JIMMY SMITH TRIBUTE / Feat. FRED WESLEY, Support: The Ronnie Scotts All Stars

Fred Wesley is the trombonist, composer, arranger, bandleader and author known worldwide as one of the architects of funk music. Fred's work with Godfather of Soul James Brown in the 1970s established him as the world's funkiest trombone player.

Today he fronts his own jazz-funk band, the New JBs, passes his expertise along to students and younger musicians around the world, and lends his fire to assorted artists across a broad musical spectrum.

Born in Mobile, Ala., Fred Wesley began his professional career as a teenage trombonist with Ike and Tina Turner. He was music director, arranger, trombonist and a primary composer for James Brown from 1968-1975, then arranged and played for Parliament-Funkadelic and Bootsy’s Rubber Band.

He has played with and arranged for a wide variety of other artists including Ray Charles, Pancho Sanchez, New York Voices, Slide Hampton, Van Morrison, the SOS Band and Cameo, to name a few. Scores of other artists including Janet Jackson and Nas have sampled his work. Since his stint with the Count Basie Orchestra, he has maintained a focus on jazz – playing, recording, writing and promoting it. His solo jazz recordings include “To Someone,” “Amalgamation,” “Comme Ci Comme Ca,” “Full Circle” and “Wuda Cuda Shuda.”