WYCLIFFE GORDON, trombonist, trumpeter, vocalist, is a renowned composer, conductor, arranger, and educator, with an overwhelming list of awards and accolades. He never ceases to surprise and please his audiences. Chosen for the seventh time as Trombonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association (JJA), Wycliffe is a former veteran member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet and of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. He was also a featured guest on Billy Taylor’s “Jazz at the Kennedy Center” series. Some of the musicians with whom he has worked are Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Tommy Flanagan, Shirley Horn, Joe Henderson, Randy Sandke, and Branford Marsalis. Wycliffe’s compositions have been performed by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Wycliffe Gordon and Friends, numerous other ensembles, and in programs throughout the U.S. and abroad. His compositions include a new score for the 1925 classic silent film Body and Soul (notable as the screen debut of Paul Robeson); I Saw the Light, a musical tribute to Muhammad Ali; and Apollo: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, a celebration of 75 years of the Apollo Theatre.
A dedicated and inspirational educator, Wycliffe received The ASCAP Foundation Vanguard Award for his innovative musical activity as a jazz composer, instrumentalist, performer, and educator. He is a current faculty member of the Jazz Arts Program at Manhattan School of Music and presents master classes, clinics, workshops, children’s concerts and lectures to students throughout the country, this year participating in the Louis Armstrong Legacy Program in Chicago. His Sing It First, a unique approach to technique book, was released last year, and he is currently working on a collection of trombone quartets, trios and duos to be entitled Trombone Majesty. Wycliffe has twenty-two CD’s as a leader or co-leader, was a featured soloist in the Ken Burns documentary, Jazz, and has been seen and heard on numerous television shows featuring jazz, including the 2000 Grammy Awards. He is currently on tour with his latest show, Hello, Pops—a tribute to Louis Armstrong.
Video
Watch Wycliffe Gordon’s 2010 performance at The Riverside Church:
*Please note: Video samples do not necessarily represent HPJF lineup.
Website: http://www.wycliffegordon.com/
