The Player Coach

Minneapolis Trombone Masterclass Volume 2.
The Player Coach (featuring Tony Baker)

This is the tenth and final trombone duet of Vol. 2 of my series. This duet was a long time in the making and vital for the project. I named it "The Player Coach" as Tony Baker was my teacher at the University of North Texas during my Masters degree in Trombone Performance. He taught me at a crucial time in my development, and I attribute much of my success to him. I needed a teacher to demonstrate some performance concepts to get over a hump in my playing. Tony would demonstrate his beautiful concepts of articulation and tone during our lessons. For my style of learning, this was exactly what I needed at that moment. He also recommended I come up to the University of Minnesota to study with Tom Ashworth during my DMA. The combination of the teacher and the music scene has helped me create a career in music that I am grateful for. Thanks Tony!

The duet was modeled after my take on a Duke Ellington-style gospel tune. I thought it would be a good showcase of Tony's sound and a chance for us to delve into some different mute effects. I was thinking of a Wycliffe Gordon/Ron Westray album called Bone Structure that I was listening to while I was studying with Tony for the atmospheric sections of the piece.

I recorded the rhythm section and was ready to have Tony come lay down the trombone parts with me when the pandemic happened. I finally got everything organized for us to record our parts in Texas this past summer. It was amazing to see and hear Tony again. He is one of my favorite all-time trombonists and teachers. I hope you enjoy this dedication to him.

Meet the Band
Andy Nelson - woodwinds
Tony Baker - trombone
Scott Agster - trombone
Joe Strachan - keyboard
Jeff Bailey - bass
Reid Kennedy - drums
Keith Kopatz - recording, mixing, and mastering