TromboneChat

We get a lot of talk about a small number of trombonists, so I thought I'd invite people to post about trombonists they like that don't get much attention.

I'll start with Raul de Souza. I always liked him, but hear very little about him.

Love Brian Wendel.

Burgerbob wrote: Sun Jun 15, 2025 10:06 am

Slightly off topic, but this video shows a pretty good view of the mic technique I most frequently suggest to use on the forum here. Two spaced condensers, off axis. These are probably in omni, but could also be in wide cardioid.

Very realistic sound. Contrast with the usual suggestion of sticking one mic close in front of the bell. Brian Wendel sounds awesome here.

And on topic:

Glenn Ferris, to my ears a very unique approach and a huge inspiration to many more modern trombonists in Europe.

Add Juan Pablo Torres to that list

Wayne Wallace:



Mike Fahn (valve trombone player, here playing with Andy Martin):



Olaf Ott:



Britt Woodman:



Skip Layton:



Alex Wasily, a good friend of mine:

Every UHOP trombonist, including these guys:



Well-known names that I still feel like we don't talk about enough:

Elliot Mason
Conrad Herwig
Barry Rogers
Fred Wesley
Rita Peyes, Carol Jarvis, Megumi Kanda,...basically just everyone in the "female trombonists" thread

Karin Hammar and Natalie Cressman

Christopher Washburne

I’ll chime in with some UK friends and colleagues that just happen to be fantastic players but are under the radar especially to you Americans……

Barnaby Dickinson
Alistair White
Trevor Mires
Richard Edwards (RIP)
Rory Ingram
David Sears
Andy Wood
Gordon Campbell
Dennis Rollins

A bit of Mark Nightingale in your life:

mikerspencer wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 1:43 am A bit of Mark Nightingale in your life:

Mark would have been on my list too but he’s already mentioned quite a bit on the forum.

I’m going to add some European players…….

Nils Wogram
Adrian Mears
Günter Bollmann
Ludwig Nüss
Denis Leloup
Robinson Khoury
Nils Landgren

Two thumbs up for Nils Wogram especially, definitely plays great, I like Andy Hunter a lot as well.

Fidbone wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 8:10 am
Mark would have been on my list too but he’s already mentioned quite a bit on the forum.

So hard knowing who's been covered

I'm not quite sure if such a list does make any sense because it's already grown to lengths nearly impossible to check out. I think this shows how many good trombone players are out there. Somehow astonishingly many of the names mentioned are familiar to me.
Nevertheless I'll add a few to the list, missing out many others:
Alois Eberl
Maxine Troglauer
Raphael Strasser
Bernhard Holl
...

trombone ensembles:
trombone unit hannover (how are they even so unknown?)
octotrip
vienna bone artists

"A bit of Mark Nightingale in your life"
Great! I have that cd too.
I'd add Peter Moore and Matt Gee to the list also Helen Vollam and Emily White

tbdana wrote: Sun Jun 15, 2025 9:54 am We get a lot of talk about a small number of trombonists, so I thought I'd invite people to post about trombonists they like that don't get much attention.

I'll start with Raul de Souza. I always liked him, but hear very little about him.

Great thread…lots to digest here!

I enjoyed the set you shared on YouTube! Tasty! I became a fan of his work in the early 80s but he played a valve trombone then (or something called a Souzabone)…clearly, he’s also adept with a slide.

…and I had no idea he played tenor sax, too!!! Impressive!!!

Good share…

How about Antonis Andreou?

Here he is "messing around":






Wish my play tests sounded like that...

I'll add Zoltan Kiss to the list

Jamaica's Don Drummond and Rico Rodriguez. Drummond was named one of the world's best in the '60s. He had a tragic end and has become some sort of mystery and I think he deserves to be on the list of the world's greatest. He was very prolific and one of the founders of Ska and Reggae music. Maybe even more important than Bob Marley. He started out as a Jazz trombonist and reinvented himself as a leading figure for the development of Jamaican music styles.

Rico was taught by Don Drummond and made a couple of solo records and joined The Specials. Maybe they don't play super fast technical stuff to show off their skills but their skills lie somewhere else.

Trombonist Francois de Lima is someone that needs better exposure in the US
And he`s such a nice guy. I`ve had the privledge of playing with him on a number of occasions

The great trombonist Bert Boeren playing Back Home Again In Indiana:

Trombo wrote: Tue Jul 29, 2025 11:39 am The great trombonist Bert Boeren playing Back Home Again In Indiana:

This IMHO is how a trombone is to be played. The light touch, the easiness, the solid but relaxed embouchure, the fluidity, the almost languid approach. He never works too hard. He never pushes harder than he has to. He doesn't play note by note, but plays long lines just lighting on notes without marrying each one. This was how Watrous played. It's how I try to play. It's the kind of playing I admire most.

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread.

Massimo Pirone
Michael B. Nelson of The Hornheads

kingsk1117 wrote: Tue Jul 29, 2025 6:37 pm Massimo Pirone
Michael B. Nelson of The Hornheads

Max is a member of this forum.

Erling Kroner was a member and contributor on the old TTF, but he passed away in 2011, and he's only been mentioned a handful of times here on the Chat.

I posted this video back in 2019, but it's always worth another listen:

Dino Piana - Italian valve trombone player
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dino_Piana
https://www.discogs.com/artist/365298-D ... erformance



He appears on two amazing 1967 albums by Pedro Iturralde Quintet with Paco De Lucia

'Bulerías' from Jazz Flamenco 2


Flamenco-Jazz

There was a thread about how many trombonist there is in this world. I asked AI and got the answer trombone is not popular enough to make an effort to make the research. If Trump had played trombone he would probably say billions

I think there is so many good trombone players out there. So many professional in symphonic, jazz and variation of ensembles. They are all amazing. But there is also so many talents from 8 - 16 years old that play the trombone in a spectacular way. Technically much better than ever before. We are used to read and listen about the most famous in our trombone world. Among us trombonists there is in fact a lot of famous trombone players. But out among other people?. Maybe Tommy Dorsey or Glenn Miller ring a bell in older people.

Trombonists not featured here? There is so many good trombone players in the world that will never be featured here.

AI tell about J.J. Johnson in jazz and Christian Lindberg in classical. I got a little mad AI didn't even mentioned me? I thought Google and Meta could listen how hard I practice and appreciate my effort behind the trombone? They do it in how to make the right advertisement in whatever we do in internet. Some say they listen our microphone on our phone? So I have to play louder then

Anyway, there is so many great trombonists out there. They seems to get better and better technically while I get worse. But I hope the joy and musicallity will still be a part of it?

https://youtu.be/l0-JHWFXuZI?si=5uo3VFEI2K-bfiBO

Leif

Robinson Khoury

Savio wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:12 pm - - - snippet - - -
I thought Google and Meta could listen how hard I practice and appreciate my effort behind the trombone? They do it in how to make the right advertisement in whatever we do in internet. Some say they listen our microphone on our phone? So I have to play louder then

Trombonist and one-man band Mathias Götz (alias Le Millipede).
from 2023 release 'Legs and Birds'

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Ryan Keberle has been mentioned on the forum, mainly in jazz context. But this new project based on Eric Satie is something else.
from 'Between Two Silences' by trombone/cello/piano trio Reverso:

Kiril Ribarski

Ray Anderson

Jimmy Knepper

Dave Robbins...he was Harry James all-time favorite lead player and was asked to come back to play at James' famous London concerts.

Dave was an LA studio player in the '50's with Tommy Pederson et al, played lead t-bone with Harry James at the Palladium Club in L.A. when James was a 'rock star', and did other work as principal trombone of Denver, Vancouver Symphonies, Vancouver opera, and tons of arranging/recording work.

Catch Dave's blues solo here as the last soloist, which is a lead-in to ending the tune with Harry James and Dave quoting 'Til Eulenspiegel'! (corrected!)

Ian McDougall.... the recently passed away Canadian legendary player, composer, arranger, and longtime lead player of the 'Boss Brass' out of Toronto.

He was Canada's 'Urbie Green', but would cite Urbie as the greatest ever.

Here's Ian playing a solo on 'Start With Mrs Beanhart' by Rob McConnell:

Ian McDougall... a great solo on 'Street of Dreams' with the Boss Brass live in L.A. in 1981:

(note: Ian helped in the development of the King 2B+, as he'd always played King 2B's or the regular non-Sonic Silver 2B's until he switched to the Yamaha 697Z sometime in the 90's)

Who was the trombonist on Antonio Carlos Jobim's recordings from the 60s-70s? His sound rivals Dick Nash.

Cmillar wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2026 7:50 am

Catch Dave's blues solo here as the last soloist, which is a lead-in to ending the tune with Harry James and Dave quoting 'Ein Heldenleben'!

That’s the famous horn lick from Til Eulenspiegel.

gregsundt wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2026 9:54 am Who was the trombonist on Antonio Carlos Jobim's recordings from the 60s-70s? His sound rivals Dick Nash.

Urbie Green is who you're thinking of.

Jimmy Cleveland was also on some of those albums, but can't be mistaken for Dick Nash.

tbdana wrote: Thu Mar 19, 2026 10:46 am

gregsundt wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2026 9:54 am Who was the trombonist on Antonio Carlos Jobim's recordings from the 60s-70s? His sound rivals Dick Nash.

Urbie Green is who you're thinking of.

Jimmy Cleveland was also on some of those albums, but can't be mistaken for Dick Nash.

Urbie Green makes sense. Did he fly to Rio for those sessions?

gregsundt wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2026 9:54 am Who was the trombonist on Antonio Carlos Jobim's recordings from the 60s-70s? His sound rivals Dick Nash.

https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artis ... rlos-jobim

Pick your album - see the lineup!

Many were recorded in New York City / New Jersey.

Jimmy Cleveland and/or Urbie Green often included.

Kbiggs wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2026 2:37 pm

Cmillar wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2026 7:50 am

Catch Dave's blues solo here as the last soloist, which is a lead-in to ending the tune with Harry James and Dave quoting 'Ein Heldenleben'!

That’s the famous horn lick from Til Eulenspiegel.

Hah!...yeah!... thanks for the correction!.... hard to remember all the great licks in Strauss' music!

Cmillar wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2026 7:50 am Dave Robbins...he was Harry James all-time favorite lead player and was asked to come back to play at James' famous London concerts.

Dave was an LA studio player in the '50's with Tommy Pederson et al, played lead t-bone with Harry James at the Palladium Club in L.A. when James was a 'rock star', and did other work as principal trombone of Denver, Vancouver Symphonies, Vancouver opera, and tons of arranging/recording work.

Catch Dave's blues solo here as the last soloist, which is a lead-in to ending the tune with Harry James and Dave quoting 'Til Eulenspiegel'! (corrected!)

Or the earlier, very high-cultural quote of "Would You Like to Swing on a Star," by Mendelssohn, I believe.

Dave Robbins became one of the truly great music educators during his life in B.C. He influenced all the players coming out of Vancouver during his time and taught young people how to play in big bands at the universities and colleges in the area. A gentle man of great humour, my closest personal brush with him was at a summer music camp during high school. He was on a diet at the time sipping a Fresca while teaching us how to play Lil’ Darling. “Now there’s a little discrepancy in the timing here.” Holding up his pop can, “Drink some of ‘discrapandsee’ how you like it.” “But yeah, we need to agree…”

That was just one of many quick little hits of wit that kept us engaged. Some humans just twinkle with vitality, and Dave was one of those.

Wayne wrote: Sun Mar 22, 2026 8:54 am Dave Robbins became one of the truly great music educators during his life in B.C. He influenced all the players coming out of Vancouver during his time and taught young people how to play in big bands at the universities and colleges in the area. A gentle man of great humour, my closest personal brush with him was at a summer music camp during high school. He was on a diet at the time sipping a Fresca while teaching us how to play Lil’ Darling. “Now there’s a little discrepancy in the timing here.” Holding up his pop can, “Drink some of ‘discrapandsee’ how you like it.” “But yeah, we need to agree…”

That was just one of many quick little hits of wit that kept us engaged. Some humans just twinkle with vitality, and Dave was one of those.

Yes!....Dave was one of the nicest humans you could know, and Canada is lucky that he decided to move there after meeting his wife who was originally from Victoria (they met in LA when he was working there and she was a ballerina/dancer in LA at the time)

I'm going to post a thread devoted to Dave sometime soon, in order to help keep some of his musical thoughts and ideas about trombone playing 'out there'.
(...gotta' wait for a couple of weeks until I get through a big writing/playing project!)

Some 'Dave-isms' to spread to the trombone world for sure. He knew and worked with all the past LA legends himself...Tommy Pederson, Hoyt Bohannon, Lew McCreary, Lloyd Ulyate, etc. etc.

He'd tell a lot of stories during lessons at his house....will share in the future!

I’ll add a couple of tasty Detroit players: Curtis Fuller and George Bohanon. I saw Mr. Fuller at Baker’s Keyboard Lounge in Detroit I loved his concept of soloing. He was also a very nice gentleman, willing to talk with trombonist fans like me.

Another Detroit trombonist, Phil Ranelin

Nick Grinder - Fantastic Player

Mark McGrain. Another Fantastic Trombonist and a really nice guy