| "Singer
and trombonist Eric Felten is a rising star on the international jazz
scene," raves PBS.
Eric's first concert special for public television, The
Big Band Sound of WWII, was a tremendous success.
The overwhelming response from television audiences across the country
demonstrated the enduring power and appeal of classic American popular
music. And it showed why PBS calls Eric a "renowned crooner and bandleader."
The program has been seen by over 12 million viewers.
Eric Felten grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, where he began studying trombone
at age nine with his grandfather, a veteran of east-coast bands from the
Swing Era.
At 24, Eric was named best new jazz trombonist by the International
Trombone Association. In 1993 he released his first
album for the respected European jazz label Soul Note, T-Bop, a record
that featured Eric with legendary trombonist Jimmy Knepper and a young
Joshua Redman. The result was a critically acclaimed debut album that
earned four stars in Down Beat
magazine. The prestigious Penguin Guide
to Jazz declared that Eric "has the music in
his genes…a more than promising talent, he's a man we're going to
hear a lot more about."
The
Penguin Guide's prediction proved true. Eric's second album as a
leader, Gratitude,
was a modern take on the classic recordings of Duke Ellington's small
groups in the 1930s. The disc featured an amazing line-up of international
jazz stars, including Joe Lovano, Randy Brecker, Bob Mintzer and Billy
Drummond. It was another critical success, earning Eric glowing profiles
in the national magazines JazzTimes
and JAZZIZ. The
Washington Post called Gratitude "One of the
year's genuine jazz treats."
|