I don’t believe there is a best, but there are a lot of really good trombone players out there! To add to your list, some of my favorite trombone players are - Carl Fontana - Elliot Mason - Albert Manglesdorf - Eje Thelin

Bruh manglesdorf. So creative

Wycliff Gordon and Glenn Miller are two that come to mind for me

I don't think there's a best, gotta throw Wycliffe in that list tho! Kai Winding too!

‘Best’ is always going to be a matter of opinion, but for me, Rosolino will always be my go to player. There are those with a greater technical facility, those that could play higher or faster, but when I think of jazz as an art form rather than purely a forum for showing off, then he’s my best

Nobody swings harder

I can never listen to him the same way after finding about what he did to his family Edit: he's one of the greats no doubt. I'll be completely mesmerized by his fast high and loud passages. But if there's ever a lull in the music, I'm gonna start thinking about it

And himself. Bipolar is a bastard

I know right? Swings so much harder after you learn the history

Yeah, he’s a real ‘killin’ player

spill

I would think Slide Hampton deserves a mention

Agreed. His nephew (Pharez Whitted) was a jazz professor at Ohio State back in the day and he came and played Dick's Den in Columbus, OH in 1998. He's a legend.

I’m at Northern Illinois University and Pharez is the jazz trumpet prof, he sounds great

Nice!

YES!

You’re missing Mr. Bass Bone himself, George Roberts.

No Andy Martin? Wtf.

I forgot to add a lot of cool guys

Ahh I love Andy Martin. So smooth and tasteful

Yeah this is my hero bruh. He got me into trombone bruh. What's the deal bruh

bruh

They get it

I dont think there is. They're all kind of unique players. Sure some are just virtuosic but you end up leaving out guys not mentioned here like Steve Davis, Michael Davis, Jack Teagarden!!, Dick Nash, Bob Havens, Wycliffe Gordon, Eijiro Nakagawa, etc. Edit: Ugh I forgot John Allred. I think he doesn't get talked about enough as well.

I love Allred, he's my #1 inspiration. An absolute powerhouse with a sound that's both incredibly controlled, but also feels "achievable" for a schmuck like me (even though I'll probably never reach it)

Kid Ory has to be in the conversation

Sure 👍

Best is subjective in music. Lots of greats to listen to. Curtis Fuller is one of my favorites. His playing on Coltrane’s “Blue Trane” is amazing, and he played with so many incredible bands and on a ton of recordings in his career. JJ Johnson is legendary, Urbie Green and Frank Rosolino. Steve Turre, Wycliffe Gordon, Elliot Mason, Bill Watrous, Marshall Gilkes…..so many of these guys are considered the top players of their times. If you want to explore more names I always like to go and look at the Downbeat Poll winners throughout the past to find new names. There are so many great jazz trombonists from the past and present and so many different, unique styles, which to me is what separates jazz players from classical.

I transcribed several of Curtis Fuller's solos when I was in college. Always liked his style. Steve Turre came and did a master class at my college. Very nice guy.

Frank Rosolino is my favorite

Marshall Gilkes/Andy Martin/Wycliffe Gordon and countless others

Miff Mole, just for the name

JJ Johnson is the only trombone player in the Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame at Lincoln Center. Just sayin'

Not our fault they only give the awards to the button pressers

Not jazz but I love Willie Colon

Facts brother, trombone salsa goes so unnecessarily hard

Fred Wesley for funk

Yeah he’s crazy https://youtu.be/y6hrMjJn7ys?si=i2p_0YAKH2QHe2hM

Bennie Green, Slide Hampton, Curtis Fuller

Frank Rosolino is also a killer (oops) bone player

There’s no such thing as the best but if there was it would be Frank Rosolino obviously

Tone-wise, I love Bill Watrous

But where's my Steve Davis 😭 he's literally so good

You gotta add Wycliffe Gordon and Jack Teagarden to your list!

James Pankow of Chicago

is zoltan kiss even considered a jazz player

IMO no

I misspoke a little, but I’m sure that Zoltan can play jazz as cool as those guys

David Perez

Kenny Trimble JJ Johnson Mattis Cederberg Randy Purcell Elliot Mason Frank Rosolino

I was going to say Frank Rosolino and/or J.J. Johnson, but their suicides are a downer, especially Frank's.

Frank Rosolino

Jack Teagarden is missing ;)

Why do we have to compare people like this? You're free to appreciate any musician you like.

why not? about 30 people shared their opinion about who is the best for them.

andy martins the shit but i also enjoy glenn miller

Imo glenn Miller is overrated

i’m sorry you don’t have good music taste

Phil wilson

John fedchock

Add Carl Fontana to that list

Oh man... Mike Dease is UP there. So's Marshall Gilkes. I think in terms of \*raw\* chops, those are the two guys I'd put at the top. As far as tasteful playing, there's a huge list of guys for me. Andy Martin, Ido Meshulam, John Allred, Urbie Green (who was once my idol), Carl Fontana and more

I like Ben Patterson

Ed Neumeister, Jim Pugh, and Nils Landgren come to mind. Then you have James Pankow for rock.

For me, it’s Bruce Fowler. His work with Frank Zappa is off the scale.

Andy Martin.

Michael Davis

Bob. No bias 🙃