Trombone Shorty is one of the most acclaimed musicians on the scene. Born in the Tremé section of New Orleans, Louisiana, his music, which he’s dubbed “Supafunkrock,” encompasses jazz, rock, pop, funk, and hip-hop.
As a solo artist, the Grammy Award winner has released five chart-topping albums, with the most recent being 2022’s Lifted. Also, toured and worked with Lenny Kravitz, Pharrell Williams, Bruno Mars, Usher, Cee-Lo Green, and many more.
An electric live performer, Shorty will be playing at the New Orleans Jazz Fest and most notably, the 12th Annual Shorty Fest. Presented by Acura and held in his hometown, he and Orleans Avenue will be joined by Black Opry Revue, students from the Trombone Shorty Academy, Jersey Takeover with Dogs In A Pile, Robert Randolph, and Jake Clemons of the E Street Band.
Recently, Shorty spoke about his vision for Shorty Fest and why it’s not your average music festival.
“Shorty Fest isn’t just a concert, it’s a cultural moment that’s rooted in the heartbeat of New Orleans. We’re still around doing what we set out to do, and that’s to keep the mission alive of keeping New Orleans musicians and bringing them up,” he said. “So I think every year that we can continue to do what we do. That’s been the greatest accomplishment for me.”
Shorty also spoke about how it felt to accompany Kendrick Lamar in his iconic performance at Super Bowl LIX.
“I don’t like anticipation too much. If they had called me the night before and said that we’re going to do it, I would have rather that. But having such a big event and waiting to play is always difficult for me,” Shorty explained. “The emotions that I had were being from New Orleans, I’m about to play on the biggest stage, and it’s way bigger than me. It was for my ancestors, for the people of the city, and I just happened to be the person to represent us on that stage at that moment.”
“That was the biggest thing that I had in my mind. We were in New Orleans, and it’s my time to continue to represent this great city on the biggest stage,” he continued. ‘I didn’t feel nervous or anything like that, but it was more of a proud moment to be able to be from here and have that opportunity to say that we played the Super Bowl.”
Along with his own music, nothing gives Shorty more pleasure than to witness the students of the Trombone Foundation thrive in all facets of music.
“We’re changing lives, and a lot of kids get a lot of great opportunities to travel around the world, go to Cuba, New York, and just see what it is in the music business outside New Orleans. We’re able to bring them out there and give them experience, and hopefully that they can continue to keep the music of New Orleans alive through their own interpretation,” he noted. “They also come back to teach, to make a contribution, and to make sure that the next generation continues to carry on the music.
“One of the kids, when we were in Cuba, played to around 10,000 people. When he got off the stage, he looked at me, and he just started crying and said, ‘I can’t believe I just played in Cuba in front of all of these people.’ He thanked me for that and thanked the foundation,” he continued. “So moments like that stand out to me, and we just try to change one life at a time. That’s what we’re out here doing through music.”