The Real Mr. Incredible: Wayne Bergeron Does It Again!

        Unless you have never watched a movie or TV show, you have probably heard the great Wayne Bergeron play the trumpet. Bergeron, who grew up in Los Angeles (and still both lives and works there today), has played trumpet for over 450 films and television shows throughout his expansive career. Since I myself am a dedicated trumpet player, Wayne has always been one of my personal heroes- both in craft and in life. I am in constant awe of his journey from being at “the bottom of the [call] list” to not only becoming the first-call trumpet player in Los Angeles, but also one of the most in-demand musicians in the world.

Without discounting any of Bergeron’s other contributions to film and TV, his most notable efforts can be heard in The Incredibles 1,2 (2004, 2018) (arguably his most popular and physically challenging contribution to film), La La Land (2016) (yes, that’s Wayne playing his famous trumpet solo in “Epilogue”), Despicable Me 1, 2, 3, (2010, 2013, 2017), Bridge of Spies (2015), Rocky Balboa (2006), Marley & Me (2008), Get Smart (2008), Superman Returns (2006), The Simpsons Movie (2007), The Interview (2014), Hairspray (2007), Mission Impossible 3 (2006), Spiderman 1 & 2 (2002, 2004), West Side Story (2021), Catch Me if You Can (2002), and South Park (1997-present). 

Wayne Bergeron has also been featured in numerous musical records, including those of Ray Charles, Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Barbra Streisand, Maynard Ferguson, Michael Buble, Mary J. Blige, Green Day, and more. He has also recorded three albums as a bandleader: Plays Well With Others (2007), You Call This a Living? (2012), and Full Circle (2017). Bergeron’s resume as both a sideman and a bandleader almost reads like that of a contemporary film and pop artist, leading me to believe he has one of the most diverse and extensive careers of any trumpet player- rather, musician- past or present. 

However, in March of 2020, right around when everything shut down due to Covid-19, Bergeron was diagnosed with HPVp16, a form of throat cancer. Of course, cancer in any form is horrible, but cancer of the throat in a person who plays a wind instrument for a living is incredibly daunting and scary. Nevertheless, when Bergeron announced his diagnosis by posting a video on social media, he seemed genuinely optimistic and excited about his treatment, recovery, and return to music. Sure enough, he has thankfully made a full recovery and full return to his musical pursuits. 

All of this background on Bergeron’s life and career thus far leads me to my insights about his creative process. I focused mainly on the “Evaluation” stage of his creative process. I wondered whether or not Bergeron’s cancer diagnosis prompted any introspection (or evaluation) about whether or not he wanted to build back up his strength and ability that made him the monster trumpet player he was before he started his cancer treatments. Luckily, and somewhat unexpectedly, I got the opportunity to get an answer to that question from the man himself. I had the surreal experience of meeting Wayne at the Elmhurst Jazz Festival in February of 2022, and one of the first things I asked him was what his recovery process was like, in regard to both his health and his trumpet playing. Wayne told me that he did in fact consider whether he would be able to continue to play in the high-profile recording sessions he had been doing for so many years, or if he would have to evaluate the option of turning his creative efforts in a different direction. However, he decided to stick to the long, hard, but ultimately more rewarding path back to those studio sessions- and, with many frustrating days and arduous practice sessions, Wayne told me he finally regained his previous abilities.

One of the first creative endeavors he took on after conquering cancer was playing the first trumpet book in the soundtrack for the movie Minions: The Rise of Gru. He also created and recorded trumpet solos that will be heard during the movie, which comes out this summer. Despite the difficulty of the recording sessions for the movie (the Despicable Me franchise has notoriously difficult soundtracks, and on top of that Wayne was not yet back to full strength), Wayne ultimately pushed through and made some amazing music for a high-profile film. I thought it would be a good idea to focus on that specific creation in this blog post, as it has a uniqueness that comes with it. Yes, this project is similar in style to many of Bergeron's other film contributions. However, his creative efforts for Minions undoubtedly have a uniqueness to them in that the movie will contain the first high-profile recording Bergeron did since his cancer diagnosis. It can be reasonably assumed that Bergeron had to utilize different techniques and methods to playing such difficult music at such an early stage of his return to trumpet-playing. As a trumpet player myself, I would imagine that Bergeron likely had to a) employ new strength/energy-conservation techniques during the arduous recording sessions, and b) find new ways to support and supplement his airflow into the instrument, as his muscle mass was likely impacted during chemotherapy (trumpet-playing-related muscles take a lot of effort and time to build and maintain). Once all of these factors and obstacles are taken into consideration, it is impossible to not admire Wayne's perseverance, technical skill, and creative ability.

I am fascinated by Wayne’s “Evaluation” of where he wanted to take his musical journey after his successful battle with cancer. Furthermore, I am very glad that he chose to put his creative efforts back into those studio sessions and live performances. I am extremely grateful to have met Wayne, ask him about his creative process, and thank him for all he has done to inspire me as a fellow trumpet player.