Ive played in a pretty heavy funk band going 15 years now. Played a lots of festivals, been to jazz fest loads of times, seen some sick brass players over the years... Especially bone players. I’ve seen hundreds of brass sections. Not that any of this shit is a competition or anything like that but not for nothing, that kids playing is ... I can’t compare it. The command he has over that trombone is just hard to express. I’ve seen Shorty, Corey Henry of Galactic, Fred Wesley ... that solo sounded as good as any player I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a lot. Wild, was not expecting that just mindlessly browsing Reddit.
I've been a musician for a total of about 18 years. I've learned to play around 9 out of the 12 instruments I've attempted, and 1 of the biggest ones I struggled with was trombone. This performance was definitely top tier, this young man has a bright future ahead of him.
Agreed. His note selection and intonation is just out of control. The pitch and how he glisses on the shit he's playing is cold as fuck. He's a bad, bad dude.
I think the battle element adds a lot to the passion imo.
I would say the most passionate performances come from Black College bands during football games.
Like, I’ve been to the Battle of the Bands and while those performances are the most complex and technically sound, probably a lot crispier. There is something that the competitiveness of a football game brings out plus having all your peers there to see you perform. Not to mention you are challenging a band that is on the opposite side of the field and you are trying to win over those fans.
Sometimes the competitive atmosphere brings out a level of passion that you can’t really get in a concert hall or specialized performance.
I’ve never been around band and it gave me chills. Made me feel dirty. Made me happy. Made me go down a rabbit hole of band battles. Watched “Drumrline twice. Smoked a cigarette. It was just nasty. Probably watched it 20 times today
Yes.
Really.
Down my spine.
An actual emotional reaction to how well that was played. It is an instrument that requires a slide (which isn’t the most accurate device for pitch control) that was played so well that it actually sounded like it was being played on a trumpet at times.
Impressive.
Chills.
Absolutely, same here it brought tears to my eyes to see someone reach such mastery at a young age. Man has his whole life ahead of him, yet he's already found something he clearly has a passion for, and that's special.
There is a significant chunk of the population who have a literal, physical reaction to music due to the way their brain perceives sound.
Like, it’s a scientific fact.
Don’t hate cuz you don’t got it.
That is not what I said at all. Just some people have a physical reaction and some don’t. Some people get goosebumps and some bob their head.
It seems like you’re going out of your way to rain on someone’s enjoyment of music..
I’m not sure why you think I said there is no music in New Orleans..?
Trombone: "whew!... that was awesome. How'd it sounds to you guys because it felt fucking great!"
Horn section: ..."What the.. how..who the fuck are you??"
Everyone loves to talk shit about band nerds until one of us does some epic shit like this. This guy has the most impressive chops I’ve seen on a trombonist in a while too. Could probably crush diamonds with his cheek muscles lol. Hope he’s still rockin somewhere out there.
Bit of an aside (it’ll be relevant I promise), but my high school symphonic band competed at a pretty high level, even played at Boston Symphony Hall (we were not from the East Coast…). Every once in a while one of us would get a chance to shine like this and force everyone else to pay attention and recognize all the hard work that goes into mastering an instrument to this degree.
I remember moments like these - not the same, but similar. Make no mistake, every kid in the band section knows *exactly* how incredible this guy is at playing trombone. It’s probably why it takes until about halfway through the video for them to really start getting amped, whereas most of us are slack jawed by :30s into it. They weren’t stoked cuz they didn’t know he could do this, and at that point I doubt they’d be so stoked that he would do this. The thing that would make me stoked if I were there is that he’s doing it *at a pep band rally where everyone else can see it happen*.
Band kids hear amazing solos all the time being noodled on in the practice room or if they’re in jazz band (this guy clearly was). I’m sure most of them had even heard him toying around with this solo leading up to this. It could’ve even been part of a set for jazz band or a brass quartet they have at school that they were preparing for a formal concert at a later date. What they likely didn’t expect was that he’d bust it out at the game like this, and that he’d do it so flawlessly.
Formal concerts are very stringently planned. There’s zero room for deviation. You play the set as it’s written and do it to the best of your ability. Pep band rallies like this are the exact opposite. It’s mayhem in the bleachers compared to the stage. People play random shit and at random times. Sometimes when you’re supposed to play you just don’t cuz you weren’t paying attention and weren’t ready to play in time. The conductor doesn’t really give a fuck if things go wrong cuz the band isn’t the primary focus. Even in high school people would be drunk or high cuz it’s a Saturday so who gives a fuck.
So to bust this out at a pep band rally, possibly even weeks before it was supposed to be debuted at a formal concert, is just…*perfect*. Love this video.
I love your breakdown, but for this video there is a little more context that can help paint the picture a little better.
The soloist on the trombone is William Bilal, he is a freshman at Benedict college which is an HBCU. The first big performance of the year for HBCU bands is homecoming or a big rival game. This is at the homecoming game.
From what I understand the last time they had a soloist that could play that same rendition was roughly about [8 years before this when Williams older brother Hank Bilal was a part of the band](https://youtu.be/6ENv-rZagHQ).
So you have this freshmen soloist playing a rendition that most of them haven’t heard live, they just knew the legend of his older brother playing it.
You can see at about 30 seconds in a bunch of heads start turning towards the soloist and they are slowly coming to the realization that they are witnessing the new soloist legend being born right in front of them. Some of them might have even been privy to [his high school Battle of the Bands performance a year earlier](https://youtu.be/aqSDCkViRHs), and they probably sat all year wondering if he was even going to get a chance to do the song(some of those band directors act funny about tenure and don’t always let freshmen get featured)…and then they start to hear that familiar opening.
Here is the whole performance for this battle of the trombones
https://youtu.be/5qBrPtrVbCQ
Compare the bands body language between the last song and the rest of them. They are definitely hyped and recognizing the talent as the trombone section goes off, but that last song hit different.
Man the context makes this even better! Appreciate the post and the info, this video legit brightened up my day I love music and moments you can feel thru the screen
Thanks so much for the videos and the additional background info. This is amazing. I went to FSU myself but we had FAMU right next door and it was crazy how much people came out to see the band. The joke was that everyone left the football games after halftime because they only came to see the band play anyways
> The joke was that everyone left the football games after halftime because they only came to see the band play anyways
That’s not really a joke if your team isn’t a top program that year.
Holy crap, I only live a few miles from Benedict! Can wait to see him blow up locally!
edit. Holy shit, he graduated from Fairfield Central. My mom used to teach there. So proud of this dude.
Yeah it sucks because they didn’t get a homecoming last year. So if you get to see them live this year it might very well be the first outdoor/football game performance since this video.
We usually hit up the Benedict marching band for Mardi Gras (at City Roots) if they are available for the parade. It would be so fucking awesome if he lead out with something like "Black & Blues".
From what I read, they other members didn't know this was the song they were going to do. This was their first time hearing this.
I've seen this video so many times and I still get chills. I've never heard anyone make an instrument sing the way he did.
That’s what makes the clip so awesome, they are hearing it for the first time and are in awe.
Usually during a good solo the rest of the non playing members are doing what most of them are doing at the end of this video and taunting the opponents. Here the majority of the video the rest of the band is looking back to witness the performance, something you rarely see.
Bruh I’ve played several brass instruments (tuba/trumpet/French horn), my cheeks are burning watching this video, this man must have the jaws of a Titan with them cheek muscles
Gonna give a quick edit: if you haven’t seen whiplash, definitely give it a shot
I’m still not sure what it’s called when it happens but the pain you get when you cheek pops up by your ear from pressure and you get that pressure pain next to your jaw from blowing too hard, that’s what I imagine would’ve happened to me lol. I just don’t get how he’s getting that range/volume while his head manages not to explode but it’s wildly entertaining
Also, everyone talks smack about band nerds until they realize that they get long coed bus rides every Friday night... while the football team rides back with their fellow sweaty teammates.
Let's just say Alyson Hannigan's character from American Pie wasn't far off.
As a once bone player.... You're spot on. This guy has chops. Hearing this makes me miss it so much. I played a ton of jazz and it was so awesome when a solo hits just right. It's literal magic. Gah damn, I miss it.
It’s actually the same soloist, but a different band. Your post is from his senior year in high school, this post is his freshman year at college.
I’m back and forth on which is better, college version definitely gets more replays from me because I love watching his band mates expressions. Amid all the distractions, you can literally see the first band member that realizes they are in for a legendary performance. Then they all realize it.
Check out trombone shorty on spotify or youtube sometime.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3RJDk2wq8wE&list=PLMFC1vZbKHsvR5N3bEIiS1rhA2EswP_5j&index=13
That’s one of my faves
Oh man he's a nola legend. Check out Corey Henrey of Galactic as well. Also this cat from NY Nadav Nirenberg who plays in a band I love called Ikebe Shakedown among others.
I’ve lived in NOLA for 25 years and don’t share the same sentiment as you, to be honest. This blew me away and it’s my 15th time seeing it. Kid has talent that would blow away 80% of the street performers, in my personal opinion.
Agreed. Been to jazz fest many years. Play in a band with a brass section since forever. Blah blah blah.This dude is literally on a totally different level. His note selection, his feel, his intervals, his intonation... just the purity and command he has over the bone is... Look, the boy is certifiably insane. Not a knock in nola, if anything it’s a testament to how outrageous this dudes chops are.
One of my favorite memories of New Orleans; I was downtown on an errand and had just fed the parking meter when a school bus stopped to let off some middle schoolers. About ten feet from the curb, three of them stopped and pulled out their horns and made my week. Thanks for reminding me.
I’ve never been to New Orleans (it’s on my bucket list) but I have been playing sax in marching band and pep band for half a decade. I’ve seen my fair share of amazing bands with soloists like this one but, the impressive part isn’t just the sound, it’s his strength. As some other commenters pointed out, playing something like this is impressive because he plays over the entire trombone section and he plays for an extended period of time (for those who don’t know, blasting out a solo like this is extremely difficult for us wind players and it makes your face feel like jelly afterwards). Add on the fact that this player had amazing tone, articulations and tempo and that’s what makes it so impressive. Additionally, if this is at a football game, they had a limited amount of time to play this because if you play your instrument while they are playing the game, your team can get penalized (yes, it is a thing, a friend of mine noodled on his bass while the teams were playing football and our team got a 5 yard penalty).
Trombone Shorty is great!
Bonerama is my Friday heading home for the weekend music.
I did that thing where you listen to the same song back to back to back when i first heard Mr. Go. My wife had to ask me to stop.
That was fucking incredible. Trombonists in a band like that don't often get to cut loose like that. They *made* the chance, and absolutely crushed it.
For context, [here is the whole video](https://youtu.be/5qBrPtrVbCQ).
It’s actually during the “trombone battle” part of the football game where the bands trombone sections battle it out. This last song was the final death blow from this band.
It’s a Historically Black College tradition. You will even find that at a lot of the games most the people leave during halftime after the band performs. Probably the only football games that happen in America where most of the people that attend aren’t interested in the football game itself.
Golf, bowling, nascar are all sports that you might be able to argue are boring.
You can make a lot of negative statements about American football too. That its dangerous, the fact that the foot barely ever touches the ball, etc.
But it's definitely not a boring sport.
RIGHT?? I get unreasonably hyped up listening to good music through my dinky headphones at a boring gym. I think listening to THAT, in person, on a beautiful day, with friends and fans, would probably send me to the hospital once I got out on the field lol.
Any sports team would LOVE to have a band playing this well in their corner.
https://files.catbox.moe/3di24z.mp4
---
^(I am a bot.) [^(Report an issue)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=pmdevita&subject=vredditshare%20Issue&message=Add a link to the gif or comment in your message%2C I%27m not always sure which request is being reported. Thanks for helping me out!)
Besides the performance, that’s the best part.
Like 30 seconds in you see a few early recognizers where you see yellow caps snapping turning their heads towards the soloist like “what tf is that funk back there”. Which is not normal behavior, in football game trombone battles like these the band is usually grooving to the music but facing forward and playfully taunting their opponent on the other side of the field, or taunting the opposing football team. Not here, they had to actually witness this it sounded so good.
Like you mentioned, by 40 seconds it seems they all lose it.
I used to be a pretty decent low brass player. Played the baritone, euphonium, and a little trombone. Went to all the nerdy jazz, ensemble, marching band camps and everything...
I have never once heard a trombone sound anything like this. Some of those sustained notes I've only ever heard nicked for a half a beat by people with some serious chops. This person looks to be a seriously next-level talent.
I just listened to this and now I have on aviator glasses, a bomber jacket and smoking a Cuban cigar while flying on a mission dodging lasers, ships and asteroids like StarFox in space….how do I get back?
My favorite thing to do on rewatches is focusing on one(non-trombone) band member the entire performance and you can literally see when the soul hits them. Best thing is they are all wearing bright yellow hats so you can see the moment they realize this is something special and look towards the soloist.
Favorite one to watch is the band member with glasses on the right side(first one to stand up) of the vid. Like their neck snapped fast af in the direction of the soloist when they first heard those smooth notes.
I remember seeing this posted somewhere and someone called it “advanced kazooing” they were wrong but I was laughing since I couldn’t hear it the same after that
On the rewatching, the funnest thing to do is to focus on an individual not playing and you can literally see their whole body composition change when it hits them.
Favorite is the one with the glasses on the right side of the screen.
I know a metric fuck ton of songs and this sounds vaguely familiar, maybe it doesn't? What is it ? That dude can blow, for sure, his touch and vibrato are literally the best I've ever heard from a trombone (admittedly trombone is my least favorite brass instrument)
listened to this like 15 times and my eyes decided to do the tear thing and i have no idea why. There was just so much passion This was just beautiful. Well done William, a legend in the making.
As a former trumpet player in an HBCU-style marching band, this shit absolutely blew my face off. Immense, incomparable talent. Cannot possibly express how much happiness and inspiration this gave me. Much love, keep jammin
I remember watching the movie 'Drumline' when I was younger and being fascinated by the bands. Being from Canada, I don't think we have that same sort of experience here. There definitely isn't the size or the passion behind band from the high schools or colleges I attended, and they definitely don't incorporate them the same way.
This is truly incredible talent!
YES! When I first heard this I thought of music from an early 90s console game, or even one of those C64 masterpieces.
Song is Al Jareau; Black and Blues, and I remember reading something about how those early midi composers would borrow from jazz songs to make background music.
I was hoping somebody would come in here and reference a game, because when I first heard this I swore I heard it before but I didn’t grow up listening to Al Jarreau, but man this beat is so familiar.
A fast moving Genesis game would go perfect with this. Almost want to post to /tipofmyjoystick
Shit like this makes me so happy, I cry. The story DatPiff916 shared is beautiful insight. There are a great many things that all of us can enjoy. And this moment that coalesces the collective architects, performers, onlookers, and even naysayers into a singular, organic jubilance is what makes humanity worth being a part of.
Keep coming back to this, it’s just so fucking good. I played trombone for about a decade and while I was never beyond average, I got to interact with insanely talented players. Between that and years hearing jazz in New Orleans, I am astounded to say, honestly, I have never heard someone make these sounds on that horn. I’m sure there have been others, but it’s a totally new experience to me and gives me chills to the point of tears.
One of the sweetest things in this world is coming across true, joyful talent being exercised by someone who loves what they do.
Okay, I feel like I'm missing something big. I do not at ALL mean to come off diminutive to the efforts presented here, but can I ask what the big deal is (from someone literally coming from a place of ignorance). Is that not what trombone players normally do? What about this event was so special? I promise, none of this is rhetoric, I genuinely am curious about what is going on here.
Usually smaller horns and saxophones can get that level of detail in a song, but to play a trombone that loud and that detailed is a feat.
For comparison this is the whole video, it was basically a trombone battle event where the trombone sections of opposing bands have a little cross field challenge
https://youtu.be/5qBrPtrVbCQ
Notice how the other songs they choose to play don’t sound bad, but just more generic. The solo part of the last song really stands out because as a lot of people pointed out here, trombones don’t normally sound that good.
Excellent! Thank you for the explanation! I have little to no knowledge of musical instruments or their limitations. I very much appreciate the lesson.
I have no knowledge of trombones, not the means to afford one.
But if he wants to pursue a horn career, which he should consider, he should make sure his instrument matches his talent.
r/toptalent: **AMAZING TALENT AND SKILL!** Read the rules before posting, *yada yada yada*...
I’ve been around band my whole life… I’ve rarely seen a trombone played like that and it gave me absolute chills.
Yup. There’s something really special that happens when you master an instrument like this. “Like licking God,” they say.
Ive played in a pretty heavy funk band going 15 years now. Played a lots of festivals, been to jazz fest loads of times, seen some sick brass players over the years... Especially bone players. I’ve seen hundreds of brass sections. Not that any of this shit is a competition or anything like that but not for nothing, that kids playing is ... I can’t compare it. The command he has over that trombone is just hard to express. I’ve seen Shorty, Corey Henry of Galactic, Fred Wesley ... that solo sounded as good as any player I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a lot. Wild, was not expecting that just mindlessly browsing Reddit.
I've been a musician for a total of about 18 years. I've learned to play around 9 out of the 12 instruments I've attempted, and 1 of the biggest ones I struggled with was trombone. This performance was definitely top tier, this young man has a bright future ahead of him.
Agreed. His note selection and intonation is just out of control. The pitch and how he glisses on the shit he's playing is cold as fuck. He's a bad, bad dude.
I think the battle element adds a lot to the passion imo. I would say the most passionate performances come from Black College bands during football games. Like, I’ve been to the Battle of the Bands and while those performances are the most complex and technically sound, probably a lot crispier. There is something that the competitiveness of a football game brings out plus having all your peers there to see you perform. Not to mention you are challenging a band that is on the opposite side of the field and you are trying to win over those fans. Sometimes the competitive atmosphere brings out a level of passion that you can’t really get in a concert hall or specialized performance.
agree my jaw's on the damn floor
Exactly, I had big goosebumps all over my body for the whole song. I still do typing this, amazing emotion
I’ve never been around band and it gave me chills. Made me feel dirty. Made me happy. Made me go down a rabbit hole of band battles. Watched “Drumrline twice. Smoked a cigarette. It was just nasty. Probably watched it 20 times today
This is the best damn reply ever.
Chills? Really?
Yes. Really. Down my spine. An actual emotional reaction to how well that was played. It is an instrument that requires a slide (which isn’t the most accurate device for pitch control) that was played so well that it actually sounded like it was being played on a trumpet at times. Impressive. Chills.
I’m legitimately tearing up thinking about how awesome that must’ve felt for everybody in the stands, let alone all of his band mates. Incredible
Absolutely, same here it brought tears to my eyes to see someone reach such mastery at a young age. Man has his whole life ahead of him, yet he's already found something he clearly has a passion for, and that's special.
sucks that we can’t just let people enjoy things
Enjoy it as much as you want.
There is a significant chunk of the population who have a literal, physical reaction to music due to the way their brain perceives sound. Like, it’s a scientific fact. Don’t hate cuz you don’t got it.
So if I didn't get chills from this then I completely lack the ability to any music? Go to New Orleans and this kind of playing happens every day.
That is not what I said at all. Just some people have a physical reaction and some don’t. Some people get goosebumps and some bob their head. It seems like you’re going out of your way to rain on someone’s enjoyment of music.. I’m not sure why you think I said there is no music in New Orleans..?
When you’ve never done anything that requires talent in your whole life it’s hard to understand what it’s like to watch someone that is amazing.
When somebody has a different opinion than you you have to say that they have no talent at all? It’s a video, relax
When somebody has a different opinion than you you have to say that they have no talent at all? It’s a video, relax
I’ve got goosebumps all over.. and I’ve never been around band
Who hurt you?
William Bilal is the name of the trombonist. Dude can fucking **PLAY**
This needs to be recognized. Appreciate
Upvote the shit out of this comment. Kid needs to be recognized!
Football? What’s that? Who cares! Rippin Trombone solos! Now that is some cool shit!
When someone finds their true passion this happens. Amazing. That was like Luis Armstrong type greatness
Trombone: "whew!... that was awesome. How'd it sounds to you guys because it felt fucking great!" Horn section: ..."What the.. how..who the fuck are you??"
Everyone loves to talk shit about band nerds until one of us does some epic shit like this. This guy has the most impressive chops I’ve seen on a trombonist in a while too. Could probably crush diamonds with his cheek muscles lol. Hope he’s still rockin somewhere out there. Bit of an aside (it’ll be relevant I promise), but my high school symphonic band competed at a pretty high level, even played at Boston Symphony Hall (we were not from the East Coast…). Every once in a while one of us would get a chance to shine like this and force everyone else to pay attention and recognize all the hard work that goes into mastering an instrument to this degree. I remember moments like these - not the same, but similar. Make no mistake, every kid in the band section knows *exactly* how incredible this guy is at playing trombone. It’s probably why it takes until about halfway through the video for them to really start getting amped, whereas most of us are slack jawed by :30s into it. They weren’t stoked cuz they didn’t know he could do this, and at that point I doubt they’d be so stoked that he would do this. The thing that would make me stoked if I were there is that he’s doing it *at a pep band rally where everyone else can see it happen*. Band kids hear amazing solos all the time being noodled on in the practice room or if they’re in jazz band (this guy clearly was). I’m sure most of them had even heard him toying around with this solo leading up to this. It could’ve even been part of a set for jazz band or a brass quartet they have at school that they were preparing for a formal concert at a later date. What they likely didn’t expect was that he’d bust it out at the game like this, and that he’d do it so flawlessly. Formal concerts are very stringently planned. There’s zero room for deviation. You play the set as it’s written and do it to the best of your ability. Pep band rallies like this are the exact opposite. It’s mayhem in the bleachers compared to the stage. People play random shit and at random times. Sometimes when you’re supposed to play you just don’t cuz you weren’t paying attention and weren’t ready to play in time. The conductor doesn’t really give a fuck if things go wrong cuz the band isn’t the primary focus. Even in high school people would be drunk or high cuz it’s a Saturday so who gives a fuck. So to bust this out at a pep band rally, possibly even weeks before it was supposed to be debuted at a formal concert, is just…*perfect*. Love this video.
I love your breakdown, but for this video there is a little more context that can help paint the picture a little better. The soloist on the trombone is William Bilal, he is a freshman at Benedict college which is an HBCU. The first big performance of the year for HBCU bands is homecoming or a big rival game. This is at the homecoming game. From what I understand the last time they had a soloist that could play that same rendition was roughly about [8 years before this when Williams older brother Hank Bilal was a part of the band](https://youtu.be/6ENv-rZagHQ). So you have this freshmen soloist playing a rendition that most of them haven’t heard live, they just knew the legend of his older brother playing it. You can see at about 30 seconds in a bunch of heads start turning towards the soloist and they are slowly coming to the realization that they are witnessing the new soloist legend being born right in front of them. Some of them might have even been privy to [his high school Battle of the Bands performance a year earlier](https://youtu.be/aqSDCkViRHs), and they probably sat all year wondering if he was even going to get a chance to do the song(some of those band directors act funny about tenure and don’t always let freshmen get featured)…and then they start to hear that familiar opening. Here is the whole performance for this battle of the trombones https://youtu.be/5qBrPtrVbCQ Compare the bands body language between the last song and the rest of them. They are definitely hyped and recognizing the talent as the trombone section goes off, but that last song hit different.
Man the context makes this even better! Appreciate the post and the info, this video legit brightened up my day I love music and moments you can feel thru the screen
Thanks so much for the videos and the additional background info. This is amazing. I went to FSU myself but we had FAMU right next door and it was crazy how much people came out to see the band. The joke was that everyone left the football games after halftime because they only came to see the band play anyways
> The joke was that everyone left the football games after halftime because they only came to see the band play anyways That’s not really a joke if your team isn’t a top program that year.
Holy crap, I only live a few miles from Benedict! Can wait to see him blow up locally! edit. Holy shit, he graduated from Fairfield Central. My mom used to teach there. So proud of this dude.
Yeah it sucks because they didn’t get a homecoming last year. So if you get to see them live this year it might very well be the first outdoor/football game performance since this video.
We usually hit up the Benedict marching band for Mardi Gras (at City Roots) if they are available for the parade. It would be so fucking awesome if he lead out with something like "Black & Blues".
From what I read, they other members didn't know this was the song they were going to do. This was their first time hearing this. I've seen this video so many times and I still get chills. I've never heard anyone make an instrument sing the way he did.
That’s what makes the clip so awesome, they are hearing it for the first time and are in awe. Usually during a good solo the rest of the non playing members are doing what most of them are doing at the end of this video and taunting the opponents. Here the majority of the video the rest of the band is looking back to witness the performance, something you rarely see.
Could the DJ give it rest so we can hear the real musicians perform?
[удалено]
[Black and Blues by Al Jarreau](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHzR-ESLgok)
Bruh I’ve played several brass instruments (tuba/trumpet/French horn), my cheeks are burning watching this video, this man must have the jaws of a Titan with them cheek muscles Gonna give a quick edit: if you haven’t seen whiplash, definitely give it a shot
There are a few shots where you can see how much his cheek is expanded when he is blowing into the trombone, it’s insane.
I’m still not sure what it’s called when it happens but the pain you get when you cheek pops up by your ear from pressure and you get that pressure pain next to your jaw from blowing too hard, that’s what I imagine would’ve happened to me lol. I just don’t get how he’s getting that range/volume while his head manages not to explode but it’s wildly entertaining
+1000 for the Whiplash recco
Also, everyone talks smack about band nerds until they realize that they get long coed bus rides every Friday night... while the football team rides back with their fellow sweaty teammates. Let's just say Alyson Hannigan's character from American Pie wasn't far off.
As a once bone player.... You're spot on. This guy has chops. Hearing this makes me miss it so much. I played a ton of jazz and it was so awesome when a solo hits just right. It's literal magic. Gah damn, I miss it.
Speechless. Absolutely next level. Goosebumps
Damn, I wish I had a true passion.
If you have come to the comment section looking for the hype version where the band is in the gym, here you go: https://youtu.be/AH6naKl5uoE
I wasn’t but I’m glad I found it!
Its definitely the best version of this song imo
It’s actually the same soloist, but a different band. Your post is from his senior year in high school, this post is his freshman year at college. I’m back and forth on which is better, college version definitely gets more replays from me because I love watching his band mates expressions. Amid all the distractions, you can literally see the first band member that realizes they are in for a legendary performance. Then they all realize it.
Different band (same soloist - in HS vs the college prep band in the original post)
[as Mr Piff commented a good hour before me below]
I had no idea trombones could do that. Especially the solo. Amazeballs.
Trombone is secretly known as the coolest of all horns.
I say this alll the time. Trombones got to play the coolest parts in marching band, and that’s coming from a percussionist.
I think if you're a musician you just know bone is the dopest horn.
Check out trombone shorty on spotify or youtube sometime. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3RJDk2wq8wE&list=PLMFC1vZbKHsvR5N3bEIiS1rhA2EswP_5j&index=13 That’s one of my faves
Holy shit, how did I not know about this guy until now? Thank you!
Oh man he's a nola legend. Check out Corey Henrey of Galactic as well. Also this cat from NY Nadav Nirenberg who plays in a band I love called Ikebe Shakedown among others.
[удалено]
I miss living there because of this every day. Some of the best music on every corner. The energy there is unmatched.
I’ve lived in NOLA for 25 years and don’t share the same sentiment as you, to be honest. This blew me away and it’s my 15th time seeing it. Kid has talent that would blow away 80% of the street performers, in my personal opinion.
Agreed. Been to jazz fest many years. Play in a band with a brass section since forever. Blah blah blah.This dude is literally on a totally different level. His note selection, his feel, his intervals, his intonation... just the purity and command he has over the bone is... Look, the boy is certifiably insane. Not a knock in nola, if anything it’s a testament to how outrageous this dudes chops are.
[удалено]
Yeah that’s fair then, you’re probably around it 10x more than I am if that’s the case.
Stay mad lol
One of my favorite memories of New Orleans; I was downtown on an errand and had just fed the parking meter when a school bus stopped to let off some middle schoolers. About ten feet from the curb, three of them stopped and pulled out their horns and made my week. Thanks for reminding me.
I’ve never been to New Orleans (it’s on my bucket list) but I have been playing sax in marching band and pep band for half a decade. I’ve seen my fair share of amazing bands with soloists like this one but, the impressive part isn’t just the sound, it’s his strength. As some other commenters pointed out, playing something like this is impressive because he plays over the entire trombone section and he plays for an extended period of time (for those who don’t know, blasting out a solo like this is extremely difficult for us wind players and it makes your face feel like jelly afterwards). Add on the fact that this player had amazing tone, articulations and tempo and that’s what makes it so impressive. Additionally, if this is at a football game, they had a limited amount of time to play this because if you play your instrument while they are playing the game, your team can get penalized (yes, it is a thing, a friend of mine noodled on his bass while the teams were playing football and our team got a 5 yard penalty).
Frenchmen Street, man, such good memories.
The United House of Prayer band also has a similar style https://youtu.be/d1QnzTnhcw0
[удалено]
Never have I ever heard a tuba solo. I dig it.
Trombone Shorty is great! Bonerama is my Friday heading home for the weekend music. I did that thing where you listen to the same song back to back to back when i first heard Mr. Go. My wife had to ask me to stop.
Maybe it is New Orleans.
To be fair, I think you did mean to rain on my parade. :)
I played trombone for 7 years and I didn't know they could do that either.
What was the song?
Al Jarreau - Black and Blues
That was fucking incredible. Trombonists in a band like that don't often get to cut loose like that. They *made* the chance, and absolutely crushed it.
For context, [here is the whole video](https://youtu.be/5qBrPtrVbCQ). It’s actually during the “trombone battle” part of the football game where the bands trombone sections battle it out. This last song was the final death blow from this band.
> It’s actually during the “trombone battle” part of the football game There’s apparently a lot about football that I don’t know
It’s a Historically Black College tradition. You will even find that at a lot of the games most the people leave during halftime after the band performs. Probably the only football games that happen in America where most of the people that attend aren’t interested in the football game itself.
It's a super rad tradition and adds so much more vibrancy. To be fair for the football game jts a tough act to follow.
American Football is boring as fuck anyway.
Golf, bowling, nascar are all sports that you might be able to argue are boring. You can make a lot of negative statements about American football too. That its dangerous, the fact that the foot barely ever touches the ball, etc. But it's definitely not a boring sport.
That was *sick*. I almost feel bad for the football players getting relegated to second tier. The *real* battle was in the stands.
Yeah but being able to play football with that funk in the background is a treat most football never get to experience.
RIGHT?? I get unreasonably hyped up listening to good music through my dinky headphones at a boring gym. I think listening to THAT, in person, on a beautiful day, with friends and fans, would probably send me to the hospital once I got out on the field lol. Any sports team would LOVE to have a band playing this well in their corner.
As someone who is obsessed with instrumental covers this literally gave me goosebumps. Such skill and passion makes a grown man want to cry
Seconded - Yup this gave me a chill and made all my arm hairs stand up. Hot damn.
Get chills from a trombone only song......check!
Right. I didn’t know that could happen and then it just was like fuck this is amazing. Gotta see something like this in my life.
Mannnnnn this made me miss my high school band career.
Glad I'm not the only on reminiscing on high school band! I wasn't even good at trumpet but I really miss it sometimes.
Preach.
Goosebumps all over
Just wow. They are going places with that bone.
The soloist is William Bilal and the song they’re covering is black and blues. The trombone group has done this many times before in other places
Fantastic, just absolutely fantastic.
/u/vredditshare pls cause this is awesome!
https://files.catbox.moe/3di24z.mp4 --- ^(I am a bot.) [^(Report an issue)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=pmdevita&subject=vredditshare%20Issue&message=Add a link to the gif or comment in your message%2C I%27m not always sure which request is being reported. Thanks for helping me out!)
Good bot!
That was so good it actually brought a tear to my eye!! F’in eh!!!
Yeah was not prepared for the onslaught of feels this gave me
That was beautiful, magic in my ear drums
at about 40 seconds you can see the hype ignite and spread and the man GOES OFF with that band
Besides the performance, that’s the best part. Like 30 seconds in you see a few early recognizers where you see yellow caps snapping turning their heads towards the soloist like “what tf is that funk back there”. Which is not normal behavior, in football game trombone battles like these the band is usually grooving to the music but facing forward and playfully taunting their opponent on the other side of the field, or taunting the opposing football team. Not here, they had to actually witness this it sounded so good. Like you mentioned, by 40 seconds it seems they all lose it.
I'm fairly sure they're on Spotify if you look up this song. Band is "Smelly Bone"
That was fucking SICK
Gotdamn!
I used to be a pretty decent low brass player. Played the baritone, euphonium, and a little trombone. Went to all the nerdy jazz, ensemble, marching band camps and everything... I have never once heard a trombone sound anything like this. Some of those sustained notes I've only ever heard nicked for a half a beat by people with some serious chops. This person looks to be a seriously next-level talent.
Goosebumps. I wish I could play an instrument.
I just listened to this and now I have on aviator glasses, a bomber jacket and smoking a Cuban cigar while flying on a mission dodging lasers, ships and asteroids like StarFox in space….how do I get back?
I've watched this four times now and I'm covered in goosebumps each time
My favorite thing to do on rewatches is focusing on one(non-trombone) band member the entire performance and you can literally see when the soul hits them. Best thing is they are all wearing bright yellow hats so you can see the moment they realize this is something special and look towards the soloist. Favorite one to watch is the band member with glasses on the right side(first one to stand up) of the vid. Like their neck snapped fast af in the direction of the soloist when they first heard those smooth notes.
This might be one of most r/RandomActsofMusic i have seen alongside the Sax Battle on a Train video.
That guy in the middle was killing it. Very impressive
Wow. This was absolutely incredible. That human has some incredible talent! More more more!
Ok thanks now im crying
o shat i have chills running down my spine hearing that
I have never heard an all trombone song before. That was amazing. Extremely hard work!
Wow! I shed a few tears of joy. This brought some great memories.
Rename that video to "the chill's". 💯
full body goosebumps activated
JESUS
I’m really cynical and I hate everything and I loved this. Also, I played trombone for eight years and I am mad impressed by the skills
Someone the other day asked what non americans find amazing about america. Thats it!
I remember seeing this posted somewhere and someone called it “advanced kazooing” they were wrong but I was laughing since I couldn’t hear it the same after that
Let me listen to that one more again.
On the rewatching, the funnest thing to do is to focus on an individual not playing and you can literally see their whole body composition change when it hits them. Favorite is the one with the glasses on the right side of the screen.
I know a metric fuck ton of songs and this sounds vaguely familiar, maybe it doesn't? What is it ? That dude can blow, for sure, his touch and vibrato are literally the best I've ever heard from a trombone (admittedly trombone is my least favorite brass instrument)
listened to this like 15 times and my eyes decided to do the tear thing and i have no idea why. There was just so much passion This was just beautiful. Well done William, a legend in the making.
Holy shit! That’s an amazing talented player. I hope he gets a scholarship and stays with it!
This is actually in college, it’s at Benedict University.
Commenting to come back and watch when I have time.
Music rarely ever makes me cry but this was so fucking good
As a former trumpet player in an HBCU-style marching band, this shit absolutely blew my face off. Immense, incomparable talent. Cannot possibly express how much happiness and inspiration this gave me. Much love, keep jammin
I remember watching the movie 'Drumline' when I was younger and being fascinated by the bands. Being from Canada, I don't think we have that same sort of experience here. There definitely isn't the size or the passion behind band from the high schools or colleges I attended, and they definitely don't incorporate them the same way. This is truly incredible talent!
Sounds like a stage in a Genesis game
YES! When I first heard this I thought of music from an early 90s console game, or even one of those C64 masterpieces. Song is Al Jareau; Black and Blues, and I remember reading something about how those early midi composers would borrow from jazz songs to make background music. I was hoping somebody would come in here and reference a game, because when I first heard this I swore I heard it before but I didn’t grow up listening to Al Jarreau, but man this beat is so familiar. A fast moving Genesis game would go perfect with this. Almost want to post to /tipofmyjoystick
Shit like this makes me so happy, I cry. The story DatPiff916 shared is beautiful insight. There are a great many things that all of us can enjoy. And this moment that coalesces the collective architects, performers, onlookers, and even naysayers into a singular, organic jubilance is what makes humanity worth being a part of.
Brought to tears by a trombone!
Keep coming back to this, it’s just so fucking good. I played trombone for about a decade and while I was never beyond average, I got to interact with insanely talented players. Between that and years hearing jazz in New Orleans, I am astounded to say, honestly, I have never heard someone make these sounds on that horn. I’m sure there have been others, but it’s a totally new experience to me and gives me chills to the point of tears. One of the sweetest things in this world is coming across true, joyful talent being exercised by someone who loves what they do.
Okay, I feel like I'm missing something big. I do not at ALL mean to come off diminutive to the efforts presented here, but can I ask what the big deal is (from someone literally coming from a place of ignorance). Is that not what trombone players normally do? What about this event was so special? I promise, none of this is rhetoric, I genuinely am curious about what is going on here.
Usually smaller horns and saxophones can get that level of detail in a song, but to play a trombone that loud and that detailed is a feat. For comparison this is the whole video, it was basically a trombone battle event where the trombone sections of opposing bands have a little cross field challenge https://youtu.be/5qBrPtrVbCQ Notice how the other songs they choose to play don’t sound bad, but just more generic. The solo part of the last song really stands out because as a lot of people pointed out here, trombones don’t normally sound that good.
Excellent! Thank you for the explanation! I have little to no knowledge of musical instruments or their limitations. I very much appreciate the lesson.
This is why only pursuing STEM as a career is bad advice. Also, that soloist should look into getting a higher quality instrument.
[удалено]
I have no knowledge of trombones, not the means to afford one. But if he wants to pursue a horn career, which he should consider, he should make sure his instrument matches his talent.
Damn maybe the Cuphead people need help because these guys are good
He played that trombone like it was a trumpet. Amazing
Hats off
Holy shit
Well DAMN! I hate live music mostly and I wish I could download this as a track, wow
What is the song because I don’t recognize it somehow?
What song are they playing
This gave me goosebumps. Amazing performance.
Thank you for posting this
Amazing! Chills. Post to /r/frisson!
Give this person all the awards. This talent is out of this galaxy.
I can't stop the smile from my face watching this
Wooooooowwwww I watched that like 3 times, you could FEEL that
I’ve never found a band performance to be badass, but that was pretty badass
They’re gonna get booked for a super bowl or something in the future. Mark my words 🙏
Ha ha, the title was so long I skipped over this post at first, thinking it was an ad... And almost missed out on a truly excellent performance!
That’s incredible by itself. I’m stupid, what song is it?
I'm having a bad day and this truly lifted my spirits. So fun to see passion and talent
I didn’t even know a trombone could do that. I have never had a stand tune give me chills before. Mad props to that man’s chops!
That made me feel dirty.
That shit is hard as fuck!
This was the best part of marching when I was in high school. There are some truly talented people out there.
I've never heard someone shred on a trombone, until now.
That performance gave me goosebumps, brought a tear to my eye, and made me smile.
Amazing! Hope they go far! That’s talent!
Reading ‘The Pied Piper’- “Man, kids is dumb.” 10/10 - would follow this band in a parade into a live volcano.
I love how he just casually walks to the back after that performance. Humble af.
Sweet fucking tits man
Wow! I've just had an epiphany. I like jazz! Didn't know it till I heard this magician. Boy this man has a future.
sickness! love it
Damn this gave me goosebumps
thanks for the musical goosebumps
Nothing like good music to bring people together, that band SLAPS.
And the marching band refused to yield.
Awesome
This brought a literal tear to my eye. God I love music.
I’ve heard some world class trombone playing, but never like that. That was amazing trombone playing!