Session Trombone Player

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: My first self-produced EP, “Half Life,” is the project I am most proud of. The main reason is that it was completely self made - self-produced, composed, written, and sung by me. This was my very first venture into creating my own music after thinking about doing it for a long time, and when it was done, it gave me the confidence to continue working. I am very proud of the sounds I created, and though it was done with very minimal resources, it serves as a constant reminder that limitations can be a creative strength.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am currently working on my own EP with another producer to be released independently on streaming services. One song I am currently working on, “Stormy Weather,” will not be on this particular project, but will be released later.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Arthur Pingrey is a producer who I am currently working with. He is incredibly talented and has been helping me throughout my artist journey. Joshua Florez is another producer/mixer who helped mix and master one of the songs on my first EP “Half Life.” He guided me through his process and has been very instructional about the industry.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: While digital has its perks, I have always been a very analog person. That being said, I don’t own many analog pieces of gear, but I appreciate the rawness and tangibility of songs using analog sounds instead of digitally created ones. Music has always been a hands-on art form, and the more digital it becomes, the more it strays from that into dangerous territory. That being said, I understand the financial and physical reasons for choosing digital.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: My promise to my clients is that I will provide a high quality product in a timely manner that gives them a greater appreciation for their own music as well the trombone as an instrument. The trombone is a very useful and beautiful instrument that sadly isn’t showcased in the public eye in a way that makes it look as such. As a trombonist on SoundBetter, I will make every client’s project exponentially better with my sound and creativity. Lastly, I will be incredibly communicative and diligent with my responses.” so as to make the process smooth and enjoyable for both parties.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The aspect I like most about my job is the regular opportunity to express myself musically and maintain my skill level at an instrument that has been with me for my whole adult life. Jazz is my first artistic love, and doing what I do allows me to maintain this love while making fruitful connections along the way. Additionally, the job is always engaging. Many jobs come up that require more out of me than expected, and this challenge is what keeps me on my toes and makes me even better at what I do.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: Customers commonly ask if I can provide instrumentation for different kinds of music, namely Pop and Hip-hop. The answer to this is yes. I am happy to provide trombone to ANY music, no matter the genre. In fact, jazz provides a great baseline from which to enter other forms of music. Jazz requires heavy theoretical and technical prowess, and this makes every other form of music easier to pick up.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: The biggest misconception about what I do is that I only make jazz or classical music. Since most of my academic experience is in jazz and classical, there is an idea that jazz and classical are the only music I limit myself to. Luckily, this is not true at all. Before jazz, I loved R&B and Hip-hop. I am equally passionate about providing trombone accompaniment to every genre - country, EDM, death metal, ska, etc.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What kind of sound are you looking for (bold, vulnerable, imposing, weak, etc) What emotion are you trying to convey with this song? What does this song mean? When do you need the part done by? Are there any hard deadlines?

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: My advice would be to figure out what your version of the completed product sounds like. Very often, customers are hoping to have the musician figure out what it is they want to make, but the musicians are here to facilitate your vision. Of course, when ideas come to mind, I will present them to you, but overall, it is much smoother to have a full idea of your vision prior to asking.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: The first piece of gear I would take is my laptop. This is obviously necessary to create music, so nothing else I bring would be relevant without it. The second piece of gear I would bring is an Alesis V61 MIDI keyboard. MIDIs are capable of producing an endless amount of sound with the computer, and my first year of producing was just using a MIDI and laptop. My third piece of gear would be a microphone (my TLM103) because I can record any real audio with it - including instruments. The fourth piece of gear would be an audio interface such as the Solid State Logic SSL2+ or Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. The last piece of gear would be headphones such as the Beyerdynamic 770s. This allows me to create a well balanced mix while producing, using an audio output that isn’t just the laptop’s audio.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: My career path was initially to become a full-time jazz musician through studying at a conservatory for undergrad. I started trombone when I was 12 and started playing jazz when I was 14 - 9 years. However, external circumstances led me to staying at home for college, so my hope now is to become a solo artist. Through my production skills and instrumental capabilities, I hope to create Pop/R&B music that utilizes some of what I learned in the jazz world to modern music.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style as a trombonist could be described as melodic or moody jazz. My inspirations as a jazz musician were Stan Getz, Urbie Green, and Chet Baker. These individuals’ style rubbed off on me quite a bit, so my style as a soloist tends to be more melodic and minimalistic.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Cautious Clay. To me, Cautious Clay is the perfect example of how to be an artist in this day and age. He has done an incredible job blending his jazz roots with his impeccable songwriting and singing voice, creating an oeuvre that is unapologetically himself. He is capable of making catchy R&B songs as well as experimental jazz records. His sensibility is very unique and beautiful, and it would be an absolute pleasure to get to work with him.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: My music production tip would be to value quality over quantity and speed. Many producers tend to finish parts of their production relatively quickly so as not to overthink something. While overthinking can be diminutive, it is equally so to rush a section and end up with a product you are not happy with. This sets back the process and ends up creating lost time anyways. Being mindful of every step of the process, making changes that you know will better serve your artistic vision, is the best way to ensure a quality production.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: As a solo trombonist, I usually work on jazz and classical music (solos, etudes, live performances, etc). As a producer and songwriter, I work on Pop-R&B music that utilizes real instruments (I also play piano, guitar, and ukulele).

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is my punctuality and urgency of response. Music is and has been very important to me, and I understand the need to get your voice out there. It is my job to simply facilitate this process for the client, and this only happens if I respect their time and effort. I try to be as communicative, urgent, and timely as I can be, and I would say that that is undoubtedly my strongest skill.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I try my best to bring my eclectic taste, sensibility, and production experience to every song. My childhood was spent listening to jazz, Indian classical music, and R&B, and I now make my own independent music. Having this diverse range allows me to pull from many different sources for inspiration and execution. The knowledge and experience I have gained throughout the years has helped me give each client a large number of ideas to work with. Not only do I give them what they want, but I try to expand their idea of what is possible beyond that.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Log in in the morning to collect my work load for the week, finish the quicker jobs first, then plan out the more involved jobs over the next couple of days. Practice different versions, and do a large number of takes to find the perfect one for the production. When I am confident in my work, I will send over 6-7 takes of the final result.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: iMac computer, Neumann TLM 103 microphone, Scarlett 2i2 Focusrite Audio Interface, Cloudlifter CL-1 booster, King 3B trombone, Denis Wick 6BS mouthpiece

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: J.J Johnson, Urbie Green, Carl Fontana, Frank Rosalino, Cautious Clay, Tame Impala, Remi Wolf, POMO, Steve Lacy, Mark Ronson

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I most commonly deliver simple long tones and textural additions to pop and R&B recordings. Trombone is a very essential instrument in production, as it is a very hard sound to mimic through software and presets. Occasionally, I will be asked to perform variations of a full solo, either in the jazz or rock realm.