New York - Honolulu
YOUNG LIONS!!
The Dragon Upstairs
( located in the loft above Hank's Cafe Honolulu)
1038 Nu'uanu Avenue
808-526-1411
$7 cover
Stafford Hunter (trombone)
Satomi Yarimizo (piano)
Reggie Padilla (tenor saxophone)
Jon Hawes (bass)
Justin James (drums)
About Stafford Hunter:
http://www.myspace.com/staffordhunter3
http://staffordhunter.moonfruit.com
Trombonist/ sea shells, Stafford Hunter; This Philadelphia native became a professional musician by the age of 16. He attended Penn State University for 2 years before moving to New York and graduating from the New School Jazz & Contemporary Music Program in 1994. Of which, he was the first trombonist actually to graduate from the New School.
In 1992, Stafford appeared as a model in the December issue of L'Uomo Vogue (the Italian Vogue magazine for men). This issue also featured jazz greats like Milt Hinton, Clark Terry, Louie Bellson, etc... Also, he appeared in a documentary film on the late-great pianist, Dorothy Donegan. He was the 1993 award winner of the "Al Grey Award for Musical Excellence". It acknowledged Stafford as "the Most Promising Jazz Trombone Talent of 1993". Also in 1993, he performed at former-US President Bill Clinton's inaugural.
Since then, the trombonist has performed, recorded and toured all over the world with the likes of Illinois Jacquet, McCoy Tyner, Lester Bowie & Brass Fantasy, Abdullah Ibrahim, Charli Persip, Charles Tolliver, Tony Bennett, Roy Hargrove, Cab Calloway Orch., Joss Stone, the Mingus Big Band, Lauryn Hill, Frank Foster, Clark Terry, Reggie Workman, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Lionel Hampton Orch., Dionne Warwick, Muhal Richard Abrams, Amy Winehouse, Steve Turre & Sanctified Shells, and is a present member of the Lionel Hampton Orch, and has been a member of the Duke Ellington Orch. under the direction of Paul Mercer Ellington since 1996 among other groups.
Also of note, Stafford appeared in a movie entitled "the Day the Ponies Come Back" which was released March of 2001 in France. And, he is heard as a soloist on the Blue Note Records Grammy nominated CD "With Love"-Charles Tolliver Big band.
