Meet Our Trombone Section
Individually our trombonists boast a wide range of talent and there is scarcely a big band around in which one or more of the section has not played.
Andy Dore
Andy plays the trombone. More to follow....
Sam Smith
Sam started playing music at the age of 5 on recorder, then trumpet and Eb Tenor Horn before taking up the trombone at
the age of 12 in a local "workshop" big band in Exeter, which is where he first met his soon-to-be teacher Tony Evans.
He has played all over UK and Europe in varying styles of bands including Big Bands, Salsa,
small jazz combo's etc and has appeared on many albums and CD's.
Recently Sam did a live set for Gilles Peterson at BBC Maida Vale studios in London with
Bristol based Urban/NuJazz outfit "Unforscene".
Sam is currently playing with Mike Westbrook's Village Band which plays throughout the UK
and in 2006 performed 4 gigs at the London Jazz Festival, including a live broadcast from the Pizza Express for "Jazz on 3".
Sam currently works in IT for the NHS.
Chris Spreadbury
Chris started playing Trombone in 1996 at the age of 10 with a local brass band. In 2004 he won the Classic FM Two Moors Young Musician Competition and in the same year was offered a place at Cardiff University to study Music. Whilst at Cardiff, Chris played for one of the best brass bands in the country - BTM, and was also the brass section leader for the University Symphony Orchestra. He also took on the responsibility of co-leading the Cardiff University Big Band for rehearsals and engagements, culminating in a tour to Belgium.
Chris graduated with Honours in 2007 and has returned home (after some extensive travelling!) to Devon to pursue his music career. He currently conducts the Saltash Town Brass Band and the Soundhouse Youth Brass Band as well as playing with the Dave Hankin Big Band and the Plymouth Symphony Orchestra. Chris works as a brass tutor for Plymouth Music Service alongside freelance playing and private tutoring.
Tony Evans (Bass Trombone)
Besides his teaching qualifications, Tony holds a Doctorate in Music Education and a BA (honours) degree in Band
Studies. He is justifiably proud to have a paragraph dedicated to him in the prestigious 'Who's Who in Classical Music.'
A semi-professional trombonist for 35 years, he now teaches at six local primary schools,
is the Principal of the Charles Cross School of Music, and still finds time to play his trombone and conduct various
ensembles.