BIOGRAPHY

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

With a background steeped in Western European classical and Black American jazz traditions, Jon's creative work focuses on instrumental composition and improvisation that uses deeply felt stories as a focal point for expression. Ailabouni's improvisation as a soloist has been described as "sharp and resourceful" (AllAboutJazz.com). His 2023 album, You Are Not Alone, featuring his original compositions was released on SkyDeck Music and has been performed at the Iowa City Jazz Festival Main Stage and Cappella Performing Arts Center in La Crosse, WI. The album is available on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms.

Ailabouni can be heard performing regularly with Chris Merz and Shorter Stories including on the album New Juju, Mike Conrad and the Iowa Jazz Composer’s Orchestra including on the album The Fertile Soil Suite, the La Crosse Jazz Orchestra, Isthmus Brass, and Anders Svanoe’s Teleporting Rhythmic Orchestra (ASTRO).

An emerging national leader on the intersection of jazz and liturgical traditions, Jon regularly serves as a guest jazz worship director, bringing the sophistication and soulfulness of the jazz tradition into familiar hymns and liturgy in churches, synod assemblies, and gatherings across the country. His approach to liturgy emphasizes congregational singing, grooves that move the body, and the sacred in the jazz tradition. Ailabouni has self-published over 50 arrangements of hymns available here.

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 Sensing (i)dentity, Body of Water, The Invitation Game, and Who Do You Trust? with choreographer Jane Hawley. Body of Water - a unique production with dancers, musicians, and a biologist - addresses water health and sustainability in the Mississippi River basin.

A summa cum laude graduate of Luther College with a degree emphasizing classical trumpet performance, Ailabouni went on to receive a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies from Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Ailabouni then joined the WMU music faculty, where he taught jazz brass lessons, directed the Jazz Lab Band, and served as co-director of the Western Invitational Jazz Festival. Ailabouni taught on the music faculty of Luther College for eight years and currently serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse where he teaches the trumpet studio, Music Appreciation, and directs the Jazz Ensemble and Hoefer Brass Quintet. He is a frequent clinician and guest artist including recent appearances at the Tallcorn Jazz Festival at the University of Northern Iowa and the Southern Arkansas University Jazz Festival.

Ailabouni is a La Crosse, WI based artist and educator offering clinics for jazz ensembles and concert band trumpet sections and private lessons in improvisation, composition, and trumpet performance.

Education

Master of Music in Performance, Jazz Studies WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY (WMU) – Kalamazoo, MI

Bachelor of Arts in Music, Trumpet Performance LUTHER COLLEGE – Decorah, IA