Clifton Anderson
Encyclopedia
Clifton Anderson is an American jazz
musician, a trombone
player. He grew up surrounded by music. His father was a church organist /choir director, and his mother a singer and pianist. It was no surprise that Clifton exhibited an affinity for music at an early age. When he was just seven years old he got his first trombone, a gift from his famous uncle Sonny Rollins
.
. In 1974, he spent one year at the State University of New York
at Stony Brook studying under Simon Karasick and Dave Schechter. He continued his education at the Manhattan School of Music
, and graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Music degree.
At The Manhattan School, he studied under the Metropolitan Opera
trombonist John Clark. There he also met and befriended talented musicians like Angela Bofill
and the late Kenny Kirkland
.
While at Manhattan School of Music, Clifton began freelancing around New York City
, making record dates and sitting in at clubs. He participated in jazz organizations like the Muse, the CBA Ensemble and later Barry Harris
’s ensemble workshops on 8th Avenue
. Clifton made his first record date with Carlos Garnett
in 1976. By his senior year, at Manhattan he had established himself as one of the young “in demand” trombonists in New York.
When word went out that Slide Hampton
was putting together a trombone choir, Janis Robinson (a fellow student of John Clark at Manhattan) recommended Clifton to Slide Hampton. The original “World of Trombones” was formed and included Janis Robinson, Steve Turre, Earl McIntyre, Clifford Adams, Doug Purviance, Papo Vazquez, and Clifton Anderson. Later additions to the prestigious trombone choir included Robin Eubanks, Clarence Banks, Frank Lacy, Conrad Herwig, and Bob Trowers. The “World of Trombones” gave Clifton the chance to play next to and learn from top veteran trombonists that occasionally joined the group like Benny Powell and the late great Britt Woodman; however, J.J. Johnson
remained Clifton’s greatest influence on the trombone. In 1979, Clifton got the chance to meet J.J. Johnson when Slide Hampton suggested he go with him to J.J.’s record date Pinnacles. “Meeting J.J. and watching him operate in the studio was an incredible experience I will never forget.”
The early 1980s found Clifton working with a “who’s who” of diverse musical giants: from Frank Foster
, McCoy Tyner
, Clifford Jordan
, Stevie Wonder
, Dizzy Gillespie
, Merv Griffin
and The Mighty Sparrow to Lester Bowie
, Paul Simon
, Muhal Richard Abrams
, T. S. Monk
and Dionne Warwick
among others. During this period, Clifton also played on the Broadway shows, Dreamgirls and Nine.
In 1983 Clifton got the call to join his uncle, Sonny Rollins. From that time to the present, Clifton has been a member of Sonny’s group. He has toured extensively with him, performing throughout Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, Canada and of course the United States. Clifton has also appeared on ten Sonny Rollins recordings. In 2005, Clifton worked on the production of Sonny Rollins' album, Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert
. Since then, Clifton has produced four releases for Sonny’s label Doxy Records: Sonny, Please
; the DVD, Sonny Rollins in Vienne; Road Shows Vol. 1; and Clifton’s own Decade. Along with managing the Doxy label, Clifton also runs OLEO, LLC, Sonny’s merchandising company.
Between his duties as a musician and an administrator, Clifton has taught privately and in academia. He was an artist in residence at Duke University
from 1999 to 2001.
In 1997, Clifton released his first recording as a leader/producer, entitled Landmarks. Landmarks received critical acclaim internationally and made the top ten play lists on jazz radio coast to coast. At the end of 2007, Clifton went back into the studio as a leader to produce the highly anticipated Decade, his first recording in ten years. Decade will be available in the US in January 2009.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician, a trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
player. He grew up surrounded by music. His father was a church organist /choir director, and his mother a singer and pianist. It was no surprise that Clifton exhibited an affinity for music at an early age. When he was just seven years old he got his first trombone, a gift from his famous uncle Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
.
Biography
Clifton attended the prestigious Fiorello LaGuardia High School of Music and ArtFiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is a high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center and the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue...
. In 1974, he spent one year at the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
at Stony Brook studying under Simon Karasick and Dave Schechter. He continued his education at the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
, and graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Music degree.
At The Manhattan School, he studied under the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
trombonist John Clark. There he also met and befriended talented musicians like Angela Bofill
Angela Bofill
Angela Bofill is an American R&B vocalist and songwriter.Bofill was born to a Cuban father and a Puerto Rican mother; one of the first Latina singers to find success in the R&B market.She performed with Ricardo Marrero & the Group and Dance Theater of Harlem chorus prior to her 1978 debut album,...
and the late Kenny Kirkland
Kenny Kirkland
Kenneth David “Kenny” Kirkland was an American pianist/keyboardist. He is most often associated with Sting, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, and Kenny Garrett....
.
While at Manhattan School of Music, Clifton began freelancing around New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, making record dates and sitting in at clubs. He participated in jazz organizations like the Muse, the CBA Ensemble and later Barry Harris
Barry Harris
Barry Doyle Harris is an American bebop jazz pianist and educator.-Biography:Harris left Detroit for New York City in 1960...
’s ensemble workshops on 8th Avenue
Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)
Eighth Avenue is a north-south avenue on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic. Eighth Avenue begins in the West Village neighborhood at Abingdon Square and runs north for 44 blocks through Chelsea, the Garment District, Hell's Kitchen's east end, Midtown and the...
. Clifton made his first record date with Carlos Garnett
Carlos Garnett
Carlos Garnett is a Panamanian-American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and jazz group leader.Garnett was born on December 1, 1938, in Red Tank, Panama Canal Zone. He became interested in jazz music after hearing Louis Jordan's and James Moody's music in film shorts...
in 1976. By his senior year, at Manhattan he had established himself as one of the young “in demand” trombonists in New York.
When word went out that Slide Hampton
Slide Hampton
Locksley Wellington "Slide" Hampton is an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger.He was a 1998 Grammy Award winner for "Best Jazz Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist", as arranger for "Cotton Tail" performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater...
was putting together a trombone choir, Janis Robinson (a fellow student of John Clark at Manhattan) recommended Clifton to Slide Hampton. The original “World of Trombones” was formed and included Janis Robinson, Steve Turre, Earl McIntyre, Clifford Adams, Doug Purviance, Papo Vazquez, and Clifton Anderson. Later additions to the prestigious trombone choir included Robin Eubanks, Clarence Banks, Frank Lacy, Conrad Herwig, and Bob Trowers. The “World of Trombones” gave Clifton the chance to play next to and learn from top veteran trombonists that occasionally joined the group like Benny Powell and the late great Britt Woodman; however, J.J. Johnson
J.J. Johnson
J. J. Johnson was a United States jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. He was sometimes credited as Jay Jay Johnson....
remained Clifton’s greatest influence on the trombone. In 1979, Clifton got the chance to meet J.J. Johnson when Slide Hampton suggested he go with him to J.J.’s record date Pinnacles. “Meeting J.J. and watching him operate in the studio was an incredible experience I will never forget.”
The early 1980s found Clifton working with a “who’s who” of diverse musical giants: from Frank Foster
Frank Foster (musician)
Frank Foster was an American tenor and soprano saxophonist, flautist, arranger, and composer. Foster collaborated frequently with Count Basie and worked as a bandleader from the early 1950s.-Biography:...
, McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...
, Clifford Jordan
Clifford Jordan
Clifford Laconia Jordan was a jazz saxophone player. While in Chicago, he performed with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some rhythm and blues groups. He moved to New York City in 1957, after which he recorded three albums for Blue Note. He also recorded with Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson, Kenny...
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
and The Mighty Sparrow to Lester Bowie
Lester Bowie
Lester Bowie was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the AACM, and cofounded the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Biography:...
, Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
, Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams is an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the Free jazz medium. Abrams compresses both contemporary and traditional ideas into lean, elegant pieces.- Biography :Abrams attended DuSable High School in Chicago...
, T. S. Monk
T. S. Monk
T. S. Monk is an American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader. He is the son of fellow jazz musician, Thelonious Monk.-Biography:...
and Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
among others. During this period, Clifton also played on the Broadway shows, Dreamgirls and Nine.
In 1983 Clifton got the call to join his uncle, Sonny Rollins. From that time to the present, Clifton has been a member of Sonny’s group. He has toured extensively with him, performing throughout Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, Canada and of course the United States. Clifton has also appeared on ten Sonny Rollins recordings. In 2005, Clifton worked on the production of Sonny Rollins' album, Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert
Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert
Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert is a 2005 live album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, recorded in Boston, September 15th 2001.-Track listing:#"Without a Song" — 16:37...
. Since then, Clifton has produced four releases for Sonny’s label Doxy Records: Sonny, Please
Sonny, Please
Sonny, Please is a 2006 album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins. It was released on the Doxy label and features performances by Rollins, Clifton Anderson, Bobby Broom, Bob Cranshaw, Steve Jordan, Kimati Dinizulu, and Joe Corsello.-Reception:...
; the DVD, Sonny Rollins in Vienne; Road Shows Vol. 1; and Clifton’s own Decade. Along with managing the Doxy label, Clifton also runs OLEO, LLC, Sonny’s merchandising company.
Between his duties as a musician and an administrator, Clifton has taught privately and in academia. He was an artist in residence at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
from 1999 to 2001.
In 1997, Clifton released his first recording as a leader/producer, entitled Landmarks. Landmarks received critical acclaim internationally and made the top ten play lists on jazz radio coast to coast. At the end of 2007, Clifton went back into the studio as a leader to produce the highly anticipated Decade, his first recording in ten years. Decade will be available in the US in January 2009.
As sideman
With Sonny RollinsSonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
- Global WarmingGlobal Warming (album)Global Warming is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, released on the Milestone label in 1998, featuring performances by Rollins with Stephen Scott, Bob Cranshaw, Idris Muhammad, Clifton Anderson, Victor See Yuen and Perry Wilson.-Reception:...
- Falling in Love with JazzFalling in Love with JazzFalling in Love with Jazz is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, released on the Milestone label in 1991, featuring performances by Rollins with Clifton Anderson, Bob Cranshaw, Mark Soskin, Jerome Harris and Jack DeJohnette with Branford Marsalis, Tommy Flanagan, and Jeff Watts standing in...
- Dancing in the Dark (album)Dancing in the Dark (album)Dancing in the Dark is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, released on the Milestone label in 1987, featuring performances by Rollins with Clifton Anderson, Mark Soskin, Jerome Harris and Marvin "Smitty" Smith.-Reception:...
- G-Man (album)G-Man (album)G-Man is a live album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, released on the Milestone label in 1986, featuring a performance by Rollins with Clifton Anderson, Bob Cranshaw, Mark Soskin, and Marvin "Smitty" Smith recorded at Opus 40 in Saugerties, NYC...
- Sunny Days, Starry NightsSunny Days, Starry NightsSunny Days, Starry Nights is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, released on the Milestone label in 1984, featuring performances by Rollins with Clifton Anderson, Mark Soskin, Russell Blake and Tommy Campbell.-Reception:...
- Without a Song: The 9/11 ConcertWithout a Song: The 9/11 ConcertWithout a Song: The 9/11 Concert is a 2005 live album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, recorded in Boston, September 15th 2001.-Track listing:#"Without a Song" — 16:37...
- This Is What I DoThis Is What I DoThis Is What I Do is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, released on the Milestone label in 2000, featuring performances by Rollins with Clifton Anderson, Stephen Scott, Bob Cranshaw, Jack DeJohnette and Perry Wilson...
- Sonny, PleaseSonny, PleaseSonny, Please is a 2006 album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins. It was released on the Doxy label and features performances by Rollins, Clifton Anderson, Bobby Broom, Bob Cranshaw, Steve Jordan, Kimati Dinizulu, and Joe Corsello.-Reception:...