Trombone Shorty - For True

Label: Verve Forecast

Reviewed by Lionel Rault, host of The Afternoon Edition

Troy Andrews is nothing short of a full-blown musical prodigy! Grandson of legendary New Orleans R & B singer, Jesse Hill, he started gigging professionally at the age of 8. Highly proficient at trumpet and drums, it was his proclivity and deep love for the trombone that earned him his moniker, Trombone Shorty, down in the Treme (pronounce Tree-May) district of New Orleans, where he was born and raised.

A graduate of the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (along with Wynton and Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr) Trombone Shorty has already cut quite a swath through the world of jazz. Renowned as he is for his live-performances, he had yet to cut a studio recording that captured the pure electricity and virtuosity of those live, on-stage moments. Until now! 

On this latest CD, For True, the man has taken a giant step towards that goal!  With the able assistance of Jeff Beck, Warren Haynes, Lenny Kravitz (among other musical note-worthies) Trombone Shorty showcases a set of performances with enough wallop to vault him to a justly-deserved place among the first-rank musicians of his generation.
(Oddly, no one seems to remark upon Shorty’s redoubtable vocal chops; hoodooed as they apparently are by his multi-instrumental prowess!)

Notable performances include The Craziest Thing, Mrs. Orleans (featuring Kid Rock), and Roses (with Lenny Kravitz), among so many strong tracks!

September 16, 2011