Trumpeter Derrick Shezbie was still a teenager in May 1994, when Quincy Jones' Warner Bros. subsidiary, Qwest Records, released his debut, Spodie's Back. To say it created a stir in the jazz world would be an understatement. The New Orleans-based trumpeter had already performed or recorded with Allen Toussaint, Dizzy Gillespie and the Rebirth Brass Band. Shezbie honed his chops by playing on street corners, and as soon as he was old enough to be sneaking into them, on club stages in New Orleans. He started out on drums but switched to trumpet before he was in his teens. As he says in the biography accompany his debut, "I was born with New Orleans music in my blood." The young Shezbie was recruited by the more seasoned musicians in the Rebirth Brass Band, and it was while playing with them that he began to develop a following of his own.
His debut was produced by Delfeayo Marsalis, and together, the pair assembled a group of musicians to showcase his blues-based, soul-filled trumpet playing chops in the best light. Guests on Spodie's Back include saxophonists Branford Marsalis, Mark Turner and pianist Kenny Kirkland. He's also backed on his debut by the rhythm section of Greg Williams and Martin Butler, as well as pianist Victor "Red" Atkins. Expect more great things from this young, versatile, blues-based trumpet player. He's been compared to Louis Armstrong, and he appears well on his way into developing into an Armstrong for the next century.
