Jay Daly

Born and raised in New Hampshire, Trumpeter Jay Daly has been a freelance trumpeter in New England for over 40 years. Jay describes himself as a classically trained musician who specializes in musical theater, big band trumpet section work, and recording session calls. He has toured globally with big bands and theater productions, and he plays and contracts locally for the North Shore Music Theater.

THEN: Jay and his wife, freelance hornist Alyssa Daly, are the perfect example of musicians who play at the top of their craft and choose a life as freelance musicians in New England. Making a living as a freelancer means a life living on the financial edge, but Jay and Alyssa made it work. They lived gig to gig, but there was always another gig. Jay filled his calendar with shows all across New England and in 2019 premiered a solo show, From Stardust to Penny Lane: A Celebration of the Popular Trumpet. The show was wildly popular and Jay was thrilled to have 3 bookings in 2020 including a date at North Shore Music Theatre and at the Lincoln Center in NYC!

NOW: The COVID Shutdown cancelled Jay’s Lincoln Center debut along with every other gig he had on the calendar for 2020. Alyssa’s performance calendar was also wiped out. Like freelance musicians everywhere, their life shifted from performing to navigating the complicated unemployment system, remote schooling their kids from their Beverly home, and trying to maintain their “chops”. As the months wore on, Jay felt antsy to perform and he realized that people stuck at home were eager to hear live music. He came up with a solution: Driveway Concerts. Since last spring, Jay has been performing in driveways to celebrate a birthday, mother’s day, valentines day, or any occasion. To book Jay to play in your driveway, email him at jaydalytrumpet@gmail.com.

HOPE: With the success of his Driveway Concerts, Jay hopes that his colleagues will join him. He believes that during the pandemic, the streets are our stage and that musicians should fill them with music. Of course Jay can’t wait to get back on a real stage so he can make a living playing his trumpet again. Despite the extreme challenges facing his family during the shutdown, Jay feels confident that there will be an eager audience waiting to get back into the concert halls to support the vibrant music scene that we all knew and loved pre-COVID. The warm receptions and emotional responses to the driveway concerts have shown that our audiences ache for the connection of live music.