I’m always looking for new trombonists to check out, but it can sometimes be hard to find those hidden gems if you don’t know where to look. Often the trombonists on a jazz recording are sidemen and you have to go out of your way to find them. Shannon Barrett has put out a new public tool that helps jazz trombone fans find recordings, called The Hidden Trombone. Here’s what is said about this project.
This research project was established by Professor Shannon Barnett at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne, Germany. It aims to combine the knowledge of several professional trombone players and educators into a functional database that can be used by anyone interested in good examples of trombone improvisations in jazz and adjacent genres. These can sometimes be difficult to find, as many are ‘hidden’ on albums where the trombonist is not the bandleader. In this age of streaming that can lead to some players being overlooked when considering the history of the instrument in jazz.
Each participant was invited to submit up to ten examples of trombone improvisations or features that they value, along with the reasons for their choices. The participants were chosen due to their experience in performance and/or education, and come from varying musical and geographical backgrounds.
The result is a database of 75 examples, which can be searched by trombonist, style, focus or recommender (or a combination of those categories). It is not meant to be a thorough overview of the essential examples of trombone improvisations from the history of jazz, but rather a curated collection of personal favourites. There is potential to expand the database in the future.
They helpfully include links to where you can stream and purchase the music, which trombonist recommended the track, and also a short description of why that track was recommended. Go check it out and purchase some music to support great artists.
