He played in Lenny Kravitz's band for a year and a half, an experience which brought him more name recognition and more money.

Like the best musicians in New Orleans, Troy Andrews moves easily among jazz, R&B, and rock. 'His playing has an edge from Louis Armstrong up through Dizzy Gillespie and beyond, and gains an audience's ear right away.' 'Part of the appeal of Trombone Shorty, when he plays either of the horns he plays, is the raw physical power and beauty of the sound he creates,' Wall Street Journal and Village Voice writer Larry Blumenfeld says. Last month, he made his debut at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. And his street cred extends beyond New Orleans. He plays more than just the trombone, too he's also a respected trumpeter. Today, Andrews' nickname is pretty much obsolete. Andrews got his start playing in parades and for the tourists a few blocks away on Bourbon Street.Īt 6, he started on the trombone, but as Andrews says, 'I remember I really couldn't go past third position with my arm, so I had to like use my foot.' Hence his nickname, 'Trombone Shorty.' Few tourists venture into what one critic calls 'the most musical neighborhood in America's most musical city.' His grandfather was Jessie Hill, who wrote the R&B hit 'Ooh Poo Pah Doo.' His cousin Herlin Riley plays drums for Wynton Marsalis he also has cousins in the Rebirth Brass Band, one of the top acts in New Orleans today. Andrews, who goes by the nickname 'Trombone Shorty,' has been a professional musician most his life.Īndrews grew up in the Treme, a neighborhood just across Rampart Street from the French Quarter. One of the city's most promising young horn players will spend the day on tour in Florida. The Mardi Gras season in New Orleans hits its apex today, complete with parades, parties, and music. Trombonist and trumpeter Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews has branched out beyond jazz, working with the likes of Lenny Kravitz and U2.

Troy andrews trombone shorty