The Trombone Corner Podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass and The Brass Ark.  Join hosts Noah and John as they interview Paul the Trombonist.

About Paul the Trombonist:

Paul Nowell, widely recognized as "Paul The Trombonist," is a multi-talented artist rooted in Los Angeles, boasting roles as a music producer, songwriter, entrepreneur, performer, educator, YouTuber, and esteemed trombonist. His diverse skill set has led to private performances for a star-studded audience that includes names like Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, and Charlize Theron, among others. Garnering tens of millions of views, his original content videos stand testament to his growing acclaim.

In his formative years, while performing in a jazz club in Cleveland with his ensemble, Paul caught the attention of Ron Ellington Shy — a notable figure linked to Duke Ellington and known for his involvement with the Drifters and Coasters. This chance encounter propelled him into collaborative projects with Ellington Shy. Not just that, his youth also witnessed a stint to perform with jazz icon Chico Hamilton's band, a worldwide tour with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and participation in the Tony-award-winning "best musical" "Memphis" written by Bon Jovi’s keyboardist, David Bryan.

His collaboration with the ten-time Grammy awardee Arturo Sandoval to create a series of online videos saw a meteoric rise to fame, captivating millions globally. The world of comedy has embraced Paul too, thanks to his collaborative performances with the renowned comedian Sinbad, amalgamating music and humor in an unprecedented style. His rich portfolio further extends to performances with soul music royalty Aretha Franklin, Seth MacFarlane — the brain behind Family Guy, the legendary Frankie Valli, and Noel Gallagher from Oasis.

A proud alumnus of the Berklee College of Music, where he honed his skills under the guidance of trombone maestros including the illustrious Phil Wilson, Paul's journey came full circle when he reunited with Wilson to craft a successful video series, a project he cherishes dearly. This reunion bore the genesis of "Bone Masters," a pioneering internet show helmed by Paul, wherein he engages with living legends of the trombone world, orchestrating masterclasses and interviews, thereby creating the most expansive educational video library dedicated to the trombone.

Paul’s live performances are a league of their own, innovatively blending trombone with technology to forge sounds traversing Jazz, Pop, Hip-Hop, and Electronic genres. Leveraging modern technology and keyboards coupled with trombone improvisations, he crafts a transcendental musical experience.

Apart from his musical endeavors, Paul is a well-recognized name in the online business arena, having secured numerous business accolades, including the prestigious 2 Comma Club awards on multiple occasions. His entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to excellence are evident in every venture he undertakes, showcasing a multifaceted talent who continuously strives for greatness in the music industry and beyond. As a respected member of The Recording Academy, Paul contributes his vote annually at the Grammy Awards, holding a distinguished role in shaping the future of music.

The Trombone Corner Podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass and The Brass Ark.  Join hosts Noah and John as they interview Amanda Stewart, of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

About Amanda:

Amanda Stewart is currently the Associate Principal Trombonist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, a position she began in the Fall of 2014. Born in Oakland, Maryland, she began playing the trombone at the age of six. Her studies started with Harold Hudnall and continued with Dr. H. Keith Jackson, current Dean of the College of Creative Arts of West Virginia University. She received her bachelor of music degree from The Juilliard School, studying with Joseph Alessi.

As an orchestral musician, Ms. Stewart has played with numerous orchestras. She was Principal trombonist of the San Antonio Symphony for eight seasons, Assistant Principal trombonist of the Lyric Opera of San Antonio for four seasons, and Associate Principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic for two seasons. Ms. Stewart has also been a regular substitute and extra player with the Boston Symphony and has toured with them internationally. She has also performed with the Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, National, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Toronto Symphonies. Ms. Stewart has also spent several summers performing in the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra.

In other performing capacities, Ms. Stewart is a current member of the trombone ensemble, STL Trombones. She has also performed as a member of the Burning River Brass and the San Antonio Brass. During her tenure as a member, Ms. Stewart performed twice as a soloist with the San Antonio Symphony. She has also appeared as a guest artist at the International Trombone Festival and the International Women’s Brass Conference.

As an educator, Ms. Stewart currently teaches at Washington University in St. Louis, and has taught privately at several other universities, namely Our Lady of the Lake University, St. Mary’s University, Rutgers University, Trinity University, and McKendree University. For part of the 2025 Spring Semester, she served as an adjunct Assistant Professor of Music at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Also, Ms. Stewart has also given masterclasses at many national universities and conservatories, including the New England Conservatory, Rice University, and The Juilliard School. Ms. Stewart is an Edwards artist, performing on Edwards trombones and Griego Mouthpieces.

The Trombone Corner Podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass and The Brass Ark.  Join hosts Noah and John as they interview Dr. Brittany Lasch, trombone soloist and professor at Indiana University.

 

About Brittany:

A winner of the S&R Foundation Washington Award and Astral Artists National Auditions, trombonist Brittany Lasch brings authenticity and unshakeable commitment to all aspects of her music-making. Increasingly in demand as a soloist with orchestras and brass bands alike, Brittany balances an intensive performance career with her role as a sought-after educator and newly appointed Assistant Professor of Trombone at the renowned Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. As a serial collaborator and commissioner of composers, Brittany is a musical explorer creating new repertoire for her instrument from some of today’s most compelling voices, and true ambassador in expanding recognition for the trombone as a powerful solo voice for today.

Brittany has appeared as a soloist with ensembles ranging from the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own”, Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass, and for concerto performances with the Queens Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, Bucks County Symphony, Bowling Green Philharmonia, Manhattan School of Music Philharmonia, and others across the country. With playing described as “masterful” (Syracuse Post-Standard), American Record Guide recently hailed Brittany as an "excellent soloist" across a diverse range of repertoire. 

Brittany has been a featured guest artist at numerous festivals, including the International Trombone Festival, the International Women’s Brass Conference, and the American Trombone Workshop. She was a winner of the National Collegiate Solo Competition hosted by the U.S. Army Band, the Eisenberg-Fried Brass Concerto Competition at the Manhattan School of Music, the Zulalian Foundation Award in Boston. Her trombone quartet Boston Based won the 2017 International Trombone Association’s Quartet Competition. In 2018, Brittany was awarded 2nd place in The American Prize Solo Instrumentalist competition. A prizewinner in numerous other competitions, she received the coveted John Clark Award upon graduation from the Manhattan School of Music for outstanding accomplishment in brass performance.

For six seasons, Brittany was the Principal Trombone of the Detroit Opera Orchestra at the Detroit Opera House. She has performed with orchestras nationwide, including the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Nashville Symphony, The Florida Orchestra, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, the Vermont Symphony, Albany Symphony, Syracuse Symphony, and the New World Symphony in Miami Beach. She participated in the Verbier Festival Orchestra for two summers, and has also appeared at the Spoleto USA Festival, the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, the Castleton Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival. An active presence in the global trombone community, Brittany’s performances for the current and past seasons include Argentina’s Trombonanza, Portugal’s Gravíssimo Festival, as well as appearances in Japan and Korea.

As an advocate for new music, Brittany has commissioned and performed several new pieces for the trombone, including acclaimed composer Reena Esmail’s major Sonata for Trombone and Piano, which she commissioned for her Astral Artists recital in Philadelphia. Brittany gave the premiere of the orchestrated version of Martin Kennedy's Theme and Variations for Trombone and Orchestra with the BGSU Philharmonia under the direction of Dr. Emily Brown. She also recorded the work with the BGSU Philharmonia, which was recently released on the Albany Records label. Other recent projects include collaborations with composers Inez McComas, Adam Har-zvi, and David Miller. Her debut solo album Dark Horse features works by Samuel Adler, Tony Plog, Reena Esmail, Shawn Davern, and the album’s pianist, Thomas Weaver.

A native of Park Ridge, Illinois, Brittany earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University, where she received the Brass Department Award. She also holds a Master of Music degree from Yale School of Music. With a deep commitment to education, she has previously served as faculty at the College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. She has also been a featured teacher and performer at summer festivals, including the Sewanee Music Festival and the DC Trombone Workshop.

Recent residencies include those at the University of Central Arkansas, James Madison University (Tromblow'in), University of Iowa, Oklahoma State University, Stetson University, the University of Florida, and as the guest artist at the 2023 Frühling Posaunen hosted at Ithaca College. She has presented masterclasses at universities across the country and internationally.

Brittany Lasch is an Edwards Trombone Performing Artist. She also proudly uses and endorses ChopSaver Lip Care. Outside of music, Brittany has recently completed her eleventh full marathon and loves spending time with her cats, Clove and Poppyseed.

The Trombone Corner Podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass and The Brass Ark.

This episode is brought to you by the Colburn School's Brass Institute Program. Intermediate and advanced Brass students aged 13 to 22 are invited to join the Colburn School’s 2-week Brass Institute this summer, for an immersive experience of the best the brass world has to offer! Led by some of today’s most active and respected brass artists, the program features large brass ensemble, chamber music, rhythm workshops, and master classes. Taking place from July 8th to 19th in Downtown LA. Visit www.colburnschool.edu/summer to apply.

Join hosts Noah and John as they interview Ingemar Roos, trombonist and teacher from ... Stockholm, Sweden.

 

About Ingemar:

After organist degree from Stockholm he studied trombone with Palmer Traulsen in Copenhagen, with Denis Wick at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and with Jay Friedman in Chicago. He was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, were he also had lessons with Arnold Jacobs.

1971 he became principal trombone at the Norwegian Opera in Oslo. 1978 principal trombone with Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra of Sweden.

Been a member of the avantgarde group The Culture Quartet with Folke Rabe, and been a member of Edward Tarr Baroque Ensemble.

After 45 years of service in teaching he is Professor Emeritus from the Norwegian State Academy of Music in Oslo and from the Gothenburg University School of Music. He has more than 85 former students in professional jobs after winning auditions.

Ingemar Roos has served on the International Trombone Association, (ITA) festivals numerous times on the faculty as soloist, clinician, lecturer and conductor.

At the year 2000 ITA Festival he recieved the Neill Humfeld award for "Excellence in trombone teaching".

In international trombone competitions he has been a member of jury in Grenchen, Porcia 4 times, Toulon and Markneukirchen.

Ingemar Roos has been guest teaching at seminars, courses and giving classes at such schools as Northwestern Univ., Roosevelt Univ. HDK in Berlin, Hanns Eisler in Berlin, in several music academies in Athens Greece, Musikhochschule in Hannover, Codart in Rotterdam, Music Conservatory in Lyon, Geneva Music Academy and music academies in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Malmö, Stockholm, Helsinki, Bergen, Stavanger, Tromso, Riga, St. Petersburg and others.

Also done seminars and courses like Biba International Brass Week, Italian Brass Week, Lieksa Brass Week, Posaunentäge Berlin, low brass seminar in Galicia, Tirol Klang in Austria, Bergsted Brass Festival in Stavanger and others.

Also coaching youth orchestras such as Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, Baltic Youth Philharmonic, Norwegian Youth Orchestra and Orkester Norden, as well as professional ensembles and sections in ensemble playing techniques and in concerts such as Malmö Opera Brass, Gothenburg Opera Brass, Odense Symph. Orch. Brass, Stavanger Symph.

Orch. Brass, Trondheim Symph. Orch. Brass, Royal Opera Stocholm Brass, Swedish Chamber Orch. Winds, Gävle Symph. Orch. Brass and others.

The Trombone Corner Podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass and The Brass Ark.

Come watch the Los Angeles Brass Alliance (LAB-A) at 7PM on May 4th at Glendale First baptist Church for their second installation of Next Up! This free concert (generously sponsored by Bob Reeves Brass) spotlights LAB-A's annual collaboration between emerging LA-based composers and brass musicians.  Learn more at: www.labrassalliance.org.

Join hosts Noah and John as they interview Michael Dease, commercial trombonist from Augusta, Georgia.

About Michael:

Michael Dease is one of the world's eminent trombonists, lending his versatile sound and signature improvisations to over 200 recordings and groups as diverse as Grammy winning artists David Sanborn, Christian McBride, Michel Camilo, and Alicia Keys. Born in Augusta, GA, he played the saxophone and trumpet before choosing the trombone at age 17. In 2001, Dease moved to New York City to become part of the historic first class of jazz students at The Juilliard School, earning both Bachelors and Masters degrees, and quickly established a reputation as a brilliant soloist, sideperson, and bandleader.  

Best Next Thing (Posi-Tone, 2022), Dease’s newest release, his ninth on Posi-Tone, gathers together an assemblage of exceptional musicians to help him interactively explore the essence of the blues and reframe the abstract truths of jazz as the "Best Next Thing "for today's audience of listeners.

Dease, the winner of the 69th Annual DownBeat Magazine Poll for Trombonist of the Year and multi-Grammy award winner, is also a sought-after lead, section and bass trombonist with today’s leading jazz orchestras. His experiences include bands led by Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Charles Tolliver, Rufus Reid, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band. However, it is on the frontline of quintets and sextets led by master musicians like The Heath Brothers, Winard Harper, Renee Rosnes, Bill Charlap, Claudio Roditi, and Lewis Nash, where Dease has revitalized the trombone’s image. Not content to simply improvise, Dease arranges and composes for many different bands, constantly adjusting his tone and timbre to add just the right flavor to the music.

Dease’s unique blend of curiosity, hard work and optimism has helped him earn worldwide recognition, including awards from ASCAP, The International Trombone Association, Yamaha, Eastern Trombone Workshop, New York Youth Symphony, Hot House Magazine, Michigan State University, among others. Dease was profiled in Cicily Janus’ book, The New Face of Jazz: An Intimate Look at Today’s Living Legends (Random House). His experience in the studio has led him to produce several recording sessions for emerging artists, often composing and writing liner notes for the releases.

Dease’s singular talent has made him an effective and prolific teacher, resulting in invitations, master classes and residencies at University of North Texas, Scranton University, University of Iowa, Florida State College, Broward College, and many institutions abroad. He serves as Professor of Jazz Trombone at the renowned Michigan State University jazz program and has also been on faculty at Queens College - CUNY, The New School and North-eastern University. Many of Dease’s current and former students are enjoying successful careers in the music world.

Always an informed, but forward-thinking musician, Dease learned the craft from trombone legends Wycliffe Gordon and Joseph Alessi. His associations have run the entire spectrum of musical experience: Alicia Keys, Paul Simon, Paul Schaffer and the CBS Orchestra, Elton John, Neal Diamond, Illinois Jacquet, Slide Hampton & The World of Trombones, Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, WDR Big Band, George Gruntz, Billy Harper, and numerous others.

Dease enjoys spending every possible minute with his extraordinary wife and Professor of Percussion at MSU, Gwendolyn Dease, and their daughters Brooklyn & Charley. Michael Dease is a Yamaha Performing Artist and uses Pickett Brass and Vandoren mouthpieces exclusively.

View Michael's All Music Guide entry here for a partial listing of his sideperson credits and discography.

The Trombone Corner Podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass and The Brass Ark.  Join hosts Noah and John as they interview Nick Lane, commercial trombonist from Los Angeles.

 

About Nick:

Nick Lane is a free lance trombonist, arranger & composer who’s been a fixture on the Los Angeles music scene for many years. Born and raised in Marshalltown Iowa, he attended Drake University on a euphonium scholarship after high school. More excited by performance and jazz, he transferred to Boston’s Berklee College of Music to pursue trombone and music composition. Soon after graduating he joined Maynard Ferguson’s band and spent the next 4 years honing his skills, recording 5 albums and 17 of his arrangements and/or compositions with Maynard. After moving to L.A. Lane formed his own band resulting in the “Bone in the USA” album in 1985. By that time he’d been asked to do several long tours with Rod Stewart and then Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. So his band leader days transitioned into side man days, touring extensively with Stewart and later the Who (Quadraphenia) Neil Diamond, Etta James, among others. For the past 20+ years, he’s often filled in with the group Chicago. When NOT traveling, Lane has found his way onto over 500 CD recordings as well as hundreds of TV shows & movies. His arrangements & compositions have been featured in all mediums. He has released 2 more CD’s of his music….Alias Smith & Lane with baritone sax pal Greg Smith and a B-3 organ trio and Songs of the Heartland….a CD of music Lane composed for the Central Iowa Music Festival featuring full orchestra and chorus. It’s Nick’s fascination with melody and harmony that has inspired his continuing song writing and composing efforts. In more classical settings he has written extensively for brass: large ensemble, brass quintet, trombone quartet & trio plus numerous commissions for various groups and individuals. With writing partner Doc Kupka, several songs have found their way onto recent Tower of Power CD’s as well as projects with vocalists Ray Greene and Ellis Hall. (Available on Strokeland Records website) Lane continues to write, record & produce horn sections in the pop, rock & R&B genres. Still not afraid to “shake it” on stage, these days he’s more often found in a recording studio, trying to capture the moment.

The Trombone Corner Podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass and The Brass Ark.  Join hosts Noah and John as they interview Ira Nepus, jazz and commercial trombonist from Los Angeles.

About Ira:

Ira Nepus was born in Los Angeles, California and was raised on the jazz heritage of his father, one of the key founders of the Hot Club of France in Paris during the late Thirties and was featured in his first jazz concert at the age of 15. Ira gives equal importance to all styles of jazz, from traditional on up through contemporary. Ira currently performs with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, which he has been an original member of for over thirty-eight years, privately teaches, and performs in all major recording studios throughout the Los Angeles area. He also plays and tours periodically with his own quartet and continues to record in that format. He currently is artistic director for the Gardens of the World's Summer Jazz Series in Thousand Oaks, sponsored by the Hogan Family Foundation celebrating over 10 years of concerts in the Park. He has performed/recorded with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Leon Russell, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Elvis Costello, BB King, (Grammy Winner) and/or also recorded with some of the following greats: Benny Carter, Woody Herman, Del Courtney, Quincy Jones, Gerald Wilson, Nelson Riddle, Lionel Hampton, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Aretha Franklin, Diana Krall, and Cab Calloway to name a few.

The Trombone Corner Podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass and The Brass Ark.  Join hosts Noah and John as they interview Naomi Moon Siegel, trombonist and composer from Mizzoula, Montana.

About Naomi Moon Siegel:

An award-winning trombonist, improviser, composer and educator, Naomi Moon Siegel is committed to creating a positive, transformative music culture beyond conventional genre norms. She has been an innovative performer and recording artist since graduating from Oberlin Conservatory in 2006. Siegel kicked off her professional career on the West Coast in Oakland, California, and came of age as a composer and bandleader in Seattle's thriving improv scene. Siegel is a staunch advocate for intersectional gender justice in jazz and music settings, leading workshops to build awareness and work towards positive systemic shifts in our music culture. Her third album Shatter The Glass Sanctuary (Slow & Steady Records, 2024) is a collection of adventurous original works that chronicles her adjustment to small-town living in Missoula, Montana, after residing for many years in Seattle, Washington. The music follows her inward journey of emotional highs and lows, propelled ever forward by a stellar sextet of acclaimed Seattle musicians. She is currently touring the new album throughout the Pacific Northwest. Listen and purchase her latest album here!

The Trombone Corner Podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass and The Brass Ark.  Join hosts Noah and John as they interview Conrad Herwig, commercial and jazz trombonist from New York City.

About Conrad:

New York jazz artist CONRAD HERWIG has recorded nearly 30 albums as a leader, receiving four GRAMMY®-nominations for his own projects.

His latest CD release is The Latin Side of McCoy Tyner (Savant; 2024). This albums marks 27+ years of the “Latin Side . . .” series, and is a follow-up project to The “Latin Side of ...” tributes to Charles Mingus (Savant 2022), Horace Silver (Savant; 2020), Joe Henderson (Half Note; 2014), Herbie Hancock (Half Note;2010) Wayne Shorter (Half Note; 2008), Miles Davis (Half Note; 2004), and John Coltrane (Astor Place; 1996). These exciting and individualized projects feature an array of special guests including Randy Brecker, Ruben Blades, Michel Camilo, Joe Lovano, Eddie Palmieri, Paquito D’Rivera, Dave Valentin and many of the hottest players on the international scene.

Herwig is equally facile in a non-Latin arena. He has been voted #1 Jazz Trombonist in DownBeat Magazine “Jazz Critic’s Poll” and nominated for “Trombonist of the Year” by the JazzJournalists Association on numerous occasions. In constant demand as a sideman, Herwig has performed with Joe Henderson, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, and Joe Lovano (featured as a soloist on Lovano’s GRAMMY® Award winning 52nd St. Themes CD).

In the Afro-Caribbean genre he has toured with legends such as Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Paquito D’Rivera, and Michel Camilo. He is a longtime member of the the Mingus Big Band (where he has served as musical director and arranger including on the 2011 GRAMMY®-winning “Live at the Jazz Standard”). In other big band settings Herwig has also performed and recorded with Clark Terry, Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis & Quincy Jones, and the Gil Evans Orchestra. All told Herwig has appeared on more than 200+ albums in what is now a 40 year career.

In 2006 Herwig received the Paul Acket Award (formerly the “Bird Award”). The prize, presented at the North Sea Jazz Festival, is intended for an artist who, according to the international jury, deserves the attention of a broader audience. Herwig is also a recipient of performance and teaching grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Conrad was elected to the Board of Advisors of the International Trombone Association and has taught at Mason Gross School of the Arts in the prestigious jazz program at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. where he currently serves as Artistic Director and Chair of Jazz Studies.

The Trombone Corner Podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass and The Brass Ark.  Join hosts Noah and John as they interview Ed Neumeister, commercial and jazz trombonist from Oakland, California.

About Ed:

As a trombonist, composer-arranger and bandleader, Ed Neumeister is a musician’s musician. Saxophone star Joe Lovano has valued Neumeister as a colleague for some four decades, praising him as a conductor of “infectious flair” as well as “a soloist of deep expressive passion.” Another renowned saxophonist, Dave Leibman, simply dubbed him “one of the best trombonists in the business.” Neumeister has five decades of experience on both sides of the Atlantic as an artist and an educator. Raised in the Bay Area, he was professional musician by his mid-teens. He backed such iconic vocal stars as Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan there, performed in various symphony orchestras, and collaborated with Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia as well as such jazz notables as Jerry Granelli. Moving to New York City in 1980, Neumeister worked in the Duke Ellington Orchestra as both player and arranger for 15 years; he was simultaneously playing in the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, earning a Grammy nomination in 1992 for his arrangement of “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.” In 2000, Neumeister moved to Austria to serve as a professor for 17 years at the University of Music in Graz. He wrote for various jazz bands while in Europe and performed extensively, along with composing classical chamber pieces and largescale concert works. Following a stint scoring films in Los Angeles, Neumeister returned to the New York area where he has been active as an educator, currently teaching at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School, New York University and City College of New York, as well as William Paterson University in New Jersey. As a leader, Neumeister has recorded nine albums, ranging from large ensembles to small groups to solo trombone. He has released many of them via his own label, MeisteroMusic, including his latest: 3 for the Road, presenting his trio with vocalist Jay Clayton and the late pianist Fritz Pauer. The current version of that trio includes Gary Versace on piano. Another Neumeister gem is Suite Ellington, an album showcasing his arrangements for an all-star sextet of works by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn; recorded in 2010 for Austrian Radio, Suite Ellington was hailed by Jazz Weekly as “a great tribute and intro to the world of Ellingtonia.” Neumeister’s new working small band is a New York quartet featuring the trombonist alongside Versace, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Tom Rainey.