Brian An Quintet

Brian An - trombone
Paul Tarussov - trombone
Mark Ferguson - piano, trombone
Mike Essoudry - drums
Chris Pond - bass

The Brian An Quintet follows in the footsteps of the great two-trombone groups of the 1950s and 1960s that featured stellar hornmen such as J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding, Curtis Fuller and Slide Hampton. Joining Brian on the frontline will be Paul Tarussov, Toronto trombonist and graduate of the Juilliard School in New York. The band’s repertoire draws from the arrangements performed by these groups, including hard-swinging bop, fiery latin grooves, and ballads showcasing rich trombone sounds. Join the band for an afternoon of swinging jazz, dueling trombones, and even some three-trombone insanity!

Brian An (pronounced “on”) is a trombonist from Ottawa. Brian was initially a student of classical music before being drawn to the hard bop era of jazz. He studied with freelance trombonists Drum Hudson (Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka, Tony Bennett) and Chris Glassman (Michael Bublé, Sarah McLachlan, Kurt Elling). Going into his senior year of high school, Brian received a scholarship to the JazzWorks Jazz Camp, where he learned from faculty members such as Nick Fraser, Kirk MacDonald, and Derrick Gardner. After, he was a member of two long-time cultivators of up-and-coming talent: the Nepean All-City Jazz Band, an Ottawa youth big band, and the Jazz Youth Summit, a nonet of music students from across Canada.

Brian is currently more musically active than ever, leading his own groups and playing with others as a sideman; he is a member of the Espionage Orchestra, a tribute to the music of James Bond led by Juno award-winning trumpeter Ed Lister. His previous appearances include the Ottawa International Jazz Festival and the National Arts Centre. In addition to his musical pursuits, Brian studies Mathematics at the University of Waterloo.