Best Sounding Trombone Albums

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bobroden
Posts: 135
Joined: Apr 23, 2018

by bobroden »

Request for suggestions:

What albums come to mind as being the best recorded (sonically speaking) small group albums built around the trombone?

I’m doing some recording with my quintet (piano, bass, drums, bone and alto sax), and am looking for models of a great recorded sound to use as a reference. Doesn’t have to be my exact lineup, of course, but anything in the ballpark.

Any suggestions much appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob
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ExZacLee
Posts: 153
Joined: May 09, 2018

by ExZacLee »

Delfeayo Marsalis is a great engineer for acoustic jazz recordings. I like to use his stuff as a reference.

Sweet Thunder is outstanding <LINK_TEXT text="https://www.allmusic.com/album/sweet-th ... 25/credits">https://www.allmusic.com/album/sweet-thunder-mw0002033125/credits</LINK_TEXT>

JJ Johnson's stuff with Columbia and RCA Victor was great -

JJ! (big Band album) Mickey Crofford, Engineer, RCA Victor

JJ Inc. - Collumbia - Teo Macero produced (Fred Plaut, Engineer and Debra Parkinson - remix and master I think for re release)

Josh Roseman's stuff always sounds great and is quite adventurous. checkout treats for the nightwalker <LINK_TEXT text="https://www.allmusic.com/album/treats-f ... 48/credits">https://www.allmusic.com/album/treats-for-the-nightwalker-mw0000326548/credits</LINK_TEXT>

The Wycliff Gordon Ron Westray album "Bone Structure" was one of my faves when it came out <LINK_TEXT text="https://www.allmusic.com/album/bone-str ... 0000185683">https://www.allmusic.com/album/bone-structure-mw0000185683</LINK_TEXT>

Steve Davis and Conrad Herwig's Osteology - Max Bolleman engineering <LINK_TEXT text="https://www.allmusic.com/album/osteolog ... 59/credits">https://www.allmusic.com/album/osteology-mw0000258459/credits</LINK_TEXT>

David Gibson's G-Rays - I like the sound of his recordings - can't be hard to record such a beautiful sound. <LINK_TEXT text="https://www.allmusic.com/album/g-rays-m ... 81/credits">https://www.allmusic.com/album/g-rays-mw0000782781/credits</LINK_TEXT>

Michael Dease's albums on Posi-Tone sound great

Marshall Gilkes' albums on Alternate Side...

Greenleaf's approach to albums is worth looking into. Ryan Keberle
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bobroden
Posts: 135
Joined: Apr 23, 2018

by bobroden »

Thanks, Zack, that's very helpful.
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AndrewMeronek
Posts: 1487
Joined: Mar 30, 2018

by AndrewMeronek »

I'm curious about this, too. When it comes to jazz, there's an odd tendency to alter an acoustic trombone sound to make it 'better' or to compensate for a mic's deficiencies - in general, the sound I hear coming out of speakers is not that close to the sound I hear standing in front of someone playing. This seems to happen a lot more in jazz and pop compared to classical recordings.

Of course, that depends on we mean by 'best sounding'. I like that to mean as close to acoustic trombone as possible, but that isn't necessarily the case in some projects.
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greenbean
Posts: 1958
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by greenbean »

I think the JJ recordings I have sound great. They range from the late 70's through the 90's.

Also, Steve Turre albums always sound great. Instrumentation is very different, but they might give you inspriration...
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Matt_K
Posts: 4809
Joined: Mar 21, 2018

by Matt_K »

Anything Conrad Herwig. There's actually a really good album that I can't remember off the top of my head but it's Conrad & Steve Davis which I really like the way it worked out because they both have fairly distinct styles of playing so there was a lot of contrast even though its the same nominal instrument.
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Vegasbound
Posts: 1328
Joined: Jul 06, 2019

by Vegasbound »

Kai Winding. Often overlooked as people tend to mention JJ, but Kai had major influence on trombone recordings
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Vegasbound
Posts: 1328
Joined: Jul 06, 2019

by Vegasbound »

Everything recorded by Urbie and Bill Watrous