Ray Anderson (musician)
Ray Anderson | |
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Background information | |
Born | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | October 16, 1952
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Trombone, trumpet, vocals |
Years active | 1973–present |
Labels | Enja |
Website | www |
Ray Anderson (born October 16, 1952) is an American jazz trombonist.[1] Trained by the Chicago Symphony trombonists, he is regarded as someone who pushes the limits of the instrument, including performing on alto trombone and slide trumpet. He is a colleague of trombonist George E. Lewis. Anderson also plays sousaphone and sings.[2] He was frequently chosen in DownBeat magazine's Critics Poll as best trombonist throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s.[3]
Biography
[edit]After studying in California, he moved to New York in 1972 and freelanced.[4] In 1977, he joined Anthony Braxton's Quartet (replacing George E. Lewis) and started working with Barry Altschul's group.[4] In addition to leading his own groups since the late 1970s including the funk-oriented Slickaphonics,[4] in which he began taking an occasional good-humored vocal, where he shows the ability to sing two notes at the same time (a minor third apart). Anderson has worked with George Gruntz's Concert Jazz Band.
Anderson has worked with David Murray, Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, Dr. John, Luther Allison, Bennie Wallace, Gerry Hemingway, Henry Threadgill, John Scofield, Roscoe Mitchell, Randy Sandke's Inside Out Band, Sam Rivers' Rivbea Orchestra, Bobby Previte, George Russell and others. Anderson is a member of Jim Pugh's Super Trombone with Dave Bargeron and Dave Taylor. He received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for a series of solo trombone concerts.
Anderson has frequently returned to his early love of New Orleans music for inspiration. His Alligatory Band and Pocket Brass Band, featuring tuba player Bob Stewart or sousaphonist Matt Perrine and trumpeter Lew Soloff, are rooted in its tradition.[5][6] Since 2003 he has taught and conducted at Stony Brook University.
Discography
[edit]As leader/co-leader
[edit]- Harrisburg Half Life (Moers Music, 1980)
- Right Down Your Alley (Soul Note, 1984)
- Old Bottles - New Wine (Enja, 1985)
- It Just So Happens (Enja, 1987)
- Blues Bred in the Bone (Enja, 1988)
- What Because (Gramavision, 1989)
- Wishbone (Gramavision, 1991)
- Every One of Us (Gramavision, 1992)
- Big Band Record (Gramavision, 1994)
- Azurety (hatART, 1994) with Han Bennink and Christy Doran
- Don't Mow Your Lawn (Enja, 1994) with the Alligatory Band
- Slideride (hat ART, 1994) with Craig Harris, George E. Lewis and Gary Valente
- Cheer Up (hatArt, 1995) with Han Bennink and Christy Doran
- Where Home Is (Enja, 1998)
- Bonemeal (Raybone, 2000)
- Ibrahim Electric Meets Ray Anderson (Sundance, 2005)
- Sweet Chicago Suite (2012)
With BassDrumBone
- Wooferlo (Soul Note, 1989)
- Hence the Reason (Enja, 1997)
- Cooked to Perfection (Auricle, 1999)
- March of Dimes (Data, 2002)
- The Line Up (Clean Feed, 2006)
- The Other Parade (Clean Feed, 2011)
- The Long Road (Auricle, 2016)
With Slickaphonics
- Wow Bag (Enja, 1982)
- Modern Life (Enja, 1984)
- Humatomic Energy (Blue Heron, 1985)
- Check Your Head at the Door (Teldec, 1986)
- Live (Teldec, 1987)
As sideman
[edit]With Barry Altschul
- Another Time/Another Place (Muse, 1978)
- Somewhere Else (Moers Music, 1979)
- Brahma (Sackville, 1980)
- For Stu (Soul Note, 1981)
With Anthony Braxton
- Creative Orchestra (Köln) 1978 (hatART, 1995)
- Performance (Quartet) 1979 (hatART, 1981)
- Seven Compositions 1978 (Moers Music, 1979)
- Composition No. 94 for Three Instrumentalists (1980) (Golden Years of Jazz, 1999)
- Composition 98 (hatART, 1981)
With Charlie Haden
- The Montreal Tapes: Liberation Music Orchestra (rec. 1989, Verve, 1999)
- Dream Keeper (DownBeat's Jazz album of the year)
With Julius Hemphill
- The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony (New World, 2021)
With Roscoe Mitchell
- Sketches from Bamboo (Moers Music, 1979)
With Sam Rivers' Rivbea All-star Orchestra
- Inspiration (BMG France, 1999)
- Culmination (BMG France, 1999)
With Bobby Previte & Bump
- Just Add Water (Palmetto, 2001)
With Hank Roberts
- Black Pastels (JMT, 1988)
With George Russell's New York Band
- Live in an American Time Spiral (Soul Note, 1983)
- Lion Hearted (1993)
With Roseanna Vitro and Kenny Werner
References
[edit]- ^ Cook, Richard (2005). Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia. London: Penguin Books. pp. 14–15. ISBN 0-141-00646-3.
- ^ "Ray Anderson | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "1988 DownBeat Critics Poll". Archived from the original on 2012-03-06.
- ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 14. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
- ^ "Montalvo Arts Center | Ray Anderson". www.montalvoarts.org. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
- ^ "Where Home Is - Ray Anderson, Ray Anderson Pocket Brass Band | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
External links
[edit]- Ray Anderson's official site Archived 2020-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
- 1952 births
- Living people
- American jazz trombonists
- American male trombonists
- Jazz musicians from Chicago
- CIMP artists
- Enja Records artists
- Stony Brook University faculty
- University of Chicago Laboratory Schools alumni
- 21st-century trombonists
- 21st-century American male musicians
- American male jazz musicians
- Clean Feed Records artists
- Palmetto Records artists
- Black Saint/Soul Note artists
- Moers Music artists
- Gramavision Records artists