I just don't like looking at the crowd and seeing them just staring and listening to the music. When I get them involved, whatever type of music I'm playing, they leave there feeling better.
— Trombone Shorty
It doesn't matter where we are. We can be marching down the streets of New Orleans, or we can be onstage in front of 15,000 people. As long as I know that I'm about to put my horn to my mouth and play some notes, that's what I most look forward to.
If I have to be considered any type of jazz artist, it would be New Orleans jazz because New Orleans jazz never forgot that jazz is dance music and jazz is fun. I'm more influenced by that style of jazz than anything else.
At the end of the day, I'm a New Orleans musician. Whatever that means.
Music brings unity.
We didn't know music had all these names. We made up SupaFunkRock on a plane when a flight attendant asked us what we play.
When I play the trumpet, I'm in a different character.
One thing I've learned in life is that natural talent only takes you so far, and I've always wanted to grow.
New Orleans made me who I am.
I spent a lot of time with the Neville Brothers and Dr. John and different people. They play different styles of music, and it allowed me to learn different styles.
People seem to absorb my sound. It feels like they're one with me.
'Supafunkrock' is a musical gumbo. We throw all those musical influences into the pot and put it out there.
My grandfather influenced my brother, and my brother was my biggest influence.
I'm very proud of 'Backatown,' and usually I don't like to listen to my records.
I was put on so many different musical stages growing up that I didn't think about what kind of music we played. I just thought music was music.
I'm always trying to emulate guitar. Especially when I'm playing the trombone, that's what I think about. Like, I listen to guitar players every day: Warren Haynes, Lenny Kravitz, Prince, different people. And I'm always trying to find out a way how I can get my trombone to sound like that.
Whenever we can, we try to talk to students. If I can, I'll invite kids from a school to a sound check and take questions from them. I want to show them it's cool to play the trombone. Kids are influenced by what's accessible to them. It's hard for kids to be introduced to music other than what they see on TV and video.
I always dreamed of playing a show with Bono and Edge and the guys in Green Day.
That always has been one of my dreams, to be able to appeal to a bunch of people.
No matter what kinds of problems we might be going through, or what kinds of problems the world might be going through, music is the place where we can all get along. We can all jam.
In New Orleans, people are still influenced by one another. You got these bands that play every week on Frenchmen Street, and on their breaks, they might go see the reggae band that's right next door. You might get the musicians from the reggae band to sit in with the brass musicians. Everyone is having fun.
That's the way New Orleans is. It's driven by the music.
Most people don't even know what a trombone is. It's not that popular as a front instrument... I picked it up and fell in love with it as a kid. It's a difficult instrument, but I like doing things that seem impossible.
The only thing we try and do is just be a part of the gumbo that New Orleans is.
When we're ready to do the dress rehearsal, we'll rehearse in the dark. No lights. The reason why I do that is because I don't want the band to rely on me for anything. 'Cause anything can happen - I might stop singing or unplug the mic, just so everybody knows: Keep going, no matter what.
I need New Orleans. And New Orleans needs me.
I love to play. That's always been my passion.
As a musician, as a horn player, sometimes I even get bored listening to all instrumental music.
I just wanted to keep growing and touring with my band.
My only time off is when I'm sleeping.
I'm big fans of all those musicians, B.B. King, Mick Jagger - they're all on my iPod.
I listen to Nine Inch Nails, Green Day, U2, and it becomes part of me, comes out in my music. Wherever it goes, there will always be the fabric of New Orleans in it.
Rock guitar is one of my favourite sounds.
I never really listened to any particular trombone players.
It's very important to me that I at least know the history of the music.
We're not really trying to do anything besides represent where we come from, and that's New Orleans.
In New Orleans, we celebrate everything. It's probably the only place you'll see people dancing in a funeral home.
My parents pushed me toward trombone because they didn't need another trumpet player.
I've grown up in the Treme, and I played in a bunch of brass bands. My brother, James Andrews, had a brass band.
Being jazz-trained, things happen spontaneously. Even though it's funk rock, we still have the instincts of a jazz musician.
You've got different people that have different views of New Orleans. When you say 'New Orleans,' you have people who just think of the Neville Brothers. You've got people that think of Louis Armstrong. You say 'New Orleans,' and you've got people that think of Lil' Wayne.
When you start playing as young as me, and you've been in front of audiences your entire life, this is literally what I grew up doing.
Everyone who hears our music loves it, but how many people get to hear it?
Since I'm born here, my music will always have some New Orleans elements.
It was just music all day... My neighbors were musicians, and my brother and my family and everybody... It was just a musical neighborhood. I think the neighborhood was such a good family type of vibe for me that I didn't even realize some of the people weren't my real family till later on in life.
I just play music. That makes my whole day. I can practice and be happy.
Certain jazz musicians just copy what was done 100 years ago. The music won't grow if nobody takes a risk.
We have to let the younger generations take our music - and approach it the way they want - but just teach them where it all comes from.
New Orleans is like my blood; it's not going anywhere. And then I just take different things that I've learned over the years and add them to what I'm doing with the natural New Orleans sound.
Music in New Orleans has always been the heartbeat that drives the city. It was that even before Katrina, and that's what we had to rely on after the storm.
