About
Jeff Albert leads a bit of a double life as a trombonist. He is an improviser and creative musician who draws on the jazz tradition, and he is a working professional who plays just about any type of music that uses trombone or bass trombone. He relishes both roles: artist and craftsman.
Jeff has been named in the Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll Rising Star Trombone category most of the years since 2011, which should have been enough time for his star to rise… He has released albums on RogueArt and Clean Feed Records, toured and recorded with Hamid Drake’s Bindu Reggaeology band, and co-led The Lucky 7s with Jeb Bishop. His 2020 record Unanimous Sources was named a top 10 jazz record of the year in the Boston Globe. In 2022, he performed on the world premieres of Mars Williams’ “Devil’s Whistle” and Ken Vandermark’s “Two Cities Large” which was commissioned by the Instigation Festival. He has performed in improvised settings with most of the improvised music practitioners in New Orleans and Chicago, as well as a number of European based artists, so we will avoid the long list of names.
Jeff played his first paying gigs on trombone in the 1980’s, while still in high school in Lafayette, Louisiana. He moved to New Orleans in 1988 and has been a part of the musical scene there ever since. He has played trombone, bass trombone, and bass trumpet with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also played with the New Orleans Opera, Jefferson Performing Arts Society, Verispel New Music, Musaica, and a wide range of freelance classical performances. He can be heard many of the soundtracks recorded in New Orleans, including the 2019 Best Picture Academy Award winning film “Green Book.” He has accompanied Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Lou Rawls, Johnny Mathis, Natalie Cole, Peter Cetera, and others.
Jeff has had the honor of getting to work with some of the foundational artists of New Orleans music. He has been one of George Porter, Jr.’s Runnin’ Pardners since 2003, and horn arranger and trombonist for The Meters from 2015 until their final performance in 2017. He played in Wardell Querzergue’s Big Band, was on “Deacon John’s Jump Blues” album and concert film, is a member of Luther Kent and Trick Bag, and Zigaboo Modeliste’s Foundation of Funk and Funk Revue. He has accompanied Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, Pete Fountain, Ernie K-Doe, Walter “Wolfman” Washington, and many other New Orleans greats. He wrote the horn parts and played trombone on Bobby Rush’s “Porcupine Meat”, which won the Best Traditional Blues Album Grammy in 2017, and played on Pretty Lights’ “Color Map of the Sun” which was nominated for a Grammy. Jeff also appears on the U2 & Elton John recording of “Bang a Gong (Get it On)” from the Hal Willner produced Marc Bolan tribute “Angel Headed Hipster.”
Download a pdf of Jeff's (mostly complete) discography here.
If you want to find out about Jeff's other lives as an academic, composer, or computer musician, visit jeffreyalbert.net.
Subscribe to Jeff's monthly(-ish) email newsletter here.
Download a pdf of Jeff's long academic CV here...if you are into that sort of thing.
Performances
Follow links for tickets and more info!
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September 21-24, 2023: Instigation Festival in Chicago at various venues. More information will be available at instigationfestival.com
Friday, September 22, 2023 at 7pm at Links Hall, Chicago Saturday, September 23, 2023 at 9:30pm at Hyde Park Jazz Fest
October 13, 2023: Naked Orchestra at Happyland Theater (3126 Burgundy St, New Orleans) at 8pm (probably)
October 21, 2023: Earl King Symposium for NOLA Funk Fest's "The Bridge Between Jazz & Blues and R&B, Rock & Roll and Funk." New Orleans Jazz Museum at 3pm.
November 11, 2023: Luther Kent & Trick Bag at Monkey Hill (6100 Magazine St, New Orleans) at 9:30pm
For a list of old gigs going back to late 2019 (when I switched to this listing setup) visit https://jeffalbert.com/old-gigs.html
Recordings
This area has information on some recent recordings, with links to get the music, usually from Bandcamp or some other artist affiliated place. Much of this is also available in all of the usual streaming spots if that is how you like to do it. Download a pdf of Jeff's (mostly complete) discography here.
Gear
Jeff Albert endorses Remic Microphones.
I play a REMIC W3000 G1 (wired microphone) and a W3000 G1/WL on my Shure wirelesss system. The microphone sounds great. It is the only bell mount microphone that I have ever enjoyed playing in jazz and improvised settings. The low profile makes it possible to play plunger and other mutes, and it does not interfere with a regular trombone stand. This mic makes me want to play with a bell mounted mic all the time.
I have (and have had) lots of different trombones. I might be seen playing a Yamaha YSL-630, a YSL-620, a .508 bore Shires, a straight .547 bore Shires, a Shires bass, or an old Conn 78H.
I also use Studio One or Pro Tools for (almost all of my) mixing and Studio One for mastering. I do some of my weird sound making with Max 8. I have a trombone effects setup that uses Ableton Live, as well as a simple effects pedal rig. I am usually happy to nerd out about gear, so feel free to email me.
CONTACT
Phone: +1 404-480-2633
Email: hello@jeffalbert.com
Subscribe to Jeff's monthly(-ish) email newsletter here.
Media
The following pictures were taken in performances by Dennis McDonough. Please credit when publishing.
