Primary Instrument: Trombone
One of the most highly regarded trombonist of his generation, Ron Westray continues to expand upon the legacy set before him with his CD release, Medical Cures For The Chromatic Commands Of The Inner City on Blue Canoe Records.
Ron's work as an instructor, mentor, recording artist and leader, has earned him world-wide recognition. Ron is perhaps best known for his work as lead trombonist in the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra conducted by Wynton Marsalis, as well as his collaborative effort with Wycliffe Gordon on the Atlantic Record Label titled Bone Structure.
Mr. Westray's compositional achievements allow him a notable position among jazz composers, while his accomplishments on the trombone showcase him as a virtuoso instrumentalist. In 1988, Ron entered South Carolina State University. Still a student, Ron joined Marcus Roberts' Band and made his recording debut on Roberts' As Serenity Approached. Upon completing his Bachelor of Arts in Music degree in 1992, Mr. Westray joined the Jazz Futures II, an international touring group comprised of young talented jazz musicians. Later that year, Ron was awarded a graduate assistantship to attend Eastern Illinois University. Mr. Westray completed his Master of Arts degree in 1994.
In addition to his schedule with the LCJO, Ron has recorded as a sideman on labels such as Columbia, Sony Classical, and RCA Novus. Ron's accomplishments in the field have gained him exposure in publications such as Ebony, Essence, Downbeat, JazzTimes, Life Magazine and The New Yorker. Mr. Westray has performed at jazz venues such as The Village Vanguard, The Jazz Standard, The Iridium, The Blue Note, Sweet Basils, Blues Alley to name a few. Ron has appeared in concert with Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder, Roy Haynes, Nicholas Payton, Branford Marsalis and the like. Ron is also a welcomed member of The Mingus Band in NYC. Most recently Mr. Westray's original score, was awarded a fifteen thousand dollar grant from The Greenwall Foundation to support production in the summer of 2005.
Currently Ron Westray is an assistant professor in the Jazz Studies Department at The University of Texas at Austin. Ron is an instructor of Jazz Trombone, Jazz Improvisation and Jazz Composition & Arranging.
1994 Jazz at Lincoln Center: They Came to Swing Various Artists
1995 Blood on the Fields Wynton Marsalis & the Lincoln Center Jazz
1996 Bone Structure Wycliffe Gordon
1996 Jump Start and Jazz Wynton Marsalis & the Lincoln Center Jazz
1997 Blues for the New Millennium Marcus Roberts
1999 Big Train Wynton Marsalis
1999 Live in Swing City: Swingin with the Duke Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra & Wynton M.
1999 Reeltime Wynton Marsalis
2000 Search Wycliffe Gordon
2001 Popular Songs: The Best of Wynton Marsalis Wynton Marsalis
2002 All Rise Wynton Marsalis
2002 American Lullaby Veronica Nunn
2005 Awake Travis Shook
2005 Don't Be Afraid: The Music of Charles Mingus Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra/Wynton M
2005 Love Supreme Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra/Wynton Mar
2005 Travis Shook Plays Kurt Weill
2006 Cast of Cats Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
2008 Medical Cures For The Chromatic Commands Of The Inner - Ron Westray
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Primary Instrument:
Trombone
Location:
White, GA
Credentials/Background:
Currently Teaching at The University of Texas at Austin.
