Something beautiful is about to happen this Wednesday, November 20, 2024 evening at Englewood, NJ's BergenPAC as music lovers ready themselves for a live concert by Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue.
Born Troy Andrews, Trombone Shorty made his first appearance on stage at the age of four performing with Bo Diddley. At six, he led his own brass band, and by his teenage years he was on tour with Lenny Kravitz. Since then, Shorty has gone on to work with a litany of artists including Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, Hall and Oates, Foo Fighters, Mark Ronson, Pharrell Williams, Bruno Mars, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
In addition to appearing on the HBO series, Treme, Shorty has also performed twice at the White House and has received four Grammy nominations including a win for his work on Jon Batiste’s 2021 album, We Are. His latest project is his 2022 recording, Lifted.
Inside the BergenPAC auditorium, the lights dim and members of tonight’s opening act — The New Breed Brass Band featuring Emanuel Mitchell on trumpet, Yirmeyahn Israel on saxophone, Devon Andrews on trombone, Rodrick Andrews on bass drum, Jenard Andrews on snare drum, and Big Mike Brooks on sousaphone — take the stage.
As the musicians fill the concert hall with their big brassy sound, Mitchell announces, “We are the New Breed Brass Band, all the way from the city of New Orleans,” before insisting, “People in the house say ‘Party!’’’ and music lovers happily respond on this funky opener which features Emanuel Mitchell’s brassy trumpet playing, Big Mike Brooks’ booming sousaphone, Yirmeyahn Israel’s bebop saxophone, and Devon Andrews’ growling trombone.
Segueing into “Treme Island,” the horns play in harmony as the rhythm section rolls along on this uptempo tune with an island feel which has the crowd energetically clapping along. Announcing, “We gonna keep it rollin’,” on the sextet’s next selection Big Mike Brooks plays a sousaphone solo, Mitchell and Andrews cry, “Do you wanna party with me?” and the horns jam before Israel renders a sax solo and Mitchell is featured on trumpet.
For the New Brass Band’s final number, drums roll and the band joins in on a happy-go-lucky jazz instrumental which builds to a dynamic conclusion which inspires enthusiastic applause from the crowd.
Following a short intermission, the audience cheers as the eight members of Orleans Avenue — vocalist Tracci Lee, tenor saxophonist BK Jackson, baritone saxophonist Dan Oestreicher, keyboardist Brandon Butler, guitarists Pete Murano and Josh Connelly, bassist DJ Raymond, and drummer Joey Peebles — take the stage.
The crowd hoots and hollers as Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews enters holding his trombone and trumpet triumphantly in the air.
Opening with the R&B-infused Meters cover, “It Ain’t No Use,” Shorty wails, “It ain’t no use to cut you loose/I wouldn’t last a day,” before inquiring, “What’s up, Englewood?” and he and the musicians dance to the rhythm as Tracci Lee is featured on lead vocals.
Shorty declares, “Alright Jersey, there’s a party tonight!” as the band segues into the rockin’ “Do to Me” where music lovers sing along on the song’s “What you gonna do to me?/What I’m gonna do to you, I bet you like it” refrain as well as vocalizing on the tune’s infectious “Ba ba ba-ba” horn line.
The crowd cheers and Shorty says, “I have one question — are you ready to go crazy?” as he and the band launch into Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” where Shorty and Tracci sing together in harmony before Pete Murano plays a wild guitar solo and Shorty and Tracci dance on either side of him.
The Jersey crowd hoots and hollers when Shorty announces, “That’s Pete Murano from New Brunswick, NJ, on the guitar!”
Shorty and Tracci harmonize together on the group’s next selection, “On Your Way Down,” a slow funk tune that has music lovers dancing at their seats. Hot bright lights flash over BK Jackson as he’s featured on a tenor sax solo while Shorty does a backwards moonwalk behind him to the audience’s delight.
Shorty inquires, “How many of you all have been down to the great city of New Orleans?” The crowd applauds and Shorty announces, “I’m gonna take you to Mardi Gras!” as he and the band slip into the traditional New Orleans call and response song, “Ooh Na Nay.”
Shorty and Tracci follow up by dancing across the stage on their interpretation of Ernie K. Doe’s “Here Come the Girls.”
This funky march tune features a bluesy trumpet solo where Shorty uses circular breathing to miraculously hold out a single note for a full two minutes. The crowd cheers and Dan Oestreicher plays a modal baritone sax solo before he and Shorty duel together on their instruments supported by Joey Peebles’ dynamic drumming.
The band shifts into the traditional New Orleans tune, “When the Saints Go Marching In,” where Shorty has the crowd sing along before he and the band end the song with a flurry of sound to whistles, cheers, and avid applause.
“Are you all tired yet, ’cause I could keep playing all night long!” exclaims Shorty as he and Orleans Avenue step into the R&B funk ballad, “Something Beautiful.” After Shorty sings, “Can you show me something beautiful?” Josh Connelly is featured on a funky guitar solo and Tracci demonstrates her vocal prowess before the band jams under flashing lights and Shorty mesmerizes on the trombone.
Shorty and BK Jackson stand on either side of the stage and have a rapping competition between sections of the audience before the two engage in a rhythmic rap duel on Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle).” The group cries, “Everybody get your roll on!” and Shorty, BK Jackson, and Dan Oestreicher leave the stage and march throughout the BergenPAC auditorium playing trombone, tenor, and baritone sax as the band vamps on stage and music lovers stand, clap, dance, and bask in the party-like atmosphere.
The trio makes its way back to the stage and Shorty announces, “Englewood, NJ, I want to play one more for you tonight!” Here, he and the band perform an encore medley starting with the rhythmic “Hurricane Season” where Tracci and the band jam on the funky “Move your body” refrain. Shorty asks, “New Jersey, can we have an old school funk party for DJ Raymond?” and he invites bassist Raymond to the edge of the stage to solo fast and furiously while he plays tambourine and the crowd happily claps along.
The encore medley continues with Parliament’s “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker),” where the crowd sings along on this funk classic before the group segues into “Get Up, I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine” and Shorty dances a la James Brown prior to concluding with the rhythmic Elmore James’ number, “Shake Your Moneymaker.”
Shorty announces, “We’ve had too much fun tonight!” and introduces his bandmates. Concluding, “Thank you for having us tonight, Jersey, but most importantly, never forget we love you!” Shorty leaves the stage before the band plays a dynamic coda, waves goodnight, and exits.
As concertgoers make their way out of the BergenPAC auditorium, several comment on tonight’s performance. Exclaims Jonathan from Bergen County, “Trombone Shorty was phenomenal! I’ve seen him a bunch of times — this is probably the fourth time — and he and his group never disappoint; they’re always fabulous!”
Olivia from New Jersey and New Orleans declares, “It’s nice to see my two worlds collide! Troy is just unforgettable! He’s amazing — no matter what show you see or wherever you catch him, he always gives it his all — and the New Breed Brass Band was great, too; I remember them playing on Decatur Street in New Orleans where I’d catch them in the morning when I’d be heading out to work.”
Confesses Kevin from Englewood, “I’ll be honest, Trombone Shorty was amazing — he was more than I thought he was gonna be! And, honestly, after seeing him, I want to go to New Orleans because the concert was that great — he put on an amazing show!”
Insists Rita from Hawthorne, “I have no words — but it’s the best show I’ve ever seen!” suggesting, “I actually think this kind of musical experience stays with you for a couple of days, although I’m hoping it lasts the next four years!” Rita’s husband, Jack, agrees, commenting, “It was excellent; I loved it! It’s soul music that hits you right in the gut,” and Scott from Hawthorne adds, “It was a really great show! Shorty has such great energy, the horns give it such a great sound, and the drummer absolutely crushed it!”
Whereas Gianna from Hawthorne contends, “I liked the variety of music Shorty and his group played, in addition to the way they performed and interacted with the crowd which showed us how much they really liked us and were happy to be around us as an audience,” Reggie from Fair Lawn sums up his view of tonight’s Trombone Shorty concert in just four words: “Outstanding. Exceptional. The Best!”
To learn more about Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, please go to tromboneshorty.com. For more info on The New Breed Brass Band, please click on newbreedbrassband.com. For information on great future performances at BergenPAC — including Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees on December 15 and The Drifters, Coasters, and Platters on January 10 — please go to bergenpac.org.
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