News & Updates — trombone

Sending out a birthday to salute to Clifford Thornton, a cult free-jazz composer (and former Black Panther Party Minister of Art) who released a spate of classics from '67-'75 on various independent labels. In some ways he could be likened to the Eric Dolphy of his generation, a multi-instrumentalist artist who greatly impacted contemporary musicians around him while remaining out of the general public's eye. From Philly, he was a cousin to jazz drummer J.C. Moses. At seven he started learning piano and as a teenager studied with Donald Byrd and played with jazz tuba player Ray Draper. After moving...

Happy birthday to the visionary Cuban trombonist/composer/producer Juan Pablo Torres. He made some very funky Latin jazz both in and outside of Cuba, and some of his albums stand as some of the most "fucked-up" or psychedelic-aligned music you'll ever hear from the island. Aside from his own masterpieces, you can hear him with Paquito D'Rivera, Gilberto Santarosa, Hilton Ruiz, Arturo Sandoval, Tata Güines and others. He also led the groups Estrellas de Areito, Algo Nuevo and played in the groundbreaking Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna.

One of the many Jews to contribute immensely to the classic NYC salsa scene, Barry Rogers was a Bronx-bred trombonist who was a first call of many Latin bandleaders, as well as a founding member of the excellent '70s fusion group Dreams (along with Billy Cobham, The Brecker Brothers, John Abercrombie and others). Neighborhood-wise, he came up in mambo & jazz territory. A jazzer at his core, Rogers started playing in Latin bands in the mid '50s. He led the Hugo Dickens group, of which many of the best players of the day (Marty Sheller, Hubert Laws, Bobby Porcelli, Pete...

Despite the unfortunate late portion of Don Drummond's unstable life, he remains a major figure in Jamaican music. A street youth who saw dire poverty early on, the trombonist came out of the Alpha Boys School (home to many great Jamaican artists) and played jazz for several years before helping found the pioneering Skatalites in 1964. He became one of the most high profile early converts to Rastafarianism, political awareness and all. A man of impressive chops (considered by many to be one of the top trombone players in the world), he was teacher to Rico Rodriguez and Vin Gordon,...

Our old friends in Super Hi-Fi have delivered another treat! The Brooklyn-based heavy dub/jazz outfit have been rumbling their way into our ears and hearts for a few years now. An instrumental ensemble (at least on recordings), their unique twin-trombone attack adds a jazzy melodicism to their bass-heavy dub attack with rock power. Born out of the legendary Afro-Dub Sessions parties in Williamsburg, Brooklyn starting in 2011, they have delivered several solid platters: the full-length Dub To The Bone and two 45s on the eclectic Electric Cowbell label, as well as a couple of dubby X-mas themed releases that were...