Home » Jazz Musicians » Brian Scarborough

Brian Scarborough

Brian Scarborough is a trombonist, improviser, composer, and educator whose career is deeply rooted in Kansas City while reaching audiences throughout the United States and abroad. A top-call performer in the region, Brian regularly leads his own jazz ensembles and performs with leading groups including the People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City and Zen Brass, and has also appeared with the Kansas City Symphony and the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra. A veteran of more than 60 musical theatre productions, he has performed with numerous touring Broadway productions, including the First North American tour of the Tony Award–winning musical Hadestown.

As a leader, Brian has released two albums to date; We Need The Wind (2024) and Sunflower Song (2020). Brian’s music has been described as “simultaneously stimulating and accessible, refreshingly modern and rooted in tradition” by Chicago Jazz Magazine. His performances and compositions have been praised as those of "a talented composer and soloist from a city steeped in Jazz History" by Warta Jazz and a "unique musical voice" by Last Row Music. Additionally, Brian has recorded extensively as a sideman and session musician.

As a soloist, Brian has received recognition at the regional, national, and international levels. His honors include winning the National Solo Jazz Competition at the 2015 American Trombone Workshop, being named a Luminarts Fellow in Jazz Improvisation in 2014, and earning finalist recognition in both the J.J. Johnson Jazz Trombone Competition and the Gilberto Gagliardi Tenor Trombone Competition through the International Trombone Association. During his studies, he received two Outstanding Performance Awards from DownBeat Magazine's Student Music Awards, and in 2022 he was voted Kansas City's Favorite Jazz Trombonist in the Jam Ambassadors Music Awards.

Brian maintains an active private trombone studio and is passionate about creating innovative educational resources that explore both new and established concepts from fresh perspectives while addressing gaps in traditional music education. In 2026, he founded Bonetruth Music as the home for his growing catalog of educational publications and to further his mission of delivering creative, accessible, and purposeful resources to musicians worldwide.

Brian regularly presents workshops and masterclasses for students of all ages at schools, universities, camps, and festivals throughout the Midwest and abroad.

Brian earned a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from DePaul University in 2015 and a Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance from the University of Kansas in 2013. He is also a proud alumnus of the Disney All-American College Band, serving as lead trombonist in 2014.

Curtis Taylor, Logan Richardson, Steve Cardenas & Brian Scarborough

by Joe Dimino
March 24, 2024

From the chops of Kansas City trombonist Brian Scarborough, we open the 847th Episode of Neon Jazz with a tune full of KC in Central Standard Time. We onto Logan Richardson, who also has KC roots, with music from his 2024 release, Secret Garden. We also feature a host of new tunes from the likes of Dan Pugach, Alliance, Daggerboard and Ron Reider. We bring the hour to a close with music from Curtis Taylor's Taylor Made. Dig this hour ...

Recording

Trombonist-composer Brian Scarborough Releases 'We Need The Wind,' An Autobiographical Reflection On Rebuilding And Healing As An Artist

Source: Outside in Music
December 4, 2023

Brian Scarborough is a standout trombonist who has made a mark for himself both as a performer and composer. With music described as “... simultaneously stimulating and accessible, refreshingly modern and rooted in tradition,” (Chicago Jazz Magazine), Scarborough continues his trend of blending tradition with innovation as he presents his second album as a bandleader, We Need The Wind. Lauded by trombone legend Michael Dease as a recording that “beautifully capture[s]... Scarborough’s attractive tone and vibrant melodic playing,” We Need ...
read more

Recording

Kansas City Trombonist And Composer Brian Scarborough Sees His Seeds Of Creativity Bloom With His Debut Album, “Sunflower Song.” Drops August 7th, 2020!

Source: Outside in Music
June 17, 2020

Trombonist, composer, and Kansas City native Brian Scarborough releases his debut album, Sunflower Song, a monument to chronicle and celebrate the growth of his musical voice, and mark the beginnings of a group whose identity will only bloom further. Sunflower Song sees the fruition of a composer and improvisor whose voice has grown organically from seeds of inspiration scattered throughout various influences, and spotlights the development of a sound and style as awe-inspiring as the blossoms from which the album ...
read more

“Listening to trombonist Brian Scarborough, one is immediately struck by the confident facility with which he improvises and the elegance of his performances.” — CHICAGO JAZZ MAGAZINE “A very skilled and inventive trombonist.” — JAZZ VIEWS, UNITED KINGDOM “A talented composer and soloist from a city steeped in Jazz History” — WARTA JAZZ “Brian Scarborough has arrived . . . Scarborough possessed the assurance and advanced conception of a musician twice his age . . . [his] rapid evolution suggests that I’m likely to encounter a much different musician the next time I catch him

Primary Instrument

Trombone

Location

Kansas City

Credentials/Background

Brian maintains a small studio of trombone and low brass students in Kansas City and is also available for online lessons. Education: Master of Music, Jazz Studies - DePaul University, 2015. Bachelor of Music, Trombone Performance - University of Kansas, 2013.

Clinic/Workshop Information

Brian is regularly on faculty for various jazz camps and presents masterclasses widely. Topics include trombone, freelancing, and jazz improvisation, among others.