June 24, 2006 Slide Trombone & Jazz Guitar
On Melva's Musings on Jazz this week, I was honored to have Robert Trowers, jazz trombonist and faculty member at NC Central University's Jazz Studies Program, and Baron Tymas, jazz guitar player and also on the faculty at NCCU, on my show. Robert and Baron had both participated in and helped organize the inaugural Jazz Summit at NCCU this weekend. Even though Robert and Baron had played late into the night last night as part of the jazz jam following the Jazz Summit, they still were up for playing the full two hours of my show. On my show I feature the sounds and music of NC jazz musicians of both the past and the present. And my favorite show is always having musicians come into the WCOM studio, and play live on the air.

Robert Trowers has played jazz trombone for over 23 years. Previously based in NYC, he is described as a player who is a 'Virtuoso beboper with a strong sense of swing". He has played with all the best, including Lionel Hampton, the Count Basie Orchestra, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra, and the Chico-O'Farrill fro-Cuban Orchestra. He currently lives in Durham and plays locally and nationally and teaches at NC Central University in the Jazz Studies Program. Besides playing and teaching, Robert is also a composer.

Joining Robert in the studio was Baron Tymas. Originally hailing from Washington, D.C., Baron has cut several CD's and is the Assistant Director of the NCCU Jazz Studies Program. To hear some of his fine guitar playing, check out his MySpace profile.

Besides being a player, Baron is also a composer and a teacher. During the show, Robert and Baron played several of their own original compositions.

On Baron's website, he has an interesting quote from Sonny Rollins - "be what you is and not what you ain't, 'cause if you ain't what you is, then you is what you ain't."--sonny

Playlist -

• Henry Mancini's composition, Mr. Lucky, from Robert Trowers' CD Synopsis
• Robert Trowers' composition Synopsis, from his CD Synopsis
• Robert Trowers' composition Salutation
• Robert Trowers' composition Line Over Rhythm, the big band melody line came to Robert in a dream
• Baron Tymas' composition Broken Bottles, from his CD Blues for the Tribe
• Robert Trower's composition Metropolis
• Robert Trower's composition Chuh, with a Latin beat coming straight from his family's blood line, including his parents Frankie & Dorothy, of moving from Jamaica to Panama and then on to the USA. Robert is first generation American.
• Robert Trowers' composition End of a Love Affair, from his CD Point of View
• Robert Trowers' composition Frolic
• Baron Tymas' composition Stone Flower, from his CD Blues for the Tribe
• Robert Trowers started a metronome in the studio and created on the spot, Metronome Blues, with just Robert on the trombone and the metronome keeping the beat.
  

Friends Sima and Leila stopped by the WCOM studio in downtown Carrboro to listen to the show. We all had a great time tonight and look forward to hearing more from Robert Trowers and Baron Tymas.