Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews performed at The White House February 21, 2012, as part of the Black History Month celebration, In Performance at the White House: Red, White & Blues; it premieres on PBS Monday, February 27 (check local listings). President Obama began the event by wishing everyone a Happy Mardi Gras and saying "I hear Trombone Shorty brought some beads up from New Orleans." Watch the clip here:

Troy was joined by all star cast including Jeff Beck, Gary Clark, Jr., Shemekia Copeland, Buddy Guy, Warren Haynes, Mick Jagger, B.B. King, Keb Mo, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, with Booker T. Jones as music director and band leader. In addition to performances with all the artists playing together (including backing The President on a verse of "Sweet Home Chicago" - watch that clip here:), Troy performed "St. James Infirmary," on his own backed by the house band. The esteemed audience joined Troy in the call-and-response lyrics and he received a standing ovation kicked off by Michelle Obama.

Earlier in the day, Troy participated in a special education program in The White House with Michelle Obama, Keb Mo and Shemekia Copeland. Click here to watch the session:The artists spoke to an audience of students from across the country to discuss the Blues and took part in a Q & A with moderator Bob Santelli and members of the audience. Not included in the video are the closing performances from the artists, where Troy played "When the Saints Go Marching In," bringing everyone to their feet.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue are now en route to their debut in Moscow, Russia at the Triumph of Jazz festival, followed by dates in France, England and Spain and also marking the 4th continent they have traveled to in the month of February 2012 alone! Catch the band on a stage near you, please see Tour Dates>>

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Trombone Shorty's For True has been voted to the top of Australia's Rhythms magazine Best of 2011 Readers Poll (February 2012 issue) for Jazz Album of the Year - International. Trombone Shorty also won top honors in the Gig of the Year - International category for his 2011 performance at Australia's Byron Bay Bluesfest. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue return to Australia for 5 dates (including 2 at Bluesfest) in April.

For True has ranked in the Contemporary Jazz Top 10 since it's September release, with 12 weeks at #1 so far. In a related win, HBO's Treme won for Best Soundtrack (International) - it includes "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" performed by Trombone Shorty (the song was originally a hit for his grandfather, Jessie Hill, when it was first released in 1960). Congratulations to all the winners!

Check out Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue live on stage, please see Tour Dates >>

Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews has been invited to perform at The White House on February 21st as part of the Black History Month celebration, In Performance at the White House: Red, White & Blues.  Troy will be joining an all star cast including Jeff Beck, Gary Clark, Jr., Shemekia Copeland, Buddy Guy, Warren Haynes, Mick Jagger, B.B. King, Keb Mo, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, with Booker T. Jones as music director and band leader.  The event will be taped for broadcast on PBS premiering Monday, February 27 at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings) and streamed live on www.whitehouse.gov/live , www.pbs.org/whitehouse and www.blackpublicmedia.org

In addition to his performance, Troy will also participate in a special education program earlier that day in The White House with Michelle Obama, Keb Mo and Shemekia Copeland.  The artists will appear before an audience of students from across the country to discuss the Blues and take part in a Q & A with moderator Bob Santelli and members of the audience.

Troy will travel directly from Washington DC to Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue's debut in Moscow, Russia at the Triumph of Jazz festival, followed by dates in France, England and Spain.  Recent US highlights include Grammy related events in Los Angeles (and a Grammy Award for Rebirth Brass Band's album for which Troy wrote the song "AP Touro") and a February 7 support slot with Troy's mentor and former bandleader, Lenny Kravitz in Minneapolis.

Having started February in Japan and followed immediately by a Festival appearance in Quito, Ecuador, the dates in the US and Europe add up to concerts on 4 continents in this one month alone.  Catch the band on a stage near you, please see Tour Dates>>

Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews is honored as the subject of the official 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Poster.  This is the second time he's been featured on a Jazz Fest poster.  In 2009 at age 23, Troy was featured on the Festival's annual Congo Square official poster, becoming the youngest artist ever to be pictured on the prestigious poster.  The next youngest was Wynton Marsalis, who was featured at age 41.  Troy now has the distinction of being both the youngest AND the second youngest musician to be featured on an official Jazz Fest poster. Click here to check out and purchase the 2012 poster by artist Terrance Osborne: <http://www.art4now.com/cgi/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=ST-20120102> and check out the Trombone Shorty Congo Square 2009 Jazz Fest poster here:  <http://www.art4now.com/cgi/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=ST-20090202>

Past editions of the Jazz Fest poster have featured Louis Armstrong, Professor Longhair, Wynton Marsalis, Mahalia Jackson, Allen Toussaint, the Neville Brothers, Dr. John, Harry Connick, Jr. and the inventor of New Orleans Jazz, Buddy Bolden, among others.  Opening day of each year's Festival sees throngs of collectors sprinting for the poster tent and the poster usually selling out before the Festival's end.

Catch Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue performing at Jazz Fest, which follows shows on multiple continents, including dates from Japan to Ecuador, Europe, Singapore and Australia to Moscow in the first few months of 2012 alone.  See them on a stage near you, please see Tour Dates

The Best of the Beat Awards were held Friday, January 27.  This made for a major day for Troy, who earlier in the day collaborated with New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to donate specially designed Trombone Shorty trumpets and trombones at Warren Easton High School as part of Troy's ongoing Horns For Schools project.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue recently added dates with Trombone Shorty mentor, Lenny Kravitz (Feb. 7 in Minneapolis) and with Zac Brown Band on March 10, 11 and 23.  Please see the full Press Release below:

TROMBONE SHORTY TAKES HOME ARTIST OF THE YEAR, ALBUM OF THE YEAR AND FOUR MORE OFFBEAT AWARDS, ADDS DATES WITH LENNY KRAVITZ AND ZAC BROWN BAND

NOLA MAYOR LANDRIEU AGAIN COLLABORATES ON "HORNS FOR SCHOOLS" PROJECT

Offbeat Magazine's annual "Best of the Beat" Awards honored Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue with six top awards: Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for 'For True,' Best R&B/Funk Artist and Album, Best Trombonist for Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, and Best Music Video for For True single "Do To Me." This is Trombone Shorty's first win for Best Music Video, but the second year in a row winning in each of the other categories, and he's now won Artist of the Year and Best R&B/Funk Artist 4 times each.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue will continue to relentlessly tour in 2012 with the new album For True (Verve Forecast) having just tallied an 11th week atop Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart. This past weekend the band left for two shows in Japan, which will be immediately followed by their debut in Ecuador, and later in February, their first shows in Moscow along with additional tour dates in France, the U.K. and Spain. The band recently added upcoming U.S. tour dates with Lenny Kravitz in Minneapolis on Feb. 7 as well as shows with the Zac Brown Band March 10, 11 and 23.

Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews appeared with New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu this past Friday to donate specially designed Trombone Shorty trumpets and trombones to students at Andrews' Alma Mater, New Orleans' Warren Easton High School, as part of Andrews' ongoing "Horns for Schools" project. Andrews performed for the students, joined by the Mayor on trumpet. Trombone Shorty also brought along some friends and family to join in including Jeffery Hills on tuba, Stafford Agee (Rebirth Brass Band) on trombone, Travis Hill on trumpet, his brother Buster Andrews on snare drum and Terrance Andrews on bass drum.

Go here for a full tour schedule: http://www.tromboneshorty.com/events/default.aspx

Recorded in New Orleans, the song is part of the RE:GENERATION Music Project supported by the Grammys. The song will be featured in the documentary of the project coming in February.  The film follows five DJs and producers (Mark Ronson, DJ Premier, Skrillex, the Crystal Method, Pretty Lights), each exploring a genre of music and recording a new track within that style with high-profile collaborators.  RE:GENERATION will enjoy a unique nationwide, two-night only theatrical release in select cities and venues on February 16 and February 23, click here for more information.

In other football related news, Trombone Shorty performed the National Anthem and at half-time of the New York Giants' NFC Wild Card Playoff Game vs. the Atlanta Falcons on January 8, 2012.  The Anthem was broadcast live nationally on the Fox network and half-time featured the full band of Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue.  Catch Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue live on stage in 2012, please see Tour Dates>>

Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews will also be in the area the night before, performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City as a featured guest of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's 50th Anniversary.  Other special guests include My Morning Jacket, Mos Def, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Allen Toussaint, Del McCoury Band, GIVERS and Tao Seeger.

This follows Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue's five show sold out New Year's Run, with shows in Aspen and Denver leading up to two sold out nights at the legendary Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco on December 30th and 31st.  Catch the band live on stage in 2012, please see Tour Dates>>

Trombone Shorty earned his 5th recent cover story, this time in Australia's Rhythms magazine (December issue).  The feature follows Fall cover stories in DownBeat, JAZZIZ, Jazz News (France) and JAZZ N' MORE (Switzerland).

Rhythms' Brian Wise calls Trombone Shorty "the Jimi Hendrix of the trombone" and among other topics, reflects on last year¹s Bluesfest in Australia, where "With his band Orleans Avenue... Troy ["Trombone Shorty"] Andrews had ripped up the joint with some unforgettably energetic shows."

Catch the band live on stage as they close out 2011 with shows in New Orleans, Aspen, Denver and two nights headlining San Francisco's legendary Fillmore Auditorium on 12/30 and New Year's Eve 12/31.  Please see Tour Dates for more information>>