Download Tyrone`s Short Bio - A Sign of the Times of the Carolinas

Tyrone Jefferson
Trombonist, composer, arranger, producer and visionary Tyrone Jefferson makes music
that chronicles his journey, opens the heart and mind and allows him to share his
worldview. With a career spanning nearly 50 years, he stands firmly behind his artistic
mission: to promote the rich and diverse history of those in the African Diaspora through
music, dance and the spoken word. Dexterous and inventive as a player and creator, his
solid foundation in music theory and knack for the nuances of rhythm and melody shine
through in his vibrant performances, arrangements and compositions.
Inspired by classical music, jazz, the blues, gospel, soul, R&B, hip-hop and rap,
Jefferson’s commitment to evolving his own sound and studying music as both a finetuned skill and a transcendent art form is illuminated by his bold resumé. He has
performed and recorded with musicians including James Brown, rap pioneers Public
Enemy, hip-hop artist L.L. Cool J and Gospel artist Heather Hedley and has performed
in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Japan, Morocco and the Caribbean, as well as at
prominent venues such as the Apollo and Lincoln Center (NYC) and the Greek Theater
and the Staples Center (LA). Jefferson holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from North
Carolina Agricultural &Technical University, an M.S. in Management Information
Systems from Pace University, New York and a Professional Certificate in Arranging and
Composition from Berklee College of Music, where he studied with revered bandleader
Herb Pomeroy. Jefferson was also part of master saxophonist Frank Foster’s jazz
ensemble Living Color: 10 Shades of Black as well as master trombonist “Slide”
Hampton’s World of Trombones jazz group.
Jefferson was one of six composers commissioned by Minister of Culture, Guadeloupe,
French West Indies to collaboratively write “A Hymn for World Peace” in 1984 and has
also been profiled in Carib Magazine, Black Elegance, Sister-to-Sister, The Charlotte
Magazine and Jet Magazine. He is also featured in Amiri Baraka’s book Digging: The
Afro-American Soul of American Classical Music (2009).
Community leaders in their hometown, he and his wife Toni are co-hosts of the weekly
“Saturday Night R&B House Party” program on Gaston College radio (WSGE-FM) and
are the producers of “The State of Black Music” TV show on Time Warner Cable public
access TV-21 in Charlotte.
Jefferson is currently the Executive Director of A Sign of the Times of the Carolinas, a
non-profit dedicated to improving the community through cultural productions and
educational programs that positively reflect the heritage of African Americans and is
Music Director of the A Sign of the Times Bands. In 2013, he was the recipient of the
Harvey B. Gantt Center Award – an award that recognizes leaders in their field and in
2016 received the prestigious Arts and Science Council Honors Award. (See
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article74655892.html)