If Orleans Avenue was a property in Monopoly, you wouldn’t be able to buy it. That’s assuming it’s the same stretch of road referred to in the name of musician Troy Anderson’s jazz ensemble, Orleans Avenue. Because if it is, the property would be priceless. Better luck trying to land on Free Parking! And if the name Anderson doesn’t ring a bell, perhaps his stage name will, or more than one bell even—the number of bells it would take to replicate the au contraire sound of a trombone.
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue perform on Friday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. at the Chumash Casino Resort in the casino’s Samala Showroom. Although jazz is his forte, Shorty has worked in multiple genres over the years while collaborating with some of the biggest names in music, heavy hitters like Madonna, LeAnn Rimes, and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis to name a few. And don’t let his first name fool you either, Shorty also plays trumpet, drums, organ, and tuba.
He first got the nickname at age 4, growing up in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans, when he picked up a trombone for the first time. By age 8, he was already leading his own band, performing at parades and other local events.
After graduating from the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts High School, Shorty became a featured member of the horn section in one of Lenny Kravitz’s world tours. At the age of 20, Shorty performed with U2 and Green Day at the New Orleans Superdome to mark the New Orleans Saints’ return home after Hurricane Katrina.
In 2007, Offbeat magazine awarded Shorty with Performer of the Year and Best Contemporary Jazz Performer. His most recent album, Parking Lot Symphony, was released in 2017 and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz Chart.
Tickets to Shorty’s Jan. 25 show are far more attainable than the Monopoly property, ranging from $29 to $59. Risk whatever’s left on the first slot machine you spot on the way out, it’ll be your lucky night regardless.
Will call
There are two chances to see Santa Barbara-based singer/songwriter Will Breman on Saturday, Jan. 26, the first at 1 p.m. at the Cold Spring Tavern off Highway 154, and the latter at 7 p.m. at Sort This Out Cellars in Solvang.
A one-man band in every sense of the phrase, Breman utilizes live looping during his performances, a technique that requires him to record and play back multiple instrument parts in real time. As meticulous as it sounds, Breman considers the product a process to channel emotions no other medium can hope to express.
Throughout his career, Breman has traveled with other artists across Russia, Mexico, and Western Samoa, immersing himself in new styles of music in the process. Stateside, the performer tries to dwell in a phase of constant experimentation, from metal to bluegrass to whatever comes next.
Other music
If you’re unable to catch any waves this weekend, you might have better luck catching some Wavebreakers instead, specifically the ones playing on Friday, Jan. 25, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Moxie Cafe in Santa Maria. This trio covers a variety of pop and classic rock tunes ranging from the ’50s to the ’80s. The concert is part of the cafe’s ongoing complimentary live music series. Unlike admission, the Moxierella Sticks are not free, but I triple-dog dare you not to order them once you get a whiff of the cafe’s housemade tomato basil sauce. Surf’s up!
Traditional country enthusiasts should hop on over to the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez to hear Jimi Nelson on Friday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. and Ventura-based group Pull The Trigger on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 8 p.m. Nelson’s biggest influences include Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Elvis Presley, while Pull The Trigger covers hits from Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Blake Shelton, and more.
If you’re in the mood for classical, the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society presents its 2019 Youth Showcase on Sunday, Jan. 27, at 3 p.m. at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. This year marks the seventh for this annual recital that showcases young musicians local to the Central Coast.
Calendar Editor Caleb Wiseblood wrote this week’s Local Notes. Contact him at cwiseblood@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jan 24-31, 2019.