Tito Carrillo is a trumpeter, composer, and educator whose music blurs the lines between Afro-Caribbean music traditions and modern jazz. Born and raised in Austin, TX, by a Puerto Rican father and Mexican-American mother, Carrillo came to prominence in the mid-nineties of Chicago’s rich jazz and Latin music scenes, becoming a top call soloist, sideman, and bandleader. The Chicago Tribune describes him as having “acquired a reputation as a fluid improviser, doubly blessed with a warm lyric style and technique to burn.” The artists he has collaborated with are as diverse as his skill set: Chicago heavyweights Willie Pickens, Ryan Cohan, and Geof Bradfield; Chicago Latin groups Chinchano (Juan Pastor) and the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble (Victor Garcia); big bands such as the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and the Smithsonian Masterworks Orchestra (David Baker); salsa legends Andy Montañez, Cheo Feliciano, and Cuban flutist Orlando “Maraca” Valle; jazz greats such as Kurt Elling, Claudio Roditi, Jon Faddis, and Paquito D’Rivera; and pop icons Quincy Jones and Phil Collins. He released his debut solo album in 2011, entitled Opening Statement (Origin Records), to rave reviews, and his next solo project Urbanessence (Origin Records), will be released in October 21st, 2022. Tito Carrillo carries an equal passion for jazz education. He has served on the faculties of Roosevelt University, Northwestern University, and his current post, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he has served as a full-time professor of jazz trumpet since 2006. He has taught at secondary and collegiate music programs across the U.S. and Latin America. His long list of former students includes many who have established careers as both performers and educators and have won international jazz competitions at the highest level.