Stafford Hunter

Trombonist/ sea shells, Stafford Hunter; 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 to graduate from the New School.Since then, Stafford has modeled for L'Uomo Vogue (the Italian Vogue magazine for men), was the 1993 award winner of the "Al Grey Award for Musical Excellence". It acknowledged Staford as "the Most Promising Jazz Trombone Talent of 1993", performed at former-US President Bill Clinton's inaugural, appeared in a documentary film on the late-great pianist; Dorothy Donegan, appeared in a movie entitled "the Day the Ponies Come Back" which was released March of 2001 in France, along with performing and recording with a host of great musicians like Illinois Jacquet, McCoy Tyner, Lester Bowie & Brass Fantasy, Abdullah Ibrahim, Charli Persip, Charles Tolliver, Tony Bennett, Roy Hargrove, Cab Calloway Orch., the Mingus Big Band, Lauryn Hill, Frank Foster, Clark Terry, Reggie Workman, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Lionel Hampton Orch., Dionne Warwick, Muhal Richard Abrams, Steve Turre & Sanctified Shells, and is a present member of the Lionel Hampton Orch, and the Duke Ellington Orch. under the direction of Paul Mercer Ellington among other groups. These days you can catch him swinging with the new KING OF SWING; George Gee (Swing 46 every tuesday in NYC), Lionel Hampton Orch, Cab Calloway Orch. or in some smaller ensembles around the world. Also, is heard as a soloist on the Grammy nominated big band CD "With Love"-Charles Tolliver Bigband.Check out George Gee at Swing 46-Every Tuesday Night in NYC!!!Charles Tolliver big band Live at the Pori Jazz Festival 2004