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Spotify Playlists from Blue Canoe Records. Adding and updating frequently: https://open.spotify.com/user/bluecanoerecords  Trombonist Ron Westray releases an all original funky jazz CD titled, “Magisteria”. Produced, composed and performed from this Wynton Marsalis alumni.   Today Blue Canoe Records releases “Jimi Jazz” from jazz wonder Ron Westray. Westray’s fresh solo take on Jimi Hendrix classics blend bop with contemporary horn and makes it accessible to all listeners. Professor Ron Westary’s professional contributions encompass a stunning list of achievements in the areas of performance, composition, recording and publishing. Since the early nineties he has performed in hundreds of performances around the globe as trombonist or lead trombonist with the most prestigious jazz ensembles in the world, including The Wynton Marsalis Septet, New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, The Mingus Big Band, Irving Mayfield, The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and the Marcus Roberts Ensemble. Mr. Westray has received critical acclaim in numerous publications including Ebony, Essence, Downbeat, JazzTimes, Life Magazine and The New Yorker. Josep Pedro, in an All About Jazz article, said of Ron, “…takes another step ahead while showing strong vocality and rich tone”. “Jimi Jazz”, opens with the hypnotizing groove of “Purple Haze”. The first track opens with the familiar theme and gives to raucous horn and key solos that make a listener’s feet move and ears hear this classic from a new perspective. The the time “Purple Haze” hands off to “Hey Joe”, the listener is fully committed; bound by newborn harmonization of the standard that has permanent residency in many listener’s DNA. Mr. Westray finishes this stellar compilation with a fluid version of the lesser-known classic “Third Stone From The Sun”. While Hendrix used the original to showcase his rock, jazz and blues influences, the final track to “Jimi Jazz” unwinds the collection and equips the audience for another trip around the sun.  “Jimi Jazz” is a cerebral venture that explores a classic catalog in an entirely original and contemporary way. Ron Westray is a wizard on the trombone and solos this instrument in ways that any fan will be challenged to recall. Ron Westray’s “Jimi Jazz” is requisite listening for fans of Jimi Hendrix as well as those passionate about music that pushes boundaries and genres. Musical exploration was a common theme for Mr. Hendrix just as it is for Ron Westray. Available: * iTunes * Amazon * EMusic * Spotify Featuring: Ron Westray (trombone), Matt Rait (guitar), Ross MacIntyre (bass), Anthony Mitchelli (drums), Richard Whiteman & Dave Restivo (fender rhodes). We are pleased to release Ron Westray's - Jimi Jazz (a tribute to Jimi Hendrix). Available today! iTunes Amazon Emusic Listen on Spotify   Live From Austin, the latest album from trombonist Ron Westray and trumpeter Thomas Heflin. The album features internationally known artists such as Neal Caine, regular bassist with Harry Connick Jr., Eric Revis, featured bass player with the Branford Marsalis quartet, and drummer Adonis Rose, who toured extensively with Nicholas Payton. The group also features three of the top jazz musicians in Austin Texas: Elias Haslanger, Peter Stoltzman and David Sierra. Heflin and Westray recorded the album in 2009 while living in Austin, TX. At the time Heflin was completing his doctorate in music and Westray was serving as professor of jazz at the University of Texas. The recording project was conceived as a way to capture the energy of live jazz in Austin, a city known as the “live music capital of the world.” It felt appropriate to make the recording at the jazz club, The Elephant Room, which was selected as one of the top ten jazz venues in the United States by Wynton Marsalis in USA TODAY. The recording features all original compositions from the pens of Westray, Heflin and Austin jazz star Elias Haslanger. Ron Westray is already one of the most highly regarded trombonists of his generation. In addition to serving as lead trombonist with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, he is known for his collaborative album with Wycliffe Gordon on the Atlantic label entitled Bone Structure. In past years, he also toured as a member of the Marcus Roberts Quintet and the Mingus Big Band, as well as performed with a roster of jazz notables too long to list. In 2008, Westray released Medical Cures for the Chromatic Commands of the Inner City. Ron is currently an Associate Professor at York University (Toronto, CA) and also serves as the Oscar Peterson Chair in Jazz Performance. Rising star Thomas Heflin has already gained a fan base internationally with his style and command of the trumpet. In 2005, he placed second in the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition in Seattle, Washington. Two years later, he released his debut album, Symmetry. Marco Maimeri's of Italy’s “Jazz Magazine,” described the CD as "… the extension of a charismatic leader with an innovative style, who has the heritage of Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan, but who does not forget the lessons of Freddie Hubbard…" In 2009, Heflin released his follow-up recording with the jazz collective “The New Five.” “Live from Austin” marks his third release on Blue Canoe Records. He currently lives in New York City where he works as the Program Manager of the Precollege Division at the Manhattan School of Music. |
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