Of a trombone, words, trumpet, lyrics, and words again…

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Band, Syracuse Jazz Fest, Onondaga Community College Campus, July 3, 2016

 
Often you hear the term “living legend.” I suspect that designation is reserved for those individuals who have built a stellar body of accomplishments that defy our ability to comprehend how any one person can reach that plateau of excellence. And all too often, that descriptive designation emanates from a small group of believers and then over time, that thinking and adoration grows to become regional, national, and eventually global.

Trombone Shorty (google image)

A musician and artist known as “Trombone Shorty” is a living legend in New Orleans, Louisiana known for his mastery of the trombone, trumpet, lyrics and old school dance moves. I saw him and Orleans Avenue, his back-up band, at the JazzFest held in Syracuse, NY this past Sunday where he closed out the two day music festival. As an early fan, on Sunday night, I marveled at his evolution as a performing artist; superb command of his instruments; leadership and direction of his band, and improved vocal command of his lyrics. If you do not know him, “google” him and become knowledgeable of his mastery because his presence is growing nationally. Now what does Trombone Shorty have to do with aaduna?

Austin C. Morgan (photo provided)

Austin C. Morgan is an evolving writer and aaduna contributor who is seeding his literary career to become a masterful writer, poet, and essayist. Like Shorty, he is willing to experiment and chart his own direction challenging established conventions while creating a dynamic body of work that captures the imagination and compels the reader to want more. Like Shorty, you can’t deny Morgan’s artistry and command of his craft even if he is not “your cup of tea.” Shorty probably is not everyone’s flava. However, both artists bring a creativity and imagination that is intriguing and exciting to witness.


Austin hails from Jasper, Indiana and represents more than a regional sensibility. His fiction encompasses unexplored sagas and historical adventures of meaningful characters who are rooted in the distant, exploratory past. And while each story is part of a larger literary initiative, each part stands alone as a testament to Morgan’s ability to construct and weave distinct stories that stimulate the imagination. And did I mention that he is an essayist?

Check out Austin's “Defending the Dead Art, or the Psychology of Literature-as-an Artifact” in the spring2016 anniversary issue of aaduna.

So, as the rigors and festivities of the Independence Day holiday weekend begins to settle in your memory banks, your task is to explore Trombone Shorty and visit (or hopefully re-visit) the writings of Austin Morgan:

aaduna summer 2014 issue:  "Julie Templeton and the Automatic Orchestra"

aaduna spring 2015 issue:  "The Embers of Dusk"

Read publisher bill berry's interview with Austin from aaduna archives, (October 27, 2014)    CLICK HERE   or visit

http://aaduna.org/summer2014/conversations/austin-morgan/ 

You will not be disappointed!

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aaduna - a timeless exploration into words and images - is a globally read, multi-cultural, and diverse online literary and visual arts journal established in 2010.  Visit us at www.aaduna.org where we put measurable actions to our words.



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