Fred Wesley, the funkiest trombonist of all times, began his career just over 60 years ago as the trombone player for Tina and Ike Turner’s band and then spent the next decade as one of the most famous “supporting” personalities in the history of music, working as the arranger and band leader for James Brown’s bands and the author of several of Brown’s hits (Pass the peas, Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud, Hot pants to name just a few). He was later a member of Parliament Funkadelic and played with Bootsy Collins, yet Wesley is a veteran of the jazz scene as well (Count Basie Orchestra).
The New JB's have long been a staple of his. The lineup of the band is a who-is-who of funk music heavyweights , which guarantees an unforgettable evening of soul, funk and jazz at Festival Lent! Fred Wesley will play his gig at Festival Lent just a few days before his 80th birthday and he’s clearly still in best shape. We can look forward to one of those gigs where it’s crystal clear from the first minute on that this is “it” and that yelling out the legendary “Hit me, Fred!” at any time can only make the experience better minute after minute!
Fred Wesley, vocals, trombone
Gary Winters, trumpet
Jay Rodriguez, saxophone
Reggie Ward, electric guitar
Peter Madsen, keyboards
Dwayne Dolphin, bass
Bruce Cox, drums
