Irvin's Open Road

  • INTERVIEWED BY:

    Team San Jose

IRVIN MAYFIELD

Jazz Trumpeter/Founder
New Orleans Jazz Orchestra

“That's why your passion is so important-that's one thing that no one else can do that you can do because you love it more than anyone else.”

INTERESTS:

Business Music

THEMES DISCUSSED:

Choices Culture Family Pressure Individualism Passion Success Fulfillment Confidence Dedication Determination Education Focus Money & Financial Security Planning Simplicity

FOUNDATION:

Being Creative

BIOGRAPHY:

  • Says that playing trumpet growing up didn't always make him the most popular person; people had their doubts.
  • He had a passion, could listen to and play trumpet all day everyday, so he didn't care about financial success, the feelings of his peers.
  • Says success is all relative; if he set a goal to make $400 one month and he made $500, he was on top of the world.
  • Parts of his family wanted him to have a tangible career, a degree, rather than pursuing his dream.
  • Father had taught him to play the trumpet, but was disappointed when he dropped out of college.
  • In 2009, he won a Grammy and was appointed to the National Endowment of the Arts by President Obama.
  • Once he had a Grammy, got his own apartment, his family started to come around to his choices.
  • Lives by a saying his mother taught him: "Blessed is he who gets paid for what he would do for free."

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