Glenn Ferris - Profile

Born June 27, 1950 in Los Angeles and raised in North Hollywood and Van Nuys, trombonist Glenn Ferris studied classical music under Ed Freudenberg and Miles Anderson for several years. From 1964–1966 he studied theory with Don Ellis, and at 16 became a member of the Don Ellis Orchestra (spotlighted on Ferris Wheel from the LP Don Ellis Goes Underground).

He has played with the UCLA Opera Company, the UCLA Dance Troupe, the American Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, and the L. A. Symphony Orchestra. He has also been featured with Billy Cobham (Total Eclipse, A Funky Thide of Sings, Shabazz), Frank Zappa, Tim Buckley and numerous others. Today he plays with trumpeter Bobby Bradford, with Dr. Jazz (a good-time '20s and '30s band) and with his own new Celebration Orchestra, some 20 instruments strong.

Glenn Ferris stands not only at the forefront of the evolution of the trombone, but at the forefront of today's new generation of serious creative musicians. His versatility in a wide variety of contexts seems to know no bounds. As a dedicated individual artist, however, he has often envisioned music that has drawn little or no recognition from the commercially oriented recording industry. At his home in Santa Monica, he spoke with quietly stated, passionate conviction...

A lot of times people say, "Hey Glenn, I've heard you on this or that record. I've seen you play here or there, man. You should be famous! What are you doing?"

Well, I'm still scuffling my ass off. I still don't know if I can pay the gas bill. So, in a way, "doing things" has nothing to do with... in other words, down beat has nothing to do with the real world the way I see it. It's an illusionary thing: "This week we have a Profile on Joe Schmoe. This is what Joe Schmoe is doing." A very superficial thing, supermarket stuff. Music has nothing to do with a down beat magazine or a record company or a TV program or a following or a cult or an identity or an image.

Music is just... it's like a flower. It is there, no matter if you dig it or you don't dig it. It's still there, and it's still going to be growing.