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American Routes Shortcuts: Trombone Shorty

Trombone Shorty
Trombone Shorty
Trombone Shorty
Trombone Shorty

Each week, American Routes Shortcuts offers a sneak peek into the upcoming program. Today, we have local legend Trombone Shorty. Host Nick Spitzer sat down with him back in 2010 to talk about life growing up in the Treme. To hear the full episode, tune into WWNO Saturday at 7 or Sunday at 6, or listen at americanroutes.orgTrombone Shorty on American Routes Shortcuts

TS: As a kid, being able to go next door to Junkyard Dog house and ask him how to tune his bass drum and he’ll take the time and show me how to do it, show me something. It was just an amazing thing, being able to grow up in Treme. Treme made me who I am and it’s because of Treme that I have music in my soul.

NS: By first grade you were really picking up the trombone and showing that you could do your scales and play some melodies

TS: Well, to tell you the truth, I never really had a choice. Think soon as I was born, the horn was something was in my hand. And my brother, Buster, he played the snare drum. I had another brother, James, played the trumpet, and I had another brother who passed away, he played trombone. They just gave it to me so we could kind of create a band.

NS: Even on your recording with James you showing some reaching out here - you’ve got Dr. John here on a very funky version of Little Liza Jane.

TS: Yeah, and Cyril Neville’s on there, too. Dr. John, you know, he’s like our uncle. Doc looks out for us. He calls me every once in a while, and then he makes up his own words and I’m like “what you said, Doc?” He said, “yeah, put a little tricknology on that!”

TS: For me, as a kid and growing up here, I mean we had the Nevilles, knocking on their door, we had the Marsalis family, we had The Meters we had Rebirth, I mean all these people are my idols and they’re just a phone call away. I never want to leave that and hopefully I can become what they are to me to a younger generation coming after me.

NS: One of the things that I’ve always enjoyed about you, Shorty, is that not only can you do the classic trad and brass band, parade, second line, but you’ve also been able to come up with kind of a contemporary jazz sound. Do you ever hear any feedback from the hood, “come on Shorty, play this, play that?”

TS: Well, I used to. You know, a lot of people, they wanted me to stay strictly jazz and carry it on in a traditional form. But for me, I don’t see how the music can grow if we continue to recycle. And I think a lot of people, jazz musicians, they get stuck in trying to recapture what’s been done instead of trying to create something new for a younger audience that can become the new fans of the music.

NS: And you’ve got a tune called, “Orleans and Claiborne” which is of course a power spot in New Orleans,

TS: Yeah,

NS: Right under the high rise, now, used to be the main drag of the Treme. Zulus gather there, the Indians gather there.

TS: It represents where I’m from and it represents New Orleans, and it’s just an amazing place, even today, the Mardi Gras Indians still meet up and battle with each other, and you might see Rebirth and Hot 8 battling each other on Mardi Gras day, it’s just a wonderful intersection.

NS: Course, overhead is the Interstate 10.

TS: People in the parades and the second lines and everything, they know when we get to the bridge, that’s gonna be the most excitement you’re gonna have for the next hour. We just hold up the parade with the band and play as loud as we can and everybody’s screaming and the bridge shaking --

NS: Bridges have been known to fall sometimes to the right sound,

TS: That’s why I’m retiring the bridges.

Copyright 2016 WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio

Nina Feldman is an independent producer based in New Orleans. She produces feature news stories for WWNO and her work has appeared on The World, Latino USA, NPR's The Salt, State of the Re:Union among others. She is also the founder and emcee of New Orleans Ladies Arm Wrestling, or NO LAW.
Nina Feldman