Fred Wesley (b. 1943) : legendary funk trombone pioneer
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Dandrick Shenod Glenn (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Randy Kohlenberg
Abstract: I. Solo Recital: Monday, April 12, 2022, 7:30 p.m., Organ Recital Hall. Romance for Bass Trombone and Piano (Carl Maria Von Weber, arr. Martin McCain); Concerto (Robert Spillman); On Your Own Now (Steven Verhelst); Let Us Break Bread Together (Traditional, arr. Chad Hughes): New Orleans (Eugene Bozza). II. Solo Recital: Friday, November 4, 2022, 7:30 p.m., Organ Recital Hall. Sonata for Bass Trombone and Piano (Alonzo Malik Pirio); Romance (William Grant Still, arr. Douglas Yeo); Mr. Trombonology (Nathaniel Davis); Concertino (David Wilborn); Every Time I Feel the Spirit (Traditional, arr. Chad Hughes). III. Solo Recital: Sunday, April 23, 2023, 12:00 p.m., Organ Recital Hall. Sonatine für Posaune und Klavier (Erhard Ragwitz); The Lone Caller (Alonzo Malik Pirio); Summertime (George Gershwin, arr. Tom Doset); Concert Allegro (Alexey K. Lebedev); Fancy Free (Clay Smith, arr. Blair Bollinger); Deux Danses (Jean-Michel Defaye) IV. D.M.A. Research Project. FRED WESLEY (b. 1943): FUNK TROMBONE PIONEER (2024). Fred Wesley at age 24 joined James Brown's popular funk and rhythm and blues (R&B) band in 1968. The experience defined him as a funk legend, but it did not limit the rest of his career. Later as a member of the Count Basie Orchestra, he followed saxophonist Maceo Parker through George Clinton's various iterations of Parliament-Funkadelic and was in Parker's bands as a featured trombonist through the mid-1990s. Wesley in 1996 formed his group, The New JBs, and continued even at age 80 to perform with them. Wesley also taught as an adjunct professor in the School of Music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, as well as being a visiting artist at Columbia College in Chicago, the Berklee College of Music, and other institutions. On July 4, 2023, Wesley celebrated his 80th birthday. The purpose of this project was to document and amplify the significance of Fred Wesley’s career. Following a brief introduction and biographical sketch of Wesley, ideas about how Wesley was able to earn his livelihood as a musician after growing up as an African American during the Jim Crow South. He later became one of the most influential jazz and funk musicians in the Twentieth Century. A complete biography was beyond the scope of this project partially because Wesley wrote his autobiography. A component of the document is an interview with Wesley conducted in his home in Manning, South Carolina. The information presented in interview format is intended to supplement Wesley’s autobiography and other sources that reinforce his significance as one of the most influential Twentieth-Century musicians and renowned funk trombonist.
Fred Wesley (b. 1943) : legendary funk trombone pioneer
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Created on 5/1/2024
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2024
- Keywords
- Funk, Jazz, Music, Trombone