“Trombone Ecstasy”
Bonegasm
/bōnˌɡazəm/
noun
a climax of musical excitement, characterized by feelings of pleasure centered in the ears and experienced as an accompaniment to hearing a group of trombone players.
It is our mission to bring peace, love, and trombone to the unsuspecting masses.
In the jazz world, trombone tends to be treated as an afterthought. If a small group has a trombone in it, it’s likely because the bandleader is the trombonist. Bass trombonist Jennifer Wharton wondered what might happen if composers and audiences alike encountered music that featured the beauty of the instrument.
Meet our Leader
JENNIFER WHARTON is a low brass specialist based in New York City. Though getting her start classically, Jen has deep roots in jazz, commercial, chamber and Broadway music.
Jennifer leads the trombone-forward ensemble, Bonegasm, commissioning works from jazz heavyweights and newcomers. Jen received a Chamber Music America grant for Grit & Grace (Sunnyside 2023), awarded a 2020 NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theater grant for Bonegasm’s sophomore album, Not A Novelty (Sunnyside 2021), a follow up to their debut Bonegasm (Sunnyside 2019). Downbeat Magazine called the band “Trombone Ecstasy”.
Upcoming Events
Bonegasm captivates audiences at top-tier jazz festivals, leading educational institutions, and New York City’s most celebrated jazz clubs. The ensemble’s dynamic performances blend artistry and innovation, affirming its stature as a vital force in contemporary jazz.
Residencies
Students experience an in-depth look inside what it means to be a musician in the world today. From freelancing, to Broadway, to composing, to collaborating and everything in between, Bonegasm gives a rare opportunity for your students to see behind “the curtain”.
Shop The Collection
On her third outing with Bonegasm, Grit & Grace (due out October 20, 2023 via Sunnyside), Wharton demonstrates both attributes brilliantly on a vibrant and thrilling collection of new music, played with rousing vigor by the stellar ensemble: Wharton on bass trombone, along with trombonists John Fedchock, Nate Mayland and Alan Ferber, pianist Michael Eckroth, bassist Evan Gregor, drummer Don Peretz and, on half the tracks, percussionist Samuel Torres.
Not a Novelty sprang from the pandemic of COVID-19, essentially as a way to keep Wharton engaged in a project with a purpose. A beneficial grant from the New York City Women’s Fund ensured that the commissions and recording could take place without any hitches outside of the physical limitations of social distancing for rehearsals and recording.
Bonegasm describes the overpowering joy that can only be accomplished through the experience of listening to trombonists. The trombone is an instrument that seems to attract a certain type of practitioner. Musicians who choose this particular horn as their passion tend to be open-minded, playful and, more often than not, extroverted. It shouldn't be a surprise that bass trombonist Jennifer Wharton fits this description to a tee. Naturally, she takes her enthusiasm for the horn seriously and hopes to spread her joy to the public with her infectiously fun recording, Bonegasm.
The pieces on Bonegasm are from arrangements done specifically for the release and works commissioned by Wharton for the ensemble. The resultant compositions are ingenious in their approach to interplay between the trombones; Bonegasm would be the first ensemble that Wharton had ever led, so she recruited some expert musicians to assist in her transition to leader, including trombonists John Fedchock, Nate Mayland and Alan Ferber, along with pianist Michael Eckroth, bassist Evan Gregor and drummer Don Peretz.
Nice words from cool places…
Press
“Trombone ecstacy.”
“Wharton’s effervescent album captivates as it ranges between the intimate and the orchestral with plenty of whimsy.”
“Uniformly stellar.”
“The brass shines...”
“Multiple flavors and clever arrangements.”
4 stars – “Stirring, fresh, and emphatic, Grit & Grace makes a statement worth hearing.”
4 1/2 stars – “From afar, this album may seem like nothing more than a novelty project, but the music successfully argues against that thinking. Jennifer Wharton’s Bonegasm blows the doors wide open for the bass trombone. The horn itself may play from the bottom, but it can certainly operate at the top of the heap.”
