Wynton Shredding!

Wow! Someone spent an awful lot of time on this one. The notes we hear really come close to totally matching what valve positions Wynton is playing. That alone is really impressive. This might sound weird, too, but I like some of what Wynton “plays” here. The note choices are so bizarre they almost sound kinda good - sometimes. Regardless, this clip is hilarious!!

Guess The Trumpet Player Winner

Thanks to all who listened to Thursday’s track and to those who ventured a guess. It had been a while since I posted a contest. We got some guesses but only one person correctly identified the mystery trumpet player. The winner of the twenty-fourth edition of the Outside Pants Guess The Trumpet Player contest is……. talented Philly trumpet player, Adam Hershberger. Nice work, Adam!

And the correct answer is….Terell Stafford. Well, I wasn’t surprised that Adam readily identified Terell – Adam was Terell’s student at Temple University where Terell is Professor of Jazz, Director of Jazz Studies, Chair: Instrumental Studies. The featured song was “If I Perish” off of Terell’s 2000 Nagel Heyer release, “Fields of Gold.” The whole album is truly great from start to finish – not something I can say about many recordings. Terell plays with a swagger and confidence that is almost frightening. He can be incredibly powerful, almost bullying his way through the progressions, but he can also play light and delicate with a real romantic feel. He always swings and his lines are very well-crafted. Harmonically there’s nothing super crazy going on. The music isn’t especially adventurous, but thoroughly within the tradition. But there’s absolutely no BS-ing going on. Terell and his band came to play and they play their tails off. It’s straight ahead jazz at its best. Very enjoyable.

I haven’t yet purchased Terell’s latest MaxJazz release, “This Side of Strayhorn” but I have the feeling that I will perhaps like this new one as much as I enjoyed “Fields of Gold.” I am a fan of Billy Strayhorn’s tunes. And the band Terell has assembled is awesome. How do I know this? Because I heard them Live at The Village Vanguard via NPR and WBGO. Do yourself a favor and listen to this live recording (there’s an interview in there too which you might enjoy). When Terell left the stage that night he had burned a hole through all of the furniture in the place. And, no doubt, burned a hole through people’s minds. An extremely talented trumpet player.