JAZZ ROOM Presents: Wycliffe Gordon Quartet

Renowned jazz trombonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, Wycliffe Gordon and his quartet make their JAZZ ROOM debut, celebrating with a festive weekend of soulful music rooted in the blues and gospel traditions.

Wycliffe Gordon is a renowned musician, composer, conductor, and arranger whose work you probably hear every day. An original member of Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, his arrangement of the theme song to NPR’s “All Things Considered” is heard daily across the globe. His “Jazz a la Carte” was named one of the five best moments in jazz by the Wall Street Journal.
Born in Waynesboro, Georgia, he was introduced to music by his late father, a classical pianist and teacher. He discovered the trombone at 12 when his older brother began to play it in his junior high school band. An aunt’s bequest of her jazz record collection got Wycliffe hooked on jazz at age 13, and he never looked back.
He has been awarded Downbeat Magazine’s “Best Trombone” award 6 times, and the Jazz Journalists Association “Trombonist of the Year” Award for 14 years in addition to other accolades, such as the 2019 Sonny Award presented by Suncoast Jazz and the “Louie Award” from the Louis Armstrong House Museum. He also garnered the ASCAP Plus Award in 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 for his contributions as a composer.
From his start as a member of the McDonald’s All-American High School Band in 1984, he went on to become an original member of Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, he was also a featured guest artist on Billy Taylor’s “Jazz at the Kennedy Center” Series.
Over the years, he has performed with David Sanborn, Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Natalie Merchant, Rene Marie, Dianne Reeves, and Branford Marsalis, to name a few. His compositions have been performed by Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Wycliffe Gordon and Friends, the Brass Band of Battle Creek and numerous other ensembles throughout the U.S. and abroad.

The JAZZ ROOM provides a casual and intimate setting with tables and a full bar, reminiscent of the classic jazz rooms of yesteryear.

Thank you to our JAZZ ROOM contributors: Bank of America, South Arts, Knight Foundation, Arts & Science Council, North Carolina Arts Council, Alice L Walton Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the Infusion Fund.