Anderson, Ray (Robert)
Anderson, Ray (Robert)
Anderson, Ray (Robert), jazz trombonist; b. Chicago, Oct. 16, 1952. A wild and rambunctious soloist, Anderson is also a witty performer who sometimes sings in a raspy style. He started music as a youth and began attending AACM concerts and blues shows in Chicago as a teenager. Anderson played in funk bands during the early 1970s, was briefly seen in San Francisco in 1973, and came to N.Y. later that year. Early stints with Mingus led to gigs with Barry Altschul and Anthony Braxton, and many sessions in Latin jazz bands. Anderson has led his own groups since the late 1970s and won the 1981 Down Beat Critic’s Poll in the category of Talent Deserving Wider Recognition/ Trombone. Since 1987, he has been working with pianist/ bandleader George Gruntz. Anderson began to have a larger following around 1989.
Discography
Harrisburg Half Life (1980); Old Bottles, New Wine (1987); What Because (1989); Blues Bred in the Bone (1989); Every One of Us (1992); Big Band Record (1994).
—Lewis Porter