jazz trombone Archives - Cliff Bell's

The Khristian Foreman Sextet

admin — Fri, 27 Dec 2019 01:00:00 +0000

Born in Detroit, Michigan Khristian is an active trombonist & bass trombonist throughout michigan, its surrounding areas and all throughout the south. Khristian is currently a Senior Music Performance Major at Jackson State University in Jackson, MS where he actively performs at his school & freelances as well.

Khristian will be debuting his sextet and will be giving a tribute to the late great trumpeter Roy Hargrove.

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Tbone Paxton & RJ Spangler Band

admin — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Lifelong buddy’s RJ Spangler & Tbone Paxton started working together in 1980 with a very popular band around Detroit called the Sun Messengers. They toured the east coast, Midwest and deep south for a number of years. Back then Tbone was awarded a Motor City Music Award for best trombonist. Since that time, he has also become quite an engaging vocalist. In fact, he has been nominated the last two years as best jazz vocalist at the Detroit Music Awards. The two are cornerstone members of the 9 pc Planet D Nonet, and as such, have toured to 11 states, released as many CDs and garnered 6 Detroit Music Awards. Now they have offer this stripped-down project – just four musicians, with a new CD about to drop.
Tbone and RJ have performed in New Orleans and backed singers from there on their tours up north like Johnny Adams, Earl King & Edde Bo for many years, so the music of NOLA is always prominent in their performances; from trad-jazz to R&B. The Great American Songbook: Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington & the Harlem Jive of Fats Waller as well as the proto jump/swing of Louis Jordan are also a big part of each performance. Add some gut-bucket trombone & RJ’s experience with blues, swing and world jazz on drums and you have an idea what to expect at their shows. They are favorites at festivals, art fairs, jazz clubs, brew pubs, private parties as well as libraries.

Matt LoRusso on guitar & Jeff Cuny on bass.

http://rjspangler.com/rjtbone.php

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Phil Ranelin Quartet

admin — Sat, 13 Jul 2019 01:00:00 +0000

Acclaimed jazz trombonist Phil Ranelin, co-founder of Detroit’s famed 1970s jazz label Tribe Records, returns to Detroit from LA!

The Phil Ranelin Quartet will include Rod Williams on piano & Fender Rhodes, Jaribu Shahid on acoustic bass & Djallo Djakate on drums.

Ranelin, a former Freddie Hubbard sideman, is a trombonist in the J.J. Johnson tradition. He has studied and played with numerous top jazz acts over the years including Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Gerald Wilson, Stanley Clarke, Christian McBride, Wayne Shorter, Jimmy Smith and many others. He has appeared at jazz festivals around the world and with his group, The Phil Ranelin Jazz Ensemble, has collected an array of top musicians. A long-time Los Angeles resident, Ranelin’s musical contributions have been recognized by city, county, state and national legislative leaders. By official resolutions he has been deemed a “Rare and Valuable Cultural Treasure” and a “Cultural Ambassador throughout the Nation and to the world audience.”

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Willie Wang Quartet

admin — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Willie Wang experimented with many facets of music before deciding to use jazz as a vessel for expression. His musical family embedded the art form into his soul, and at a young age, the trombone chose him. Wang has played with the Paul Keller Orchestra, Barbara Morrison, Sean Dobbins and other local groups around Detroit. Wang completed his B.M. at Michigan State University under to tutelage of world renown trombonist, Michael Dease. Since graduating, he has been developing his sound here in Detroit. Wang’s musical mission is to strive to express his passion and vulnerability through his original compositions and jazz standards.

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Khristian Foreman Quintet

admin — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 01:00:00 +0000

Born in Detroit, Khristian is an active trombonist & bass trombonist throughout the city and also throughout the south. Khristian is currently a Senior in Music Performance at Jackson State University where he actively performs at his school & freelances as well.

Khristian Foreman is a member and active performer in multiple groups and ensembles such as the First Baptist Orchestra in Jackson, MS, Ben Friends Jazz Orchestra, Marcus Elliot’s Beyond Rebellious Ensemble, The Theater Bizarre Orchestra, The Gabriel Brass Band, Epic Funk Brass Band and AJC & The Envelope Pushers.

In pursuit of honing his craft, chasing his degree & continuing to be an excellent scholar, Khristian has studied with numerous of musicians and professors including Dr. Carla Stovall, Vincent Chandler, Reginald Chapman, Altin Sencalar, Dr. Isrea Butler, Kris Johnson, De’sean Jones and more! He has the great honor of being the 2018 recipient of the Conn – Selmer Institute Scholarship Award & Has taught music in Michigan, Mississippi and recently Meru, Kenya.

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Sam Blakeslee

admin — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 01:30:00 +0000

Originally from Columbus, OH, Sam Blakeslee is a New York City based trombonist and composer. Sam holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Jazz Studies from Youngstown State as well as a Master of Music in Classical Performance from the University of Akron. As a former resident of the Cleveland & Akron, OH area from 2013-2017, he worked extensively in Jazz Education and served as the Instructor of Jazz Trombone at Youngstown State University from 2013-2014, Director of the Jazz Prep Program at Cuyahoga Community College from 2014-2017, as well as the Instructor of Improvisation at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
During his time at the University of Akron, he was a member and composer for the Jazz Trombone Group, which won first place in the International Trombone Association’s Kai Winding Jazz Trombone Ensemble Competition. In June of 2013, he traveled Columbus, GA to play his original music at the International Trombone Festival with the University of Akron Jazz Trombone Group. He is also well versed in classical music and was a 2013 recipient of a Tuesday Musical Scholarship in Brass.
Sam has performed at multiple jazz festivals across the world such as the Fano Jazz Festival, Mosciano San Angelo Jazz Festival, and Parma Jazz Festival in Italy as well as the Deutsche Musikfest in Chemnitz, Germany. While at Youngstown State, Sam was selected one of fifteen people nationwide to attend The Steans Institute for the Young Artist at Ravinia where he studied with Curtis Fuller, Rufus Reid, Dr. Nathan Davis, and Dr. David Baker. He also attended Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead at the Kennedy Center which is a two week residency where his original music was broadcasted to worldwide audience. In May 2014, Sam attended the International Workshop for Jazz and Creative Music at the Banff Centre where he studied with Vjiay Iyer, Ambrose Akinmusire, Steve Lehman, Tyshawn Sorey, Nir Felder, Warren Wolf, among others. Sam is also very busy as a freelancer, and he has played with artists Joe Lovano, Sean Jones, Jiggs Whigham, Aretha Franklin, Dominick Farinacci, Bernard Purdie, Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson, and Derrick Gardner.

Sam Blakeslee – trombone/compositions
Brandon Coleman – guitar
Michael Orenstein – piano
Leo Sherman – bass
Dan Pugach – drums

http://www.samblakesleemusic.com/

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Phil Ranelin

admin — Sun, 27 May 2018 01:30:00 +0000

Phil Ranelin

Trombonist, Composer, Arranger, Band Leader, Producer, Educator

Phillip Arthur Ranelin was born in Indianapolis, Indiana where he grew up under the influence of Jimmy Coe, Earmon Hubbard, J.J. Johnson, Pookie Johnson, Willis Kirk, Wes Montgomery, Melvin Rhyne, Russell Webster and David Young. Ranelin is loved and respected around the globe as a veteran trombonist of the J.J. Johnson tradition, former Freddie Hubbard sideman and as co-founder of Detroit’s famed TRIBE Records. Ranelin has studied and played with some of the most highly respected Jazz and classical educators in the business, including professors David N. Baker, Nathan Davis, Bunky Green, Larry Ridley, Dr. Louis Smith and Donald Byrd (with whom in 1976 he received the key to the city of Detroit). Ranelin’s performance credits include: Ella Fitzgerald, Wes Montgomery , Art Pepper, Freddie Redd, Vi Redd, Sarah Vaughan, Gerald Wilson and Freddie Hubbard with whom in 1980 he appeared on MISTRAL, Japan’s #1 Jazz record of the year.

From 1969 through 1974, Ranelin worked at Detroit’s Motown Records both as a tour musician and studio musician, touring and recording with,The Four Tops, The Temptations, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and Stevie Wonder.

As a leader, Ranelin has shared the bill with Stanley Clarke, Christian McBride, Les McCann, Sonny Rollins, Pharoah Sanders, Wayne Shorter, Jimmy Smith, O.C. Smith, Leon Thomas ,Benny Golson and McCoy Tyner. Ranelin has appeared at many Jazz festivals around the world including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Vera Cruz Muestra International Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Atlantic City Jazz Festival, Montreux Detroit, Kool Jazz, Indiana Black Expo, the Newport Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival, Jazz At Drew, USC Spectrum LA Jazz, UCLA Jazz & Reggae Festival, The Indy Jazz Fest ,the Dakar-Goree Jazz Festival, and the Panama Jazz Festival

A Los Angeles resident since 1977, Ranelin has been designated by official resolutions as a “Rare and Valuable Cultural Treasure” and as a “Cultural Ambassador throughout the Nation and to the world audience”

Ranelin’s CD’s include, “A Close Encounter Of The Very Best Kind”,’’Inspiration”, “Living In A New Day”, “Reminiscence”,”Perseverance & “Portrait In Blue”

Phil will have Rod Williams coming in from New York on Piano; Jaribu Shahid- Bass; Djallo Djakate- Drums.

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NICK FINZER

admin — Sun, 03 Jun 2018 01:30:00 +0000

NICK FINZER is one of the most dynamic musicians of the millennial generation.

An award-winning composer, arranger, and trombonist, Finzer is bringing the joy and power of Jazz to both traditional fans and the most modern 21st century audiences. He’s on a mission to be a passionate voice defining the sound of Jazz in this age while also bringing street cred to the trombone with a bold, tight sound.

Born into the musical world (Mom Sherry Finzer is an international flutist), Finzer developed a fascination for the music of Duke Ellington and found himself, in high school, performing at the annual Essentially Ellington competition of Jazz at Lincoln Center. It was then that he decided to pursue a life in music himself. His budding talent was recognized by Wycliffe Gordon who began a life-long mentorship by writing four pieces for the young Finzer while he attended the Eastman School of Music. Nick went on to get his masters at Juilliard’s prestigious Jazz program where he was mentored by the trombone legend Steve Turre.

In 2011 Nick was the winner of the Eastern Trombone Workshop’s National Jazz Trombone Competition and was a finalist in the 2010 International Trombone Association’s Carl Fontana Jazz Trombone Competition.

In January of 2013 Nick released his recording debut as a bandleader and composer with “Exposition” (Outside In Music). Two tracks appearing on the album garnered Finzer a pair of accolades: The prestigious American Society of Composers and Performers (ASCAP)’s Herb Alpert Award for young composers (2013 & 2015)

Famed trombonist and mentor Wycliffe Gordon called Finzer “a new voice [in] the pantheon of upcoming trombone greats in the making” and added “Nick’s CD is a glowing example of things to come.”

When away from NYC, Finzer can be found touring the globe not only with his own projects, but as part of YouTube sensation, Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. Finzer has joined the group on television, in viral videos with millions of views, and on tours across North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.

Finzer has performed at top Jazz clubs and concert halls with Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Lucas Pino’s No Net Nonet, Ryan Truesdell’s Gil Evans Project, Bob Stewart’s Double Quartet, Frank Wess, Terrell Stafford, Lewis Nash, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Walt Weiskopf, Slide Hampton, Frank Kimbrough, Carl Allen, Steve Turre and many more.

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