Todd Wright - Trombone

Born in the shadow of a famous Roman fountain, Todd Wright grew up in the 1970s Italian equivalent of a hippie commune. Adept at an early age at holding his breath for extended periods, he made a good living diving for coins. The breath control thing became a real asset when a fortuitously discarded trombone 'fell' into his possession, and he decided to see if it could be salvaged and made playable. Thus began his slide into the music world. When his parents decided to move to Merced to start a lettuce ranch, Todd rapidly became the brass star in the John C. Fremont marching band. Beyond that, as he grew, there were guest stints as principle trombone in the nearby Stanislaus Symphony, soloist with the Mariposa Marching Mudhens, and frequent well-paying gigs with the internationally renowned Tuolomne Tune Tromper Tuba Band. When his side gig as a busboy at the local Olive Garden (formerly the Pine Cone) became too lucrative to ignore, he followed that dream to Redding. Now divorced, Todd is still an accomplished trombone player with two musically talented children and a few unexplained gaps in that mysterious past. He does not work for the IRS, as the nasty rumors suggest, but if you do have to deal with him in his official capacity, it will cost you money. Don't let that smile put you off guard. Don't eat at a place called "Mom's" or play cards with a man nicknamed "Doc."

OR Todd says it went more like this...

Todd Wright, one of the many local transplants from the Bay Area, started playing trombone at age seven. He grew up in a musical family, his mother playing piano and violin, his father trumpet and banjo, and a brother who continues to be a trumpet player. In 1979, Todd moved to Southern California to attend the California State Polytechnic University in Pomona where he played lead trombone in the jazz band for four years. After graduating with his Bachelor's degree in Restaurant Management, he took a 20 year sabbatical from playing his horn due to the demands of his work. In 2002, after leaving the restaurant business in Redding and going to work in a local office with the State of California, where he worked more "regular" hours, he found that he missed being a musician and, 20 years later, had the time to begin playing again. Fortunately he had not sold his horn and was able to locate the dust covered case in the dark recesses of his closet. He began practicing and became involved with the Community Band at Shasta College, where he eventually became lead trombone and met a few members of the the Straight Ahead Big Band.  He was eventually asked to sit in with Straight Ahead and later invited to join the band.