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Stafford Hunter
Beside music, Stafford appeared as a model in the December 1992 issue of L'Uomo Vogue (the Italian Vogue magazine for men). This issue also featured jazz greats like Milt Hinton, Clark Terry, Louie Bellson, etc... And, he appeared in a documentary film on the late-great pianist; Dorothy Donegan. Also, he was an actor in a movie entitled "the Day the Ponies Come Back" which was released March of 2001 in France. And, he appeared in a diet Coke television commercial which featured the great Elton John.
He has performed at former-US President Bill Clinton's first inaugural. Since then, the trombonist has performed, recorded and toured all over the world with the likes of Illinois Jacquet, McCoy Tyner, Lester Bowie & Brass Fantasy, Abdullah Ibrahim, Charli Persip, Charles Tolliver, Tony Bennett, Roy Hargrove, Donald Byrd Dance Troupe, Cab Calloway Orch., Joss Stone, Orrin Evans, the Mingus Big Band, Lauryn Hill, Frank Foster, Clark Terry, Reggie Workman, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Lionel Hampton Orchestra, Dionne Warwick, Lenny Kravitz, Muhal Richard Abrams, Amy Winehouse, Oliver Lake, Steve Turre & Sanctified Shells, and has been a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra since 1998 among other groups.
Stafford still performs with the Duke Ellington Orchestra but manages to tour the USA, South America, Europe, and Asia with his own groups, Orrin Evans’ Captain Black Big Band, and many other groups. Also, he frequently gives master classes, lectures, concerts as a special guest and gives lessons at universities & high schools and privately in Japan, Russia Europe and around the world.
Website: https://www.staffordhunter.com
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Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band: The Intangible Between
by Paul Rauch
Pianist Orrin Evans has a deep understanding of the unshakeable bond between fellowship, humanity and the creative process. That knowledge has guided him through creating a remarkable catalog of music as both a leader and sideman, along the way, experiencing the fellowship of a collective of musicians he often refers to as “The Village." The Village is indeed real, and most aptly expressed musically through the The Captain Black Big Band, Evans' ensemble of anywhere between nine and ...
read moreJohn Bailey: Can You Imagine?
by Jack Bowers
Letting his imagination roam free, trumpeter John Bailey envisions a world in which one of his musical touchstones, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, is president of the United States--one in which Gillespie's cabinet includes Duke Ellington (secretary of state), Louis Armstrong (secretary of agriculture) and Miles Davis (CIA director). The fact is, Gillespie did “run" for president in 1964, a crusade that was far more satirical than serious. Nevertheless, as was his fashion, Gillespie milked his “candidacy" for all it was worth, ...
read moreJohn Bailey: Can You Imagine?
by Dan Bilawsky
The world loves a good “what if..." story, so why not explore the idea of Dizzy Gillespie as president? The famed trumpeter actually ran for the highest office in the land in 1964. And though the move was largely in jest, he didn't shy away from the issues of the day while campaigning. Sadly, many of the same problems that Gillespie explored still plague the United States, but trumpeter John Bailey doesn't get weighed down by that sobering sadness—or pure ...
read moreStafford Hunter: Continuum
by Paul Rauch
Stafford Hunter is known as a trombonist who grew out of the modern paradigm set by Steve Turre. He also shares a unique quality with Turre, in that he is an expert player of conch shells in the jazz idiom, joining him in the ensemble, Steve Turre and Sanctified Shells. While this tie with Turre is a logical conclusion, the dots don't quite connect in terms of playing trombone in jazz. While his association with the Duke Ellington ...
read more- Frank Foster (Legendary saxophonist/composer/arranger )
“Stafford Hunter is searching. And, he is one of the NEW voices on the trombone.” -Steve Turre (Legendary Trombonist)
“Stafford is velvety smooth”
-Chip Deffaa (New York Post)
"...demonstrates a rare tonality and a trumpet-like approach to articulation." "Hunter is a master of utilizing classic elements of the entire jazz tradition in his work. Somehow he weaves those elements into a sound that is distinct and clearly his own." -Paul Rauch (All About Jazz)
