New Orleans-based trombonist Jeff Albert has been a regular presence in the online trombone community for at least as long as I have, and his curiosity and thoughtful contributions have always been refreshing and enlightening. We conducted this interview by email in May of 2005, shortly before the International Trombone Festival was held there. During the festival, my colleague James Monaghan and I had the pleasure of hearing Jeff play at the Blue Nile with his quartet, and we were thoroughly impressed. His most recent CD, One, available both from his website and on iTunes, has become one of my favorites.

Jeff's house survived Hurricane Katrina with relatively little damage, but there's no way his freelancing career won't be affected for some time to come. As I was preparing to post this profile, Jeff and I discussed how concerned readers can contribute to hurricane relief efforts. His first and most direct suggestion was to support New Orleans musicians by buying their recordings! Beyond that, of course the American Red Cross, and for charity organizations that benefit musicians directly, the New Orleans Musicians Clinic and The Tipitina's Foundation.

-Gabe Langfur

I've gotten to know you through the trombone-l and various forums on the web, as have many of our readers I'm sure. But for those who don't have a sense, what is your career like as a freelancer in New Orleans? What does your calendar look like in a typical month?

I'm not sure if there is such a thing as a typical month. They vary pretty wildly. I have a modern jazz group that is usually a quartet, but can vary in size. I regularly play with a group called the Naked Orchestra, which is a large ensemble that comes from a Mingus, Gil Evans, Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, Arnold Schoenberg kind of space. I also play some tuba with that group. I am in a jazztronica trio called Quantum Blender, where I get to use an effects and harmonizer set up with my trombone, as well as do some computer/loop based things. I play with the New Orleans New Music Ensemble, which is a chamber group dedicated to performing new music. Our last concert was all music that was written this year, by composers that live in the New Orleans area. I also write for NONME. I play with an instrumental funk band called Greenhouse, and a per service suburban orchestra called the Northshore Symphony, that does a couple of concerts a year. Also over the course of any given month I will probably play a couple of salsa or latin jazz gigs. Some months also include cover/wedding bands, reggae bands, old guy tuxedo big bands, and the like. A couple of times a year I will get to sub with the Louisiana Philharmonic, or end up in a pit orchestra of some type.

Where did you go to school, and who have been your most influential teachers?

I grew up in Lafayette, LA. While I was in high school, I studied with Robert Schmalz, who taught at USL at the time. I did a BM in Jazz Studies at Loyola University in New Orleans. My teachers were Dick Erb (bass trombonist with New Orleans Symphony, and later the Louisiana Philharmonic), and John Mahoney. After some time in the real world, I went back to school and did an MM in Jazz Studies from the University of New Orleans. My trombone teacher there was Steve Suter, and I also studied jazz composition with Ed Petersen.

In trombone terms, my most influential teacher was probably Dick Erb, in that he really helped lay a solid foundation in terms of sound production, and basic instrumental technique. One summer I took one lesson from Ed Neumeister, and that lesson has had a lasting impact on how I organize and prioritize my practice. I have also learned loads from the online trombone community, through the trombone-l and various forums. People like Sam Burtis, Alex Iles, and many others have helped open my eyes to lots of approaches and ideas about making music on a trombone, through their internet writing.

Besides teachers, what musicians have you learned the most from working with?

There is a great scene of New Orleans musicians that have really helped me develop as an artist and improviser, but Michael Ray has had the greatest musical impact on me personally. Michael is a trumpet player that spent a great deal of time with Sun Ra. I have played in Michael's band (The Cosmic Krewe) for about three years now, and that experience has really helped me stay open to every musical possibility at all times. It has taught me to leave my own expectations of what the audience or other musicians may want out of the equation, and really trust my own musical instincts. This concept came about in a free improvisation context, but I have found that it helps me to be more musical in every musical setting. On a bebop tune, or in an orchestra, or a totally free improvisation, I have found that if I try to do what is right for the music, instead of what I think people want to hear, the music is always better…and the people usually enjoy it more as well. Audiences sense honesty, and the best thing that we can give an audience is an honest performance of the music that we hear and feel. My time with Michael Ray has really helped me get my head in a place to do that.

Whom would you like to play with that you haven't so far?

I've always wanted to play with Thad and Mel's band. That band and its sound as it evolved, now into the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra has always really moved me. I'll never forget the first time I walked down the steps into the Village Vanguard and heard the sound of that band. I'd love to sit in the middle of that, and get to be a part of that musical experience.

What musician, trombonist or not, do you most admire?

That's tough. I don't think I can name just one. I admire musicians that are able to really communicate themselves through their music. I also admire the great craftsman musicians that can play whatever is asked of them and read it the first time, and make music from the first pass.

Do you have a role model? A trombone-playing role model?

In terms of life in general, my parents have been my role models. They have always encouraged me in my pursuits, and been glowing examples of how to live in a way that makes the world around you a better place.

As far as trombone playing role models go, I can just talk about the guys I dig. In no particular order, I really enjoy listening to Jeb Bishop, Steve Davis, Ed Neumeister, Robin Eubanks, Josh Roseman, John Mosca, and Dave Gibson, to name a few. I heard Marshall Gilkes a few weeks ago, and he sounded great, as does his new CD. Of course I have listened to lots of JJ Johnson over the years, and lately have been checking out more Jimmy Knepper.

What subject(s) do wish you had paid more attention to in school? Or, more specifically, are there things from school you only realized the value of later, in your freelancing career?

Piano class and solfege.

If you could play in any ensemble, past or present, on any instrument or singing, what would it be?

Wow, if we are going to fantasy land, the trumpet solo on Mahler 5 or the tuba solo from Pictures at an Exhibition with a great orchestra would be fun. Duke Ellington's band or the Basie band. I would have loved to have been in the Basie band for those Sinatra recordings. Bob Marley and the Wailers. I would love to play the bubble and skank organ parts with the Wailers. In junior high I used to imagine I was Geddy Lee. It'd be cool to be able to play bass and sing that high at the same time.

What is the best advice you ever received, either about playing or in general (or both)?

Buddy Morrow once told me, "save some air for the way down." That concept has been very helpful.

My friend John Worthington once shared some great advice that he was given, which was never to negotiate a contract that you wouldn't sign both sides of.

What would you be doing if you weren't a musician?

When I was a kid I read a biography on Albert Einstein, and it said he was a theoretical physicist. I always thought that sounded like a cool job. I don't really know what I would be doing, because I haven't thought about doing anything else, at least since I was about 15.

What's in your CD player/changer/iPod right now?

I just picked up some Rahsaan Roland Kirk on iTunes. I have been listening to a new Hatology release by Daniele D'Agaro that has Jeb Bishop on it, and I just got Chris Potter's new disc. I have also been listening to an iPod playlist of things that are on an upcoming LPO concert I am playing, that includes American in Paris, and the finale from Firebird.

Do you mind telling me a little about your family? What does your wife do?

I am married and have two kids. My stepson is 11 and has started playing trumpet. My daughter is 4, and she has claimed my alto trombone as "her size trombone." They also do the usual karate, gymnastics, soccer stuff as well. My wife is an internist/pediatrician, and she plays the cello in a community orchestra.

What non-musical things do you guys do together? Do you have hobbies outside music?

My wife is into movies, so we do quite a bit of that, but we have differing philosophies about it. She hates to watch the same movie twice, even if it was good. She would rather watch a crummy movie she hasn't seen, than a good movie she has seen before. I could watch Star Wars and The Blues Brothers (the real one, not the stupid new one) every weekend and be fine with that.

We also enjoy good food. A West Indian restaurant just opened in our town. The lady that runs it is of Indian descent, but moved here from Guyana, and the food is a very cool mix of curries and Caribbean vibed stuff.

My wife also likes to paint and garden. One of her regular activities is trying to get me to do any yard work that doesn't involve a lawn mower.

I also like to play golf. The mental processes in golf and music are very similar. In both cases we are trying to get our bodies to automate unnatural motions to the point that they become consistently repeatable. The concept of thinking in a technical way while you practice, and focusing on results instead of technique while you perform, also carries over between the two. Plus golf is a good excuse to turn off your cell phone and walk around outside for a few hours.

Is there anything we haven't addressed about you that would surprise us?

I coached my step son's soccer team for two years, and paid for my first pro horn in high school by refereeing soccer games. There was a time in my life when I though I was going to be a Baptist minister. When I was working cruise ships, there was a period of about 6 months that I was our life raft captain. I once worked at an Easy Spirit shoe store in an Atlanta suburb.