Jazz trombonist extraordinaire Jeff Bradshaw is coming to the Kingdom for a one-off show on January 13. We caught up with him to talk history, influences and playing with the greats.

Please tell us a bit about your musical beginnings and what drew you to the trombone, rather than any other instrument.
I started sitting on the front pew in church with my mother. Watching my father lead the gospel brass band. I was raised in the United House of Prayer Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I learned to play trombone because my father played it. He was my hero. He also was the person who taught me how to play trombone. By ear. I never went to school [for music]. Never went to college. I was a child prodigy. By the age of 11, I could play 15 instruments.
My influences will always start always with gospel music, jazz, blues and, of course, R&B. People like Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye. James Brown. But man, I’m a hip hop head at heart and being from Philly, I had so many people to look up to.

It’s been said that you wanted to make the trombone ‘cool’, what did you hear in the instrument that convinced you it should be able to take centre stage?
I always wanted to make the trombone cool because people weren’t really into the trombone. It was a great jazz instrument that was pioneered by people like Fred Wesley, JJ Johnson, Slide Hampton, Curtis Fuller, those were truly some of my major, major influences. It was because of my father that I chose the trombone, the late Norman Bradshaw was the coolest, sharpest person I’ve ever met. I knew if I could be like him and play this instrument, the way he taught me with gospel spirituals, which is the way that I learned to play instrument, I knew that I could take this instrument to another level, playing it as an extension of my voice.

You have played with some huge names. Is there one that stands out?
Recording with Michael Jackson, the song Butterflies which was written by Marsha Ambrosius, one half of the London duo Floetry, and produced by Andrew Harris, from Jazzy Jeff’s studio. That was one of the great ones. But touring with Patti LaBelle, The Roots, with Jay-Z, Kirk Franklin, Dave Chappelle, Tyler Perry and many others. Man, those were some great times.

What can your Bahrain audience expect?
My Bahrain audience can expect a soul funk innovator, somebody who took a non-common instrument and soul, hip hop and funk music and plays it in a lyrical way that’s never been done before. You know, they call me the Gerald Levert of Jazz, because he was one of my favourites but also because the big guys get love. Being 6ft 1in and 265 pounds, with a trombone, lyrically pronounced like an incredible soul voice – that’s what Bahrain can expect. A Jeff Bradshaw party, like no other! ✤

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