trombone

Alistair Duncan is a slide and valve trombonist, composer, and educator. Born in 1991 on the beautiful west coast of Scotland, Alistair started playing the trombone at age 10 at school in the USA. It was during these years that he discovered his deep love for jazz music and improvisation. He completed his bachelor studies with Mark Kellogg in jazz trombone at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester NY USA in 2013. During this time he also had the great fortune to study with Dariusz Terefenko (music theory and classical improvisation) and Bill Dobbins (big band, composition and arrangement). Shortly after the completion of his degree, he moved to Berlin.

He continued his education in 2015 with a masters degree in jazz composition at the Jazz Institut Berlin, studying composition with John Hollenbeck and trombone with Geoffroy de Masure. From 2015 – 2017, he was a member of BuJazzO.

Alongside his active career in small and large jazz formations, including having played productions with the WDR and hr Big Bands, Alistair is a founding member of the Stegreif Orchester, an award-winning and innovative ensemble that reimagines the classical orchestra repertoire and opens its richness to improvisation. In addition to his performance role in the orchestra, he is part of the composition team.

As a teacher, Alistair seeks to find and nurture the driving motivation of each of his students, so he can help them strive toward their own potential and individual artistic voice. Alongside his emphasis on a firm technical foundation, comprehensive ear-training, and intensive personal study of jazz, Alistair believes that the improvisational approach to playing music develops a general creativity that fosters growth in all aspects of musicianship.

alistair-duncan.com

*Foto: Navina Neuschl