Jason Colby

Spice of life?

jason — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:43:02 +0000

Variety is… Few things can prepare you for the randomness you experience as a freelance trumpet player! Two weeks later…

The wonderful journey started when I boarded the bus for a one week tour of the midwest/northwest with the Artie Shaw band. There is nothing like sharing the bandstand with such great players day after day on a tour. After spreading the swing I returned to NY and went immediately into the recording studio to do horn tracks for a Bachata album – my first. A last minute phone call then took me to Miami for a day to perform some Konpa music with Haitian superstars Djakout. Back in NY I enjoyed a great Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends on my day off. Then, back to work as I headed south to Atlantic City for rehearsals and a great show with 3 mega Chinese Pop stars – another first. A great yet very interesting gig for sure. The run was topped off with a short jaunt up to Philly to perform a Casino lounge gig before finally heading home.

I love this life and I am always grateful for the opportunities that are presented me! It’s far to often that musicians choose to put on the blinders and only recognize on one style or one scene. Although I believe there is value in concentrating your studies I don’t think that there is virtue in shunning other styles or music scenes. There are many great experiences to be had in this life and they should all be embraced. In the words of Duke Ellington “There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind.”

I’m Back…

jason — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:06:36 +0000

So I’ve been a little lax about keep everything up to date here. A lot of great things have gone down this summer, so please check out the site to catch up. Thanks

Mini Cooper

jason — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:26:47 +0000

I’m pretty excited to announce that one of my tunes is going to be on TV. A song I penned for Ikebe Shakedown (A funky A%$ band I’m very proud to be a member of) has been selected by Mini Cooper for use in their upcoming television campaign! Click on the link to check it out. Sunday in Rio – Mini Cooper Commercial

Honeymoon…

jason — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:20:30 +0000

Jaci and I finally got away for our Honeymoon and it was well worth the wait. It’s been very rare for me over the last 15 years to board a plane without my horn on my shoulder and I’ll be honest, it’s a little uncomforting at first. You get past it though We spent time in Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, and back to Prague (to celebrate our friends wedding – congratulations Damen and Clara). What an incredible experience it was to see these new places, meet new people, and eat and drink (Oh, Sweet Sweet Czech Pilsners, I miss you) great fares, all with my wonderful wife. Easily the best vacation of my life!

If you’re ever in Budapest, hit one of the Turkish Bath Houses for a day. You’ll be glad you did!

Ikebe Shakedown New Record!

jason — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:53:09 +0000

It’s here! Ikebe Shakedown has finally released our first full length recording "Ikebe Shakedown"on Ubiquity Records. With the release we are putting out a 45rpm, a full length LP, and an extended CD with bonus tracks. I am honored to have several of my own compositions included on the sides and equally honored to share some grooves in the vinyl with such an talented group of funky individuals!

Artie Shaw Orchestra back on the road

jason — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:58:02 +0000

I Just had another great tour with the wonderful Artie Shaw Orchestra. During my tenure here on the east coast I have been fortunate to do many great tours with this band and this was another one of them. We might have done more daily millage than I have ever done on a bus tour, but come show time, the band was swingin’ hard every night. A great time in a great trumpet section (w/ Harden Butcher, Vitaly Golovnev, and Kerry MacKillop). Our show at the Montreal Jazz Festival was definitely a highlight!

Djakout #1

jason — Mon, 30 May 2011 18:29:19 +0000

This month I was very happy to get the call to join one of my favorite bands in the world, Djakout #1, for a couple short runs. Included were 3 days of crazy shows (including headlining the annual compas fest in front of 30,000 people) in Miami and 4 days of incredible shows in Paris and Lyon France (With an off the hook show at the world famous Zenith). Djakout might be one of the swingingest bands on the planet…

New Site

jason — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:18:26 +0000

Welcome to my new site! It’s been a long time coming – upgrading from my old site to this new one. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with all the great news I’d like to get out to you with this new website format! Please drop by from time to time and keep in touch with the world of Jason Colby.

Wedding Pics

jason — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 02:10:29 +0000

Just a few weeks ago I had one of the best days of my life. I married the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met – Jaci Colby (Eckroth). Over the years I’ve played at hundreds and hundreds of weddings, some nice and some not so much. This one rocked (of course). I was probably a little jaded concerning the planning going into this, but my girl did it right – Classy, Fun, and very Personal. Here’s a few pics from my wedding.