the Philadelphia All-City Jazz Orchestra. He is also a member of the Developing Excellence organization which educates communities through performing a diverse collection of music. Kynoebi has continued to play multiple genres of music on the flute, saxophone, and piccolo since beginning his music tenure and is currently studying at Temple University. Recently, he won the 2018 W. Russell Johnson Music Guild Concerto Competition.
