This tune first appeared on my 2015 release on Origin Records - "The Chase" in a quartet format, and here Chris Ziemba and I present a new take on that composition! On this tune I tend to use a mute technique that has its roots in the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
The pixie mute and plunger combination started first with the trumpet section of Ellington's band, and was adapted to trombone by the great "Tricky Sam" Nanton. Several of my most influential mentors have continued this tradition, and are quite well known for it! (Steve Turre and Wycliffe Gordon) It's one of my favorite ways to express a ballad, it really connects with the trombone's vocal quality. We recorded this as part of our August 2016 digital release - "Live in Memphis" on Outside in Music (www.outsideinmusic.com) - from a live in studio concert at Young Avenue Sound in Memphis, Tennessee.
We hope you enjoy! Please leave us your thoughts in the comments section, and share with your communities!
See you next time -
Nick