Graham Reid | | <1 min read
Trombone Shorty: In the 6th
This hot young trombonist, trumpeter and singer from New Orleans -- who plays the National Jazz Festival in Tauranga at Easter, and is interviewed here -- brings more than just the local funk and groove to his style.
There is a gritty guitar part all over the urgent opener Hurricane Season here (and on the political/socially responsible Right to Complain, and metal-edged Suburbia) and he gets Lenny Kravitz in for guitar and vocals on Something Beautiful where jazz meets Prince.
In his mid 20, Trombone Shorty (Troy Andrews) is a man of his generation so has an ear for hip-hop and street beats (tough and slurry Seventies funk on Quiet As Kept) as much as the sound of his own hometown. But of course flood-ravaged New Orleans has also been home to exciting and unique hip-hop (bounce) and bands like Galactic (in which he has played) so this meltdown of styles seems only natural.
All those NO funky grooves and horns are here in abundance but by pushng the boundaries (which for him comes naturally) this is Nawlins music of and for the 21st century.
Be interesting to see where he goes with this, but right now he's on the money and burning.
Like the sound of this? Then check out this.
Mike Rudge - Apr 17, 2011
Just saw him live last night in Singapore opening for John Legend (without Roots). I think it is fair to say that only about 10 people in the audience had heard him and they were all (girls especially) waiting for the Legend.
SaveTrombone Shorty got the whole place up on its feet from Suburbia onwards - and I think many would have said that he literally blew the legend off the stage.
Agree the mix of fonk, rock and beats is going somewhere.
Mr Legend was then always playing catch up and while he put on a solid show - he could have done with some beats from The Roots to mix things up a bit though.
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