Professional Trombonist Jim Pugh Visits Hutchinson

By Kaleb Moore
Staff writer
IG: @kalebmoore05

John Mulaney, the former “Saturday Night Live” writer turned superstar comedian, has a long running string of jokes about his favorite band, Steely Dan. Mulaney claims that nobody likes the sound of the abstract music, despite the professional musicianship, even joking that his own child said his first words to stop the music of Steely Dan.

What the musical critics won’t understand is the level of skill that the musicians in Steely Dan possess. One of those musicians is trombonist Jim Pugh, who will be making a special guest appearance during the Bryce Luty Jazz Festival taking place on Feb. 7 at the Stringer Fine Arts building.

Pugh began playing the trombone at a young age, and quickly realized that he had ability unlike his peers. In an interview with “Blues Junction Production”in 2022, when asked about his early life in music, Pugh said “I came from one of those midwest families where everyone played the piano and everyone played the piano for each other. I started playing at a relatively young age. I started listening to records and trying to play along with the music.”

He was able to ride that wave through college and into the sea of professional musicianship.

Pugh was present in the New York music scene, performing with many other famous musicians and making a name for himself. This landed Pugh in an excellent position to find high level work.

Many may find themselves unfamiliar with the work of Jim Pugh, although they have most definitely heard his productions.

He played his trombone in the score recordings for the movie “Adventures in Babysitting”, as well as several other films.

Pugh has also had a major hand in most of the live music for a few iterations of the Tony Award shows, the award show (akin to the Oscars and Emmys) that highlights the best in the years broadway musicals.

Not only does he have works in movies, but he also is the arranger and composer of the NPR jingles that introduce their segments and game shows.

Pugh will be a key part of this yea’’s Bryce Luty Jazz Festival, but a majority of his importance will not be seen on the stage. It will be what he shows the young musicians behind closed rehearsal doors.

One of said musicians is Diego Flores, a Hutchinson Community College sophomore.

“Jim Pugh is a trombone player like I am. I’ll take any ounce of advice he gives me if I can improve,” Flores said. “Even just by listening to his playing I’m sure I can pick up on some things.”

There is no doubt the jazz festival will be a smash hit, but with Jim Pugh coming into the fold, there is no way this concert doesn’t jam out to its fullest.

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