A soulful Baltimore jazz trumpeter, Brandon Woody makes deeply felt post-bop inspired by the music and culture of his hometown. Leading his band UPENDO, Woody made his Blue Note debut with 2025's For the Love of It All.
Born in Baltimore, Woody started playing trumpet at age eight and took lessons at the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center. As a teenager, he attended the Baltimore School for the Arts and gained additional study by taking classes at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University on weekends. After high school, he spent a year at the Uni...