Many big band leaders take the trombone section for granted I have been told, unless the leader was a bone player!  Usually they are shoved in the middle of the band, with the trumpets blasting in their ears and the saxes screaming at them from the front.  No wonder many of them wear ear plugs while playing or suffer hearing loss.  I am completely serious about this.  When I played for years in a big band workshop that had one or more likely, no trombones, I realized how much of an important voice they are in a big band arrangement.  Many of the greatest big band composers were trombone players!  I can’t think of any at the moment, but really, you’ve got to believe me so I can make this point!  I decided a long time ago that I did not want my bone players to go deaf, so I worked out a rehearsal formation where they could have their own space, deservedly so.  That and the fact that no other section in the band wanted them…

I am very proud to play with on a weekly basis, from near to far – John Lehr, Jason Frost, Bradley Madson and Wayne Johnson!