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Concerts & Tours Fred Wesley

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2027

May4

Bristol

Trinity Community Arts

From £37.93

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May6

Nottingham

Metronome

From £36.90

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About Fred Wesley

Fred Wesley, born on July 4, 1943, in Columbus, Georgia, and raised in Mobile, Alabama, is a towering figure in the evolution of funk and jazz music. Beginning his musical journey with classical piano lessons under his grandmother’s guidance, Wesley later shifted to trumpet before firmly establishing himself as a masterful trombonist during his youth. After honing his skills in local R&B bands and serving in the U.S. Army's 55th Army Band, he rose to prominence in 1968 by joining James Brown’s dynamic backing band, the J.B.’s. As musical director, arranger, and soloist, Wesley played a crucial role in James Brown’s groundbreaking transformation from soul to funk. His precise, inventive trombone lines and sophisticated arrangements are etched into classics like "Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)" and "Doin' It to Death," the latter becoming an enduring funk anthem.

Following his departure in the mid-1970s, Wesley further expanded his influence by collaborating with George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic collective, contributing to the seminal album "Mothership Connection" and releasing his acclaimed solo debut, "A Blow for Me, a Toot for You" (1977). Embracing jazz more fully in later years, he performed with the Count Basie Orchestra and sustained a prolific career as a session musician, producer, and educator, notably teaching jazz studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Wesley’s pioneering style has left a lasting legacy, with his work sampled extensively in hip-hop and revered by musicians worldwide. His memoir, "Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Sideman" (2002), further cements his place as one of the definitive architects of modern funk and jazz music.

Genres

Jazz