Trombone master Terry Russell leads

UVa-Wise Jazz Quartet

He’s worked with everyone from Tony Bennett and Branford Marsalis to Quincy Jones and Dizzy Gillespie.  Now trombone master Terry Russell is teaching jazz to students at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise and making the rounds with the new UVa-Wise Jazz Quartet.

Every Thursday evening from 7-10 p.m., Russell and the members of the UVa-Wise Jazz Quartet will perform at Bonterra on Main Street in Wise.  The group’s repertoire includes a variety of jazz styles from New Orleans swing to Duke Ellington improvisation. Patrons will hear tunes by Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie and other jazz greats from the 1950s and '60s.

The quartet includes senior Charles Moore on bass, freshman Brittany Russell on congas, freshman Rex Ford on drums and Russell on the slide trombone.

“I’m here to promote music education, to help the kids and to give something back to the community,” said Russell, who was born in Grundy and grew up just across the state line in Kentucky.

After earning his bachelor’s degree from Pikeville College, Russell went on to complete a graduate degree in trombone performance at Illinois State University.  The west coast music scene beckoned and Russell moved to the San Francisco Bay area, where he worked as a clinician for the Monterey Jazz Festival and as a freelance musician for two decades.

During his career, Russell has played with legendary entertainers like Ray Charles, Lou Rawls, The Temptations, Barry Manilow, Sammy Davis, Jr., Johnny Mathis, Bernadette Peters, Zavier Cugat, Natalie Cole and Rosemary Clooney, just to name a few. Russell has played with various groups including the Quincy Jones Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, the Stan Kenton Reunion Orchestra, Woody Herman, Bob Crosby and the Bobcats and the Lawrence Welk Orchestra.  He has toured and recorded with Cedar Walton, Bobby Womack, Cold Blood and the Latin rock band Malo.

Russell was a player for the west coast productions of Broadway musicals such as “Les Miserables,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Cats,” “Titanic,” “Peter Pan” and “The Sound of Music.” And he’s had the unique experience of being a member of the band for private parties and fundraisers for notables like Princess Diana, Dick Clark, Lionel Richie, Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas.

Russell moved to Wise in 2004 with plans to retire to his farm just outside town, except for occasional trips back to California for his ongoing work with the Monterey Jazz Festival.  But Russell found a new calling as an adjunct instructor in music at UVa-Wise.  

For more information, contact the Office of College Relations at 276-328-0130.

Posted October 3, 2006