Tyrone Jefferson (born July 5, 1953) is an American

trombonist The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the air column inside the instrument to ...

, composer, arranger and producer. Over the course of his career he has collaborated with acts such as

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip ho ...

and others.

Early life and education

Tyrone Jefferson was born on July 5, 1953, in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. At a young age, his family relocated to

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, where his interest in jazz began. After starting junior high school, he started to play the piano then the trombone. Jefferson holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' ...

, an M.S. in Management Information Systems from

Pace University Pace University is a private university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, United States. It was established in 1906 as a business school by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace. Pace enrolls about ...

and a Professional Certificate in Arranging and Composition from

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

Career

In high school Jefferson led his own band, which included a trumpet player, tuba player, tenor saxophonist, and three percussionists. During this time he also experimented with songwriting and arranging for several instruments. In the early 1970s Jefferson joined the Army and completed a three-year tour in

Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

where he would ultimately meet saxophonist Norwood "Pony" Poindexter. Poindexter would later invite Jefferson to join him as a trombonist during his Sunday sessions at a

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

club. Jefferson developed his musical skills as he began working with a number of German bands across several genres. Upon his return to the United States, Jefferson began arranging live jazz sets at Damian's in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

. These sets were named ''sittin' in'' and helped solidify his place in the local jazz scene. In 1976 he was given a chance by percussionist Johnny Griggs, to join

on tour as director of his band,

The J.B.'s The J.B.'s (sometimes punctuated The JB's or The J.B.s) was James Brown's band from 1970 through the early 1980s. On records, the band was sometimes billed under alternate names such as Fred Wesley and the JBs, The James Brown Soul Train, Mace ...

. After his participation in the tour ended, he went on to collaborate with dozens of musicians, including James Brown, rappers Public Enemy, hip-hop artist L.L. Cool J and Gospel artist

Heather Headley Heather Headley (born October 5, 1974) is a Trinidadian-born American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the title role of '' Aida''. She also won the 2010 Grammy A ...

. He has performed in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Japan, Morocco and the Caribbean, and at venues such as the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

Greek Theatre A theatrical culture flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. At its centre was the city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, and the theatre was institutionalised there as par ...

and the

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...

. Jefferson also joined Frank Foster's jazz ensemble ''Living Color: 10 Shades of Black'' as well as

Slide Hampton Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombone, jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tub ...

's ''World of Trombones''. His work as a trombonist, songwriter, and composer and his dedication to African American history and culture has led to profiles in ''Carib'' magazine, Black Elegance, Sister-to-Sister, ''Charlotte Magazine'' and ''Jet'' magazine. Jefferson was among the composers commissioned by the French

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organiza ...

to write ''A Hymn for World Peace'' in 1984. He is also featured in ''Digging: The Afro-American Soul of American Classical Music'' by Amiri Baraka (2009).

Activism and awards

Jefferson currently acts as executive director of A Sign of the Times of the Carolinas, a non- profit organization focused on reaching out to the community through music and educational programs that reflect the heritage of African Americans. In 2013 he was the recipient of the Harvey B. Gantt Center award.

Discography

Alex Bugnon Alex Bugnon (born October 10, 1958) is a jazz pianist and composer from Montreux, Switzerland. He is a nephew of Donald Byrd. Bugnon studied at the Paris Conservatory and the Mozart Academy in Salzburg. At age nineteen, he moved to the U.S. and ...

– ''Head Over Heels'' (1990) – Trombone *

James Spaulding James Ralph Spaulding Jr. (was born July 30, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United states, Spaulding attended the Chicago Cosmopolitan School of Music. Between 1957 and 1961, he was a member of ...

– '' Songs of Courage'' (Muse, 1991

993 Year 993 ( CMXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – The 12-year-old King Otto III gives the Sword of Saints Cosmas and Damian (also known as the Sword of Essen) as ...

– Trombone *

Errol Parker Errol Parker (né Raphaël Schecroun; 30 October 1925 – 2 July 1998) was a French-Algerian jazz pianist who played with Django Reinhardt, James Moody, Don Byas and Kenny Clarke, among others. Born in Oran, French Algeria, Raphaël Schecroun ...

– ''Errol Parker'' (1991) – Trombone *

– ''Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black'' (1991) – Horns *

Pee Wee Ellis Alfred James Rogers (April 21, 1941 – September 23, 2021), known as Pee Wee Ellis due to his diminutive stature, was an American saxophonist, composer, and arranger. With a background in jazz, he was a member of James Brown's band in the 19 ...

– ''Blues Mission'' (1992) – Trombone *

– ''Remembering Billy Strayhorn'' (1994) – Trombone *

– ''Live at the Apollo'' (1995) – Trombone *

Mark Ledford Mark Ledford (March 10, 1960 – November 1, 2004) was an American trumpeter, singer, and guitarist. He was known for his multi-instrumentalism and his membership in the Pat Metheny Group. Music career Ledford grew up in Detroit and attended B ...

– ''Miles 2 Go'' (1998) – Trombone *

– ''Dead on the Heavy Funk'' (1975–1983) 1998 – Trombone *

– ''Audience of One'' (2009) – Trombone, Horn Arrangements

Personal life

Jefferson currently lives in Charlotte with his wife Toni. They both host the weekly ''Saturday Night R&B House Party'' on Gaston College Radio and act as the producers of ''The State of Black Music'' on public access TV. He has three children and five grandchildren.

References

External links

A Sign of the Times of the Carolinas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jefferson, Tyrone 1953 births African-American jazz composers Musicians from Manhattan Musicians from Charlotte, North Carolina Living people The J.B.'s members Jazz musicians from New York (state) Jazz musicians from North Carolina American jazz trombonists American male trombonists 20th-century American jazz composers 20th-century American trombonists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American jazz composers 21st-century trombonists 21st-century American musicians 21st-century American male musicians North Carolina A&T State University alumni Pace University alumni American male jazz composers