Ft. Worth, TX’s 8th annual Jazz by the Boulevard Music & Arts Festival presents its usual high-end, diverse group of national and local acts this year, anchored by award-winning bassist/movie composer Stanley Clarke, September 10-11. But if Clarke isn’t careful, a brash New Orleans musician packing energy and soul may steal the entire show.
Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews has hit the ground running since he was four and handling a trombone bigger than him. With a new hit release, Backatown, a host of notable gigs (U2 and Wynton Marsalis are fans, Lenny Kravitz is a mentor) and Hollywood (HBO’s Tremé, NPR, The Late Show with David Letterman) knocking on his door, Trombone Shorty is poised to become a huge, mainstream artist – if he’s not already.
The charismatic trombonist is more than just an able musician. He doesn’t settle for riffing from notes on a page in the background. He’s known for turning the jazz improvisation into a current, sexy, and relevant art form, up front and inviting full audience participation. He’s been known to perform crazy-long sets of his own special jazz-funk-hip-hop-soul narrative and has been widely embraced by the crème de la crème of high jazz society.
While Andrews has plenty of fun onstage, the man can play “his ass off,” Kravitz observed once. “He’s a genius player. He’s got nothing but personality, … and he’s a beautiful human being.”
Andrews and his childhood mates from the historic subdivision of New Orleans, Tremé, were jamming, doing their thing as thriving street musicians in Jackson Square, when he caught the notice of U2’s Bono and The Edge at a club. “There was this little funk band, but they were all playing brass instruments, which is something I'd never heard of or seen before. We were just mesmerized by him,” said The Edge.
Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis thinks Troy Andrews is the real deal. “Shorty possesses the rarest combination of talent, technical capability and down-home soul. I'm his biggest fan.” You will be too. Just watch.
For more info: Gates at Will Rogers Memorial Center Lawn (3401 West Lancaster, Ft. Worth, TX) open 5 p.m., September 10th, and 1 p.m., September 11th. Besides live performances by Stanley Clarke, Trombone Shorty, Charlie Mars, The Gourds, Kat Edmonson, Paul Unger’s Miles Davis Tribute Band and more, there will be a Cooking Carnivale for the gastronomically inclined, with lots of chances to taste and learn new recipes. Some rules (check the site for more): Please don’t look like a douche bag and be caught carrying. Also, unless you’re blind with a seeing-eye dog, no pets, no food or drink from outside, no containers made of glass, no professional recording of any live show, no large umbrellas, and no jive attitudes. You can tote your own blankets, strollers, personal cameras, unframed backpacks, binoculars, small umbrellas that can fold away, the same with chairs. Call 800-512-SHOW/Front Gate tickets for more info on purchasing. It’s $5 general admission a day. There are reserved table and VIP seatings for passes. Monies from ticket sales and such will benefit Camp Bowie.
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