In a town filled with great horn players, no-one has figured out how to bring New Orleans brass, jazz and funk traditions to the world like Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews. In the last ten years Andrews has recorded seven studio albums, been nominated for a Grammy, appeared in episodes of HBO’s Treme, and toured America, Europe, Brazil and Japan with his band Orleans Avenue. All this by the age of twenty-six. No surprise then, that when Better Than Ezra singer/songwriter Kevin Griffin nominated his favorite up-and-coming local bands for this year’s Favorite Things issue—Trombone Shorty came out on top.
“What a great musician and performer!” said Griffin. “Trombone Shorty comes from that tradition of New Orleans artists where you’ve not only got to have your musical chops; you have to be an entertainer, too. There’s just so much competition—from the street corner to the high school band to the clubs. You have to cut through all the noise, and be larger than life. And be great onstage.”
Great onstage, and in the studio, too. Andrews’s 2010 album, the Grammy Award-nominated Backatown, hit Billboard magazine’s Contemporary Jazz Chart at number one and stayed there for nine weeks. September 2011’s followup, For True, includes appearances by Lenny Kravitz, Jeff Beck and Kid Rock. “Collaborating with new artists and artists outside the genre, [Andrews] is really the first person to take the traditions of brass, funk and jazz and bring them to a new generation,” noted Griffin. “He’s figured out how to keep the music fresh and to bring new, young fans to a New Orleans sound. When you love New Orleans music you want to be a champion for it and respect it. Trombone Shorty has done that. He’s bringing these worlds together. What a great ambassador!”
Kevin Griffin made his professional debut in 1995 as the singer and songwriter for New Orleans-based Better Than Ezra. Their debut record, Deluxe, went double-platinum fueled in part by the success of the #1 Modern Rock track “Good”. The band’s follow up record, Friction Baby, went Gold and contained two Top 10 Modern Rock tracks. 2001 brought another Top 10 Hit with the single “Extra Ordinary”, and in 2005, BTE had a Top 10 Hot AC hit with “Juicy”.
In 2006, Kevin branched into writing for other artists and scored a #1 hit with Howie Day’s “Collide”. Most recently, Kevin has written and produced for a variety of artists in Rock, Pop, and Country. In 2010, Kevin had Sugarland’s #1 Country hit, “Stuck Like Glue”. In 2011 Kevin penned singles for David Cook, James Blunt, Augustana, and Tristan Prettyman. Kevin recently re-located from Los Angeles to Nashville where he continues writing and producing in his newly built studio in the hills of Franklin, TN.
Other nominees were: Baby Bee Big Sam’s Funky Nation Generationals The Givers
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