Kicking off JJ JOHNSON WEEK! (his birthday is this week on January 22! Would have been 102 this year!)  JJ Johnson talks about his SOUND!!! It’s one of the greatest.  Thanks to John Kalafas and Tom Everett for sharing this rarely heard JJ Johnson interview!

How important is the college you go to for a music career? Very. Not because of the name or the price tag—but because of your peer group. Your peers push you, connect you, and shape your future in the scene.

New Big Band Chart - out today - Just Passed The Horizon! It’s one of my favorites from the record. I always describe it as a blues… though not everyone agrees. That tension is kind of the point 😎 https://nickfinzer.store/collections/big-band-charts-1

Work/life balance is real… just not in the moment. On the macro scale, balance matters. But in the micro? If you want something done, obsession wins. Zoom out. Sprint when needed. Recover later.

The year is rapidly drawing to a close... and there's BIG things coming in 2026!  Including some new performances with the latest edition of the quartet featuring: Liya Grigoryan (@liyagrigoryan.piano) Guillermo Lopez (@g_more_11) Jerome Gillespie II (@jeromegillespie_jr) 📸 by @austinkruczek 👌

Holiday vibes = ON 🎄 “Christmas Time Is Here” — full playlist on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXD7328p4PAdOPexJ-5xbtVDJxToIRjg3

Throwback to ALL HYPE from "The Chase"  Now streaming on your favorite platforms Ft. @glennzaleski right here!

Join me live on Monday Dec 22nd to wrap up 2025 with a Q&A - ASKNICK! 1PM EST Here: https://youtube.com/live/0FTMK7DB98w?feature=share

Grateful for my first opportunity to perform at the @themidwestclinic last week!  It was great to share the stage with the fantastic @shah_relle and @dr.aileenrazey I even got to run into my 8th Grade Band Teacher - Ms. Beth Fabrizio! Get some R&R this holiday season... !!!

Trying to stay on the nice list… so here’s some trombone Christmas spirit 😇🎄 “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” — full holiday playlist below! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXD7328p4PAdOPexJ-5xbtVDJxToIRjg3

Nothing says “Happy Holidays” like a wall of trombones 😎🎄 NYC’s finest slid through to help me bring “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to life. Full vibes + more holiday music on the YouTube playlist! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXD7328p4PAdOPexJ-5xbtVDJxToIRjg3

Sliding straight into the holiday spirit with “Christmas Time Is Here” 🎄🎶 More holiday trombone goodness over on my YouTube playlist! ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXD7328p4PAdOPexJ-5xbtVDJxToIRjg3

This is one of the best sounding cup mutes... too bad they are not in business anymore!!! (this is a classic version of my new single "With Gratitude" - streaming now!) https://found.ee/Finzer-Gratitude

Will you be home for Christmas, this year?  watch all the way to the end for my favorite augmented phrase! 🤣 Dig the full Holiday Cheer playlist of trombone tunes:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXD7328p4PAdOPexJ-5xbtVDJxToIRjg3

Had a GREAT time at the Hochschule fur Musik Wurzburg Last Week  Special Thanks to Professor Tim Hepburn for hosting me as well as his fellow jazz faculty members, the students, President Christoph Wünsch, and Sparkasse Bank for facilitating this fantastic collaboration!

Catch me this December (if you can!)  DECEMBER 1 - 6  Anat Cohen Tentet Residency New York City DECEMBER 11 & 12 ANAT COHEN TENTET SF JAZZ San Francisco, CA DECEMBER 13 ANAT COHEN TENTET Mondavi Center DAVIS, CA DECEMBER 17 & 18 Midwest Clinic with St. Olaf College Chicago, IL

Looking forward to heading to Germany today to spend a few days at the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg!!! Would love to see any friends in Germany!

Have you heard the new single: "With Gratitude"?? it's a new version of this classic from my first album! (Exposition) It's now streaming on all platforms: https://found.ee/Finzer-Gratitude Here's the OG band performing it at the Bunker Studio in Brooklyn!

The mark of a truly great melody (I think) is that it 1) is memorable 2) creates drama and 3) can be played in a variety of musical situations and remain strong! (there's a reason that all the songbook tunes have been covered in so many different ways!!!) JJ's SHORTCAKE a GREAT example of this...!

Huge Shout Out to all of you who voted in the Downbeat Reader's Poll!  Very grateful to be amongst such great company! ☺️ 🙏 🎉 Thanks for listening!

Jazz Trombone Day is just around the corner, and the JTBN Day Competition is OPEN!  TWO DIVISIONS: 30 & Under 18 & Under Free to Enter!  Deadline is Nov 30th 2025 All the details: www.jtbnday.com

JTBN Day 2026 is happening Feb 21 at UNT! 🎺 We’re excited to welcome Grammy-winning trombonist @kaliavandever as our guest artist. Free event—live and streaming! More info soon at jtbnday.com. Thanks to @kingbrassinstruments @butlertrombones @gregblackmpcs @connselmerinc @untjazz @untmusic

New Music Friday! Streaming now: https://found.ee/Finzer-Gratitude With Gratitude!  Ft.: Liya Grigoryan, Raul Reyes, and Gary Kerkezou!  @untjazz @connselmerinc @well.played.music

The moment of change... 3 back to 4!  Proud of this arrangement of "Shortcake'!  from LEGACY (on your favorite streaming platform)

Tomorrow (11.13.2025) the Quintet is BACK at @smallslive ft. Lucas Pino, Dave Baron, Glenn Zaleski, and Jimmy Macbride!  Playing the hits from the last 12(!!!) years of albums!  See ya at the club, or tune in to the live stream!

This THURSDAY at @SmallsLive to play Glenn's favorite tune of mine! 🤣 Sets at 6 and 730!  See you there!

Coming up this November! Headed back to Germany for a few days! November 24 - 27 Residency at Hochschule  für Musik Würzburg in  Würzburg, Germany Looking forward to this one!

THE JAZZ ORCHESTRA live at Dizzy's!  this was a great way to launch the new album THE JAZZ ORCHESTRA VOL 1 Great shots from @austinkruczek !!! Where should we go next?!?

New Video of "Shortcake" from the LEGACY Album Release in Austin, TX is new on YouTube Today! https://youtu.be/27pznvMbTdo

The band is coming back to @SmallsLive on November 13th! 6 and 730PM sets! Lucas Pino @lucasrobertopino Glenn Zaleski @glennzaleski Dave Baron @davebaronmusic Jimmy Macbride @jimmy.macbride Playing some of the "hits" from the last 12 years of releases!!!

NOV 5th! Bringing a Quartet to MADISON for the first time! 7PM at NORTH STREET CABARET! @thenorthstreetcabaret Tix on Sale Now! See you there... @outside.in.music @well.played.music @connselmerinc @untjazz @kingbrassinstruments

NOV 4th! Bringing a Quartet to MINNEAPOLIS for the first time! 7PM at BERLIN @berlinmpls Tix on Sale Now! See you there...

Jazz Trombone Day is just around the corner, and the JTBN Day Competition is OPEN!  TWO DIVISIONS: 30 & Under 18 & Under Free to Enter!  Deadline is Nov 30th 2025 Win prizes from: @butlertrombones @connselmerinc @gregblackmpcs All the details: www.jtbnday.com

Throwing it back to a special night in Rochester, NY ...  live at The Bop Shop with my quintet 🔥 This is “Rinse and Repeat” from my 2018 album No Arrival and this band brought it to life in a whole new way: 🎷 Lucas Pino 🥁 Jimmy Macbride 🎹 Miki Yamanaka 🎻 Dave Baron

✨ “Waking Up” from my 2024 album Dreams, Visions, Illusions ✨ Sometimes the hardest part is realizing that the version of the truth we were given… wasn’t the truth at all. This tune is about that moment of clarity... when you begin shaking off illusion, and start chasing what’s real.

Heading back out on the road to the Midwest in November! NOVEMBER 4 Univ. of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN BERLIN @ 7:00 PM Minneapolis, MN NOVEMBER 5 Univ. of Wisconsin Madison Madison, WI NOVEMBER 5 NORTH STREET CABARET @ 7:00PM Madison, WI NOVEMBER 6 & 7  Univ. of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION in the 68th GRAMMY awards: Best Jazz Performance - "The Guru"  Best Instrumental Arrangement - "Lament" (JJ Johnson arr. Finzer) Best Large Jazz Ensemble - The Jazz Orchestra Volume 1 If you're submitting a project for consideration I'd love to hear it - send me a message!

Huge thanks JazzTrail for these thoughtful words about the new album!! The Jazz Orchestra Volume 1 stream here: https://found.ee/Nick-Finzer-The-Jazz-Orchestra-Volume-1

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION in the 68th GRAMMY awards: Best Instrumental Arrangement - "Lament" (JJ Johnson arr. Finzer) Best Large Jazz Ensemble - The Jazz Orchestra Volume 1 Best Jazz Performance - "The Guru"  If you're submitting a project for consideration I'd love to hear it - send me a message!

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION in the 68th GRAMMY awards: Best Large Jazz Ensemble - The Jazz Orchestra Volume 1 Best Instrumental Arrangement - "Lament" (JJ Johnson arr. Finzer) Best Jazz Performance - "The Guru"  If you're submitting a project for consideration I'd love to hear it - send me a message!

Fear never goes away. But growth happens when you play through it. That’s the theme of this month’s Improviser’s Insight. Inside: 🎧 Listening Lab — Herbie Hancock’s The Sorcerer (a tune that scared me for years) 💭 Mindset — why fear is part of the process, and how to face it anyway

The next Improvisers Insight newsletter goes out this week. Make sure you're on the list so you don't miss the next one! Signup here: https://sendfox.com/lp/3e6n60

We seek FREEDOM with the material we learn (scales, arpeggios et al) in order to IMPROVISE without limits.  If you don't INTERNALIZE the foundational elements of the music, you'll never be able to fully express yourself.

Hitting the Road to New Engand in Early October! w/ Guillermo Lopez, Liya Grigoryan, and Jerome Gillespie Jr.  (@g_more_11 @liya.grigoryan.piano @jeromegillespie_jr) see you at one of these shows, I hope!  Thanks to @connselmerinc for their support of these educational opportunities!

Chart Drop!  New PDF big band charts available at: www.nickfinzer.store I can't wait to hear what you all can do with these arrangements!!

RHYTHM FIRST!!! comment 🥁 if you agree!

Thanks to @downbeat_mag for the new review! THE JAZZ ORCHESTRA VOL.1 is now streaming!

Yes, it IS OUR JOB as musicians to keep young people ENGAGED with this music!  Tell people WHY we LOVE this music... and what makes it so very special!

The Jazz Orchestra Volume 1  LIVE at Dizzy's!  Thanks to @austinkruczek for these great shots!  More to come!  The album is out now and you can grab an LP on Amazon or Stream on your favorite DSP 🥳

And we're off and running with "The Jazz Orchestra Volume 1" on Jazz Radio!  Most added in our first week! 🙏 🎉 ☺️ Thanks for listening and sharing the music!!!