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April 27, 2010 at 11:00 AM
Trombone Shorty's Treme Sound

New Orleans native Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews talks about growing up in Treme, in a new generation of jazz.

Troy Andrews performs as "Trombone Shorty" at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2008. (AP)

New Orleans is hot again, with the launch of HBO’s dramatic series “Treme.”

And one of the hottest young musicians out of the city – and out of the storied Treme neighborhood – is Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews. 

His rock, funk, R&B, jazz mix is not your grandad’s New Orleans sound. But it’s moving feet and critics all over. 

His new album “Backatown” features appearances by Lenny Kravitz and Allen Toussaint. 

This Hour, On Point: Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews.

Guest:

Troy Andrews, a.k.a. “Trombone Shorty,” is a 24-year-old trombonist and trumpet player from New Orleans’ Treme neighborhood. His music is a mixture of jazz, rock, funk, and R&B — what he calls “Supafunkrock.” Trombone Shorty also appears on HBO’s TV drama “Treme.” His new album is “Backatown.”

More:

Here’s the trailer for the HBO series “Treme,” created by Eric Overmyer and David Simon of “The Wire.” It depicts the legendary New Orleans neighborhood where Trombone Shorty grew up. He has said, “This neighborhood, period, was the most influential thing in my life.” The show premiered earlier this month.

 
  • http://noyodesigns.com ayo scott

    the caption under the picture above has TREY.. not TROY. just noticed.

  • http://www.RevolutionarySnakeEnsemble.org Ken Field

    Great to see Troy’s wonderful successes. He was featured guest soloist with my group, the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston back in 2004 and blew everyone away!

  • Marc

    Trombone shorty was on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Christmas Show and played O Holy Night. I’ve been looking for a recording of that – where can I find it?

  • Glinda Mantle

    I have been blessed to see Troy grow and develop these last 15 or so years. In addition to trumpet and trombone, Troy can also play tuba and piano. He is a wonderful young man and I look forward to his many successess

  • http://www.fineartamerica.com/MichaelFields Mike Fields

    I believe what Troy has done is what always has been done in Jazz music. It keeps evolving. The problem was that with the death of so many greats the music couldn’t keep moving forward naturally. Troy picks up where the music left off and brings it forward. Makes it NOW MUSIC!

  • AJ

    I like it a lot, but it seems to have gone to New York City and come back. It doesn’t quite have the feel, pace, spaces and sound of hot, humid New Orleans.

    The same thing happened with Zydeco music. A RI poet heard Zydeco and brought the musicians North to festivals here. If you went in the beginning of this Renaissance, you got to hear & dance to music that KNEW people were ALREADY sweaty, from the place (Louisiana). Years later, seems like the musicians who came North (sometimes even the same musicians from the first festivals) were playing to Northern audiences at Northern speed, and sometimes at the Northern need for crowded spaces and high achievement. By that last comment, I mean, there used to be more rubato in the sound, much more. I miss that. I really like his sound, but I’d LOVE it if he had a more rubato!

    (I’m a dancer, not a musician.)

  • Glinda

    Troy is an innovator with taking our music to the next level. That was so evident years ago when he published and performed his arrangement of St. James Infirmery Blues, many years ago.

    There are many New Orleans musicians Troy’s age that are playing the music and being innovative they just don’t get the coverage that he does. HBO’s Treme is just the thing our city needed at this time to remind the world that we are still here and that we still maintain our culture and heritage whether its food or music or Mardi Gras Indians, etc.

  • Sandy

    Lived in La for ten years and moved to Ma. A BIG SHOUT OUT TO WWOZ online for saving my music soul.

  • AJ

    OOOOOH, he just did that piece he & Tom then talked about, & Troy says he’s playing horn & drums…….ah…….that! that! that! it’s on Backatown….that!

  • http://WBUR Maryann

    I saw Troy at the Regattabar a few months ago. It was a sold out show and I was there with a friend whose family owns a farm in New Orleans where Troy lived after Katrina. We were able to greet Troy backstage before the show. He is one hot ticket and has to be seen live to experience the full depth and breadth of his talent.

  • Beth

    What are you refering to when you say “second line”?

  • Glinda

    Is AJ talking about the traditional brass sound?

  • Adam W

    Great show Tom. Great music too. This sound reminds me of the old 90′s “pop” group the Brand New Heavies. I love the sound.

  • glinda

    The second line is the line of people in a jazz funeral parade. They are the ones who dance and rejoice after someone has been buried. As a result…the 2nd line are the people behind the musicians. The partiers/revellers, etc.

  • J Baker

    New Orleans sunshine coming through the radio with fresh snow out side on my window sill.

  • Cherie

    I first heard Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave live at my cousins Lloyd and Patrice Robinson’s anniversary party 4 years ago. They were so wonderful that they stopped the DJ playing and let the boys wail the rest of the night! I’m so glad that Shorty has gotten famous! Good for you boy! Hey, since you know U2 can you convience them to come play at Jazz Fest some time?

    Cherie, from Hollygrove in the N.O.

  • Harry Ballard

    Nice interview! I’ve watched him grow, develop, and continuously evolve musically. This young man never has an unkind word to say about anybody that I know of. I personally witnessed he and his band get stuck on what to play next about 8 or so years ago and came up with the song “I Don’t Know”, which is on their Orleans & Claiborne CD. They made it up on the spot. I remember him saying, “and the name of that tune is I Don’t Know”. Troy is an asset to New Orleans and this United States of America.

  • Obama happens

    Very inspiring story of hope, thanks On Point.

  • G. Wyman

    Love the sound! Along with everything else mentioned, I hear a latin sound (ala 1970′s Puerto Rico) in some of the pieces. Had me dancin’ around the house as I went about my day. Just great! Thanks, Tom, for turning us on to Trombone Shorty. Thanks, Trombone Shorty, and keep on keepin’ on!

  • tim donaldson tucson az

    I saw Tromone Shorty at the House of Blues during
    the first week of jazz fest 2010
    Had to be one of the BEST shows I have ever witnesed
    in my 60 years It changed my life

    tim donaldson
    tucson airzona

  • Marty

    Shorty & his merry band did a most moving rendition of ‘O Holy Night’ on the Christmas show of Studio 60 (2006 [I think]). Extremely moving piece of work.

  • Ron
  • Some Guy

    Marc: http://cl.ly/2T2R0y2V262O2u2N2E0l

    DISCLAIMER: The MP3 of “O Holy Night” in the link above was a free download from NBC.com (due to the overwhelming number of people that contacted NBC and asked “who was that trumpet player!?!”). I hope like hell because it was a free download that I’m not breaking any laws by uploading it elsewhere. If you own the rights to this song and want me to take it down please just let me know instead of suing me. That’d be cool.

  • Timothy Dixon

    TB Shorty will be in Rochester for the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival in June 17th. Slavic Soul Party! opens. It’s a free show, too. I can hardly wait!

  • Rmetell59

    I saw the same show, truely OUTSTANDING..Do you know who the older man that came out with the cane was at the beginning of the show??

    TIA

    rmetell59@@gmail:disqus .com
    Marthas Vineyard

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