Life after 11 years playing trumpet on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” is a shift for Tallmadge native Jon Lampley.
He played trumpet and sousaphone and performed vocals in the house band since 2015, when Colbert started the show. The first five years, Lampley appeared in the band as regularly as he was able to, between touring with his jazz-funk band the Huntertones as well as O.A.R.
In 2020, he signed with the band as a full-time band member and played for all of the show’s episodes until it closed May 21.
After “The Late Show” ended, he and his girlfriend, Liz Mandic-Nowac, traveled to Japan for two weeks to decompress.
“It was kind of just like a big reset, you know, chill. Saw a bunch of stuff, ate a lot of food and now I’m back and kind of launching into summer and the beginning of the post-‘Late Show’ era,” Lampley, 36, said by phone from New York June 15.
The trumpeter, who graduated from Tallmadge High School in 2008 and Ohio State University in 2013, talked about what it was like doing the last episode of “The Late Show.”
“It’s sad. There’s a lot of grief there,” said Lampley, describing the bittersweetness of talking with his bandmates in the dressing room, rehearsing, getting dressed and doing hair and makeup for the last time in the historic Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan.
“This thing that has been the center point of my career for the last 11 years but also this thing that has given me an entirely new family, has provided so many opportunities for me, is coming to a close and this is the last day of it,” he said of the final show.
The day was surreal but Lampley said he also felt gratitude for the years he spent performing on a show that has meant so much to him as a musician, artist and human being.
“In no version of the dreams or ambitions I had for myself did I anticipate getting to be a part of the tradition of ‘Late Night’ and specifically getting to work with Stephen Colbert, (bandleaders) John Batiste, Louis Cato and the musicians that I’ve gone on to play with,” Lampley said.
The final episode included plenty of joy and humor, too, as Colbert connected with his old colleagues. They included Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Jon Stewart and Batiste, with the great Paul McCartney sitting on the couch as the main guest.
To close the show, McCartney sang the Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye” with Elvis Costello, Colbert, Batiste and the house band.
“There was a special feeling to it, given that it was the last time we were gonna get to make music together on that stage,” Lampley said. “For him (McCartney) to be the last guest and to get to perform an iconic song with him was incredible.”
At one point during the two-hour rehearsal that day, McCartney told Lampley that the trumpet was one of his first instruments he played as a kid. He gave it up when he couldn’t play it and sing at the same time.
Lampley handed McCartney his trumpet and McCartney proceeded to play “When the Saints Go Marching In,” the song he remembered from his childhood.
“It was amazing and everybody in the room was just like, ‘oh my gosh,’ and it became this moment,” Lampley said.
After the taping ended and Colbert shared some sentiments with the audience and staff, McCartney took Lampley’s trumpet again to play the same tune for a celebratory moment.
“One of the last things to happen on the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater, in the context of ‘The Late Show,’ is Paul McCartney played my trumpet,” Lampley said. “Hopefully that’ll end up on ‘Jeopardy’ someday.”
Starting with Colbert
Lampley started on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in 2015 when former bandleader Batiste hired him for the Stay Human house band. Cato was the leader of the seven-man band from 2022 until the show’s end, which was called the Great Big Joy Machine for the show’s last year.
Lampley has enjoyed playing in the house band with music legends from every genre, including Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Thundercat, Maggie Rogers and even Yo-Yo Ma.
Lampley also got used to Colbert being a great improviser throughout the show’s 11-year run. In a fun behind-the-scenes interaction between Colbert and Lampley with the studio audience, Colbert teased Lampley about an admirer from the audience in late April.
The pre-taping moment turned into a fun riff on the trumpeter’s embouchure, or the shaping of his lips to “buzz” them against his instrument’s mouthpiece. Colbert said that lip action always makes it look like Lampley is “pre-kissing.”
“It was a very genuine interaction and I’m grateful that I got to share that with him,” Lampley said of the comical moment, which ended up on YouTube.
Lampley’s new album launching next week
Now, Lampley has begun a new chapter as a solo artist and bandleader with his sophomore album “Notes to Self,” which will be released June 26.
“I think all of it was kind of building to this point, where I have always felt like I’m an extremely creative person and I think diving into having enough confidence and also just kind of feeling that the time was right to start writing my own songs and start building the concept of who I want to be as an artist, as a brand, as a musician,” Lampley said.
The purpose of his new album is to connect and make listeners feel joyful. The album’s whimsical artwork, sketched by Kenzie Crawford in the style of someone doodling in the back of a classroom, also refers to Lampley’s artist nickname, which is Lamps.
“It’s joyful, it’s not too serious but it’s art at a high level. That’s kind of what I want the concept of whatever music I’m making to feel like to anybody who’s listening to it,” he said.
Lampley, who plays trumpet and sings on his album, pointed out that one of his heroes, Louis Armstrong, did the same.
Lampley wrote the album’s songs between 2023 and 2025 and produced it with The Diner, which is made up of musicians from the pop-soul band Lawrence.
“This is the first time I had experimented with like, OK, what do I want this song to sound like, what different layers and textures do I want to add?” he said.
His genre-blending “Notes to Self” is heavily influenced by jazz, pop and gospel. The first song he wrote for the album, “Greener,” was released as a single in March.
Colbert makes a cameo in “Greener,” saying, “Hey, Lamps, how’s your day going?” Former “Late Night” band leader Cato also is featured in “Greener” on drums, bass and guitar.
Lampley also produced his first music video for “Greener.” In the video, he plays two characters looking at each other and wishing their life was like the other’s.
“It was cool to get to kind of create a concept and bring it to life,” he said.
Lampley released his album’s second single, his jazz/neo-soul version of “Dock Of the Bay,” in May. It’s a tribute to his dad, who loved the Otis Redding song.
Amid the album’s 10 tracks, “On Your Mind” is a loving tune that Lampley said “is an ode to communication and trying to get better at it.” “Maybe,” featuring Lampley singing with piano, is a vulnerable piece that explores questions of faith and his relationship with God.
Lampley’s road to being a musician
Lampley, who has lived in New York for 12 years, co-founded the Huntertones at Ohio State with saxophone player Dan White and trombone player Chris Ott.
The trumpeter, born and raised in Tallmadge, grew up in First Apostolic Faith Church in Akron, where he and his family played music. As a result, Lampley’s biggest musical influences are the musicians he played with growing up there.
In high school, he played trumpet in concert band, jazz band and marching band and played basketball for four years. He started out studying psychology and pre-med at Ohio State before following his heart and switching to studying music after freshman year.
“On a more kind of divine level, this is what I fell I’m called to do with my life,” he said.
His college mentors were Kenyatta Beasley for trumpet as well as Ted McDaniel, head of OSU’s jazz studies program. Lampley played sousaphone in the Ohio State Marching Band and dotted the “i” on “Ohio” three times.
His mother, Rebekah, still lives in Lampley’s childhood Tallmadge home. His father, Jon Lampley Sr., who was a distribution manager at the Akron Beacon Journal, died in 2015.
Celebrating album release
“Notes to Self” will drop June 26 on all platforms and also on vinyl and CD through Lampley’s website and at his shows. For the release, he’ll have a listening party with friends and industry folks.
On July 1, he’ll play tunes from the album at the legendary Blue Note jazz club in New York, with an 8 p.m. sold out show show and another set at 10:30 p.m.
Lampley will continue to tour with O.A.R. and will be on the road with the Huntertones as well with Lake Street Dive. In between, he’ll be playing his own shows to promote his new album as a solo artist.
“A big part of what will be next for me is kind of making my own artistry a bigger piece of the pie of my career,” he said.
Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Tallmadge native reflects on time on ‘Late Show with Stephen Colbert’
Reporting by Kerry Clawson, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Kerry Clawson, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
