Matt Finders (born February 12, 1960) is an American trombonist based in Southern California. A former member of

The Tonight Show Band The Tonight Show Band is the house band that plays on the American television variety show '' The Tonight Show''. From 1962 until 1992, when the show was known as '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', the band was a 17-piece big band, and ...

, he has played with various

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

s and in major musical productions on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. Though Finders has worked in many genres, his primary focus is on jazz. He works on various projects in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

area and has traveled as a

clinician A clinician is a health care professional typically employed at a skilled nursing facility or clinic. Clinicians work directly with patients rather than in a laboratory or as a researcher. A clinician may diagnose, treat, and otherwise care for pa ...

and guest artist to various schools around the nation.

Biography

Early years

Finders was born and grew up in

Livermore, California Livermore (formerly Livermorès, Livermore Ranch, and Nottingham) is a city in Alameda County, California. With a 2020 population of 87,955, Livermore is the most populous city in the Tri-Valley. It is located on the eastern edge of Californ ...

. At age nine, he chose to begin studying

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

while attending Fifth Street Elementary because his brother already had one. He began playing jazz at East Avenue Middle School and later played in the Livermore High School Jazz Band and went on to study at

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...

Career

Finders has recorded with the

s of

Toshiko Akiyoshi is a Japanese–American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in ''Down Beat'' magazine's annual Readers' Poll. ...

Bob Mintzer Robert Alan Mintzer (born January 27, 1953) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. Early life Mintzer was born and raised in a Jewish family in New Rochelle, New York, on January 27, 1953. He attended the Inter ...

and Bill Warfield among others, and was the

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

with ''Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' Band led by

Kevin Eubanks Kevin Tyrone Eubanks (born November 15, 1957) is an American jazz and fusion guitarist and composer. He was the leader of The Tonight Show Band with host Jay Leno from 1995 to 2010. He also led the Primetime Band on the short lived ''The Jay Le ...

. He has also played with

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

, Harry Connick Jr., Sting, Benny Goodman's Orchestra,

Branford Marsalis Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed inst ...

, the

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

Big Band and others. He joined

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duke ...

's big band, where he played alongside Marsalis. He also played for a number of successful

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

s, including ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of t ...

'', '' 42nd Street'', '' City of Angels'', ''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in '' The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is one of Burnett's most popular novels an ...

'' and ''

Starlight Express ''Starlight Express'' is a 1984 British musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. It tells the story of a young but obsolete steam engine, Rusty, who races in a championship against modern engines in the hope of ...

''. He also played at venues all across New York, ranging from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

gigs to

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

. He was a frequent player at the Red Parrot club, a popular disco club, and played with

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

on October 7, 1985 at The New York Marriott Marquis.

Recent activities

Finders currently lives in

, with his wife, Terilyn Finders, and two daughters, Beth and Hannah. He leads high school and middle school bands in the area and is the creator and leader of JazzLabb, a weeklong summer camp dedicated to Jazz in Livermore. He is the leader of The Mendenhall Middle School Jazz Band and East Avenue Jazz Band. Many of the tunes played by the groups are Finders's own originals. He currently plays and records with an octet, which has featured various players, including

Chuck Findley Charles B. Findley (born December 13, 1947 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania) is an American trumpet player known for his diverse work as a session musician. He also plays other brass instruments such as flugelhorn and trombone. His technical abilities ...

, Big Phat Band's Brian Scanlon, and many others. He organizes a local group of musicians to play at Retzlaff Vineyards in Livermore, California approximately every month.

Compositions

* The Dork * B flat Jam Blues * You Get What You Get * Skump (Aardvark Soup) * Spliff

Discography

As sideman

*''Wishing Peace'' (

)(1986) *''Time Waits for No One'' (

Loren Schoenberg Loren Schoenberg (born July 23, 1958) is a tenor saxophonist, conductor, educator, and jazz historian. He has won two Grammy Awards for Best Album Notes. He is the former Executive Director and currently Senior Scholar of the National Jazz Museum ...

)(1987) *''Yale Archives, Vol. 1-2: Live at Basin Street'' (

)(1988) *''Solid Ground'' (

)(1988) *''Electric Youth'' (

Debbie Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...

) (1989) *''Gigi On The Beach'' (1989) *''Buck Clayton Swings The Village'' (

Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record "Confessin' That I Love You" ...

) (1990) *''Carnegie Hall Concert'' (

)(1991) *''Secret Garden'' (1991) *''Art of the Big Band'' (

) (1991) *''Youkali'' ( Jim Hall) (1992) *''Fool For You'' (1993) *''Motion Poet'' (

Peter Erskine Peter Erskine (born June 5, 1954) is an American jazz drummer who was a member of the jazz fusion groups Weather Report and Steps Ahead. Early life and education Erskine was born in Somers Point, New Jersey, U.S. He began playing the drum ...

) (1993) *''Shape I'm In'' (

Joe Roccisano Joseph Lucian Roccisano (October 15, 1939 in Springfield, Massachusetts – November 9, 1997) was an American jazz saxophonist and arranger. Career Roccisano received his bachelor's degree in music education from SUNY-Potsdam in 1963. In 1964 he ...

) (1993) *'' Buckshot LeFonque'' ( Buckshot LeFonque) (1994) *''Tribute to Curtis Mayfield'' (1994) *''City Never Sleeps'' (Bill Warfield Big Band) (1994) *''Madness'' (

Tony MacAlpine Tony MacAlpine (born August 29, 1960) is an American musician and composer. In a career spanning four decades, he has released twelve studio albums. MacAlpine is best known as an instrumental rock and heavy metal solo guitarist, although he has ...

) (1994) *''Some Cow Fonque'' ( Buckshot LeFonque) (1995) *''Men In Black'' (1997) *''Blues for Schuur'' (Dianne Schuur) (1997) *''Art of Saxophone'' (1997) *''Very Best of Dianne Schuur'' (Dianne Schuur) (1997) *''Last Time I Was Here'' (

Bryan Duncan Bryan Edward Duncan (born March 16, 1953) is an American contemporary Christian music artist. He is known for being lead singer of the group Sweet Comfort Band, solo career, and involvement with the Nehosoul Band. He is currently involved with ...

) (1998) *''Out of This World'' (1999) *''Absolute Brass'' (2001) *''Let's Dance'' (

) (2002) *''Inverse Universe'' (Claudia Villela) (2003) *''All Across the City'' ( Jim Hall) (2003)

References

External links

Web page: mattfinders.com

Short Matt Finders biography at NBC.com
* Matt Finders album credits at allmusic.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Finders, Matt Living people People from Livermore, California American trombonists Male trombonists San Jose State University alumni 1960 births 21st-century trombonists 21st-century American male musicians The Tonight Show Band members