Tyrone Jefferson (born July 5, 1953) is an American

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 ...

, composer, arranger and producer. Over the course of his career he has collaborated with acts such as

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe p ...

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

and others.

Early life and education

Tyrone Jefferson was born on July 5, 1953, in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. At a young age, his family relocated to

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, where his interest in jazz began. After starting junior high school, he started to play the piano then the trombone. Jefferson holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (also known as North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina A&T, N.C. A&T, or simply A&T) is a public, historically black land-grant research university in Greensboro, North Caro ...

, an M.S. in Management Information Systems from

Pace University Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pac ...

and a Professional Certificate in Arranging and Composition from

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

Career

In high school Jefferson led his own band, which included a trumpet player, tuba player, tenor saxophonist, and three percussionists. During this time he also experimented with songwriting and arranging for several instruments. In the early 1970s Jefferson joined the Army and completed a three-year tour in

Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; Palatinate German: ''Lautre'') is a city in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfur ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

where he would ultimately meet saxophonist Norwood "Pony" Poindexter. Poindexter would later invite Jefferson to join him as a trombonist during his Sunday sessions at a

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

club. Jefferson developed his musical skills as he began working with a number of German bands across several genres. Upon his return to the United States, Jefferson began arranging live jazz sets at Damian's in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

. These sets were named ''sittin' in'' and helped solidify his place in the local jazz scene. In 1976 he was given a chance by percussionist Johnny Griggs, to join

on tour as director of his band, The J.B.'s. After his participation in the tour ended, he went on to collaborate with dozens of musicians, including James Brown, rappers Public Enemy, hip-hop artist L.L. Cool J and Gospel artist

Heather Headley Heather Headley (born October 5, 1974) is a Trinidadian-born American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the titular role of ''Aida''. She also won the 2010 Grammy Aw ...

. He has performed in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Japan, Morocco and the Caribbean, and at venues such as the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

Greek Theatre Ancient Greek theatre was a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. The city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, was its centre, where the theatre was ...

and the

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it was ...

. Jefferson also joined Frank Foster's jazz ensemble ''Living Color: 10 Shades of Black'' as well as

Slide Hampton Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tuba and flugelho ...

's ''World of Trombones''. His work as a trombonist, songwriter, and composer and his dedication to African American history and culture has led to profiles in ''Carib'' magazine, Black Elegance, Sister-to-Sister, ''Charlotte Magazine'' and ''Jet'' magazine. Jefferson was among the composers commissioned by the French

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizati ...

to write ''A Hymn for World Peace'' in 1984. He is also featured in ''Digging: The Afro-American Soul of American Classical Music'' by Amiri Baraka (2009).

Activism and awards

Jefferson currently acts as executive director of A Sign of the Times of the Carolinas, a non- profit organization focused on reaching out to the community through music and educational programs that reflect the heritage of African Americans. In 2013 he was the recipient of the Harvey B. Gantt Center award.

Discography

Alex Bugnon Alex Bugnon (born October 10, 1958) is a jazz pianist and composer from Montreux, Switzerland. He is a nephew of Donald Byrd. Bugnon studied at the Paris Conservatory and the Mozart Academy in Salzburg. At age nineteen, he moved to the U.S. and ...

– ''Head Over Heels'' (1990) – Trombone *

James Spaulding James Ralph Spaulding Jr. (born July 30, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United states, Spaulding attended the Chicago Cosmopolitan School of Music. Between 1957 and 1961, he was a member of Sun ...

– '' Songs of Courage'' (Muse, 1991

993 Year 993 ( CMXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – The 12-year-old King Otto III gives the Sword of Saints Cosmas and Damian ...

– Trombone *

Errol Parker Errol Parker (né Raphaël Schecroun; 30 October 1925 – 2 July 1998) was a French-Algerian jazz pianist who played with Django Reinhardt, James Moody, Don Byas and Kenny Clarke, among others. Born in Oran, French Algeria, Raphaël Schecroun ...

– ''Errol Parker'' (1991) – Trombone *

– ''Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black'' (1991) – Horns *

Pee Wee Ellis Alfred James Ellis (April 21, 1941 – September 23, 2021), known as Pee Wee Ellis due to his diminutive stature, was an American saxophonist, composer, and arranger. With a background in jazz, he was a member of James Brown's band in the 196 ...

– ''Blues Mission'' (1992) – Trombone *

– ''Remembering Billy Strayhorn'' (1994) – Trombone *

– ''Live at the Apollo'' (1995) – Trombone *

Mark Ledford Mark Ledford (1960 – November 1, 2004) was an American trumpeter, singer, and guitarist. He was known for his multi-instrumentalism and his membership in the Pat Metheny Group. Music career Ledford grew up in Detroit and attended Berklee Col ...

– ''Miles 2 Go'' (1998) – Trombone *

– ''Dead on the Heavy Funk'' (1975–1983) 1998 – Trombone *

– ''Audience of One'' (2009) – Trombone, Horn Arrangements

Personal life

Jefferson currently lives in Charlotte with his wife Toni. They both host the weekly ''Saturday Night R&B House Party'' on

Gaston College Gaston College is a public community college in Dallas, North Carolina. Serving Gaston County and Lincoln County, Gaston College enrolls over 5,000 students each term in curriculum programs and about 16,000 students in continuing education pro ...

Radio and act as the producers of ''The State of Black Music'' on public access TV. He has three children and two grandchildren.

References

External links

A Sign of the Times of the Carolinas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jefferson, Tyrone 1953 births African-American jazz composers People from Manhattan Musicians from Charlotte, North Carolina Living people The J.B.'s members Jazz musicians from New York (state) Jazz musicians from North Carolina American jazz trombonists Male trombonists 20th-century jazz composers 20th-century trombonists 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century jazz composers 21st-century trombonists 21st-century American musicians 21st-century American male musicians North Carolina A&T State University alumni Pace University alumni American male jazz composers American jazz composers