Profile for Jon Ailabouni

Brief biography

Jon Ailabouni (he/him/his) is a sought-after trumpeter, composer, liturgist, and educator based in La Crosse, WI.

Steeped in Western European classical and Black American jazz traditions, Jon’s work freely embraces a range of styles from the blues to the Avante-garde and from the Caribbean to the Arab world. His improvisation as a soloist has been described as “sharp and resourceful” (AllAboutJazz.com).

Ailabouni's interest in interdisciplinary work has led to multiple large-scale collaborations featuring his composition including In Search of America with author Robert Wolf, Highway 57 with dancer-choreographer Blake Nellis, and Body of Water, The Invitation Game, Who Do You Trust?, and Sensing (i)dentity with choreographer Jane Hawley. Body of Water - a unique collaboration with dancers, musicians, and a biologist - addresses water health and sustainability in the Mississippi River basin.

An emerging national leader on the intersection of jazz and liturgical traditions, Ailabouni regularly serves as a guest jazz worship director, bringing the sophistication and soulfulness of the jazz tradition into familiar hymns and liturgy in churches across the Midwest, Colorado, and Texas. He has self-published over 50 arrangements of hymns available on his website JonAilabouniMusic.com.

Ailabouni serves on the faculty of music at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where he teaches the trumpet studio, directs the Jazz Ensemble, and teaches Music Appreciation.