Chris Washburne and the SYOTOS Band

Bio:

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Chris Washburne is one of those rare musicians whose musical activities cross many styles and cultural borders. He has received rave reviews for his jazz and classical performances as well as being called "one of the best trombonists in New York" by The New York Times and he was voted as a "Rising Star of the Trombone" in the 2008 Downbeat Critic's Poll. Brad Walseth of JazzChicago.net writes that Chris "is perhaps the most important trombonist performing today" (2006).

Chris has toured extensively with various groups and concertized throughout the Europe, North, South, and Central Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. He has commissioned and premiered over twenty contemporary compositions for trombone and has performed on over 150 recordings, 17 of which have won Grammy's. He leads his own band SYOTOS, one of the busiest and most in demand Latin jazz groups in New York. Their release “Paradise In Trouble” on Jazzheads Records was nominated as the best Latin jazz record of 2004. He co-leads NYNDK, a Trans-Atlantic jazz collective bringing together musicians from New York (NY), Norway (N), and Denmark (DK), uniting three places that have significant roles in jazz history. Established in 2003, its founding members are Danish pianist Soren Moller, Norwegian saxophonist Ole Mathisen, and American trombonist Chris Washburne. Our decision to form this collaboration was inspired by our own experiences of the truly international nature of jazz. NYNDK brings to the mix a combination of refined Scandinavian cool with aggressive New York heat spiced with a progressive postmodern sensibility. Last year the members of the NYNDK were awarded a prestigious DaNY Arts Grant from the Danish Cultural Ministry, a grant set up to forge international collaboration among artists in New York and Denmark. Their 2008 release "Nordic Disruption" on Jazzheads Records was named to top-10 albums of 2008 by www.Jazzchicago.net.

Chris has performed and recorded with Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, Muhal Richard Abrams, Ruben Blades, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Marc Anthony, David Byrne, Justin Timberlake, Bjork, Roscoe Mitchell, Grady Tate, Jaki Byard, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Danilo Caymmi, Daniel Ponce, Ran Blake, Arturo Sandoval, Hilton Ruíz, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, Roswell Rudd, Walter Thompson, Eddie Henderson, Anthony Braxton, John Cale, Baba Olatunje, Candido, Freddie Cole, Maria Schneider Big Band, Chico O'Farrill, The Barrio Boyz, Oscar D'Leon, Louie Ramírez, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Brian Lynch, Leslie Uggams, Dicapo Opera Company, They Might Be Giants, Bang on a Can All-stars, and the Dinosaur Annex under the direction of Gunther Schuller, among many others. He is currently freelancing as a studio musician and performing trombone, bass trombone, tuba, didjeridu, and percussion with various classical, jazz, and Latin groups in New York City.

Chris is an associate professor of ethnomusicology at Columbia University and the founder and Director of Columbia's Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance Program. He was a visiting professor of music at Harvard in 2005. His academic work includes the publication of numerous articles on jazz, Latin jazz, and salsa. His book, Sounding Salsa: Performing Latin Music In New York City, was published in 2008 by Temple University Press. He is the co-editor of a volume entitled Bad Music on Routledge Press (2004).

Member Since:

April 08, 2008

Sounds Like:

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SYOTOS pushes the genre of Latin Jazz into uncharted waters resounding a postmodern mix that embraces dissonance, weaving contemporary uptempo beats with a driving sound. This boundary breaking band embodies Latin jazz with a global reach, combining Afro-Cuban, funk, jazz, and gospel music.
NYNDK brings to the mix a combination of refined Scandinavian cool with aggressive New York heat spiced with a progressive postmodern sensibility.

Record Label:

Jazzheads Records