Trombone Shorty

Trombone Shorty is the stage name of Troy Andrews, a trombone and trumpet player from New Orleans, Louisiana. He grows up in the city’s Treme neighbourhood and takes part in brass band parades as a child, carrying his trombone before he is physically able to reach all the slide positions. He becomes a bandleader at the age of six and later draws attention first for his youth and then for his instrumental skill.

Background and training

Andrews is the younger brother of trumpeter and bandleader James Andrews. He attends the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA), joining a group of notable graduates that includes Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr., Irvin Mayfield and Nicholas Payton.

Career

In 2005, he appears as a featured member of Lenny Kravitz’s horn section on a world tour that shares billing with acts including Aerosmith. After Hurricane Katrina, he records with the New Orleans Social Club on the benefit album Sing Me Back Home in Austin, Texas, and contributes as the featured guest on “Hey Troy, Your Mama’s Calling You,” a tribute to the Jimmy Castor Bunch’s 1966 hit “Hey Leroy, Your Mama’s Calling You.” He also performs on “Where Y’At” with The Sixth Ward All-Star Brass Band Revue, featuring Charles Neville of the Neville Brothers.

In the summer of 2006, Andrews works with producer Bob Ezrin and U2 at Abbey Road Studios in London. That association leads to performances with U2 and Green Day at the re-opening of the New Orleans Superdome for the NFL’s Monday Night Football pre-game show. Later in 2006, he appears on the NBC series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, leading a group of New Orleans musicians on “O Holy Night.” NBC makes the recording available as a free download on its website.

Orleans Avenue

By 2009, Andrews’s current project is Orleans Avenue, a group that blends funk, pop and hip hop. The lineup includes Mike Ballard on bass, Dan Oestreicher on baritone saxophone, Clarence “Trixzéy” Slaughter on tenor saxophone, Pete Murano on guitar, Joey Peebles on drums, and Dwayne “Big D” Williams on percussion.

Recognition

At the start of 2007, Offbeat, New Orleans’ premier music magazine, names Andrews Performer of the Year. He also receives recognition as Best Contemporary Jazz Performer.