Tuba Gooding Jr. | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Damon Bryson |
Genres | |
Occupation | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Sousaphone, Tuba |
Member of | The Roots, The Tonight Show Band |
Damon Bryson (born 1978), better known by his stage name Tuba Gooding Jr., is an American tubist and member of the hip hop band The Roots, joining the band in 2007. He plays the sousaphone in The Roots in the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . [1] [2]
The sousaphone is a low brass instrument mainly used as a marching band tuba. [3] Bryson was named "one of the top sousaphone players of all time" by Brass 'n Wind. [4]
In a 2014 interview, Bryson told reporter Mister Mann Frisby that he named his 37 pound sousaphone "Onyx" because of the color. [5]
Bryson is from South Philadelphia. He attended Universal Audenried Charter High School. Bryson started playing in the band Brass Heaven in his 20s, playing at venues including Warmdaddy's and Chris' Jazz Cafe, in Philadelphia before he was discovered by Questlove and recruited to The Roots in 2007.
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibration – a buzz – into a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the newer instruments in the modern orchestra and concert band, and largely replaced the ophicleide. Tuba is Latin for "trumpet".
The sousaphone is a brass musical instrument in the tuba family. Created around 1893 by J. W. Pepper at the direction of American bandleader John Philip Sousa, it was designed to be easier to play than the concert tuba while standing or marching, as well as to carry the sound of the instrument above the heads of the band. Like the tuba, sound is produced by moving air past the lips, causing them to vibrate or "buzz" into a large cupped mouthpiece. Unlike the tuba, the instrument is bent in a circle to fit around the body of the musician; it ends in a large, flaring bell that is pointed forward, projecting the sound ahead of the player. Because of the ease of carrying and the direction of sound, it is widely employed in marching bands, as well as various other musical genres. Sousaphones were originally made of brass. Beginning in the mid-20th century, some sousaphones have also been made of lighter materials such as fiberglass & plastic.
A bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, synthbass, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or trombone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments. Since the 1960s, the electric bass has been the standard bass instrument for funk, R&B, soul, rock, reggae, jazz fusion, heavy metal, country and pop. The double bass is the standard bass instrument for classical music, bluegrass, rockabilly, and most genres of jazz. Low brass instruments such as the tuba or sousaphone are the standard bass instrument in Dixieland and New Orleans-style jazz bands.
The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, having served in the same role on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014. Current regular members of The Roots on The Tonight Show are Captain Kirk Douglas, Mark Kelley, James Poyser, Ian Hendrickson-Smith, Damon "Tuba Gooding Jr." Bryson, Stro Elliot, Dave Guy, Kamal Gray, and Raymond Angry.
Banda is a subgenre of regional Mexican music and type of ensemble in which wind and percussion instruments are performed.
Bellowhead is an English contemporary folk band, active from 2004 to 2016, reforming in 2020. The eleven-piece act played traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide range of musical styles and influences. The band included percussion and a four-piece brass section. Bellowhead's bandmembers played more than 20 instruments among them, whilst all performers provided vocals.
The Rebirth Brass Band is a New Orleans brass band. The group was founded in 1983 by Phillip "Tuba Phil" Frazier, his brother Keith Frazier, Kermit Ruffins, and classmates from Joseph S. Clark Senior High School, which closed in the spring of 2018, in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans. Arhoolie released its first album in 1984.
Kirk Joseph is a jazz sousaphone player from New Orleans, Louisiana. The son of trombonist Waldren "Frog" Joseph, Kirk Joseph began playing the sousaphone while a student at Andrew Bell Middle School, and took part in his first professional gig at the age of fifteen when his brother Charles invited him to play a funeral with the Majestic Band.
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is an American brass band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The ensemble was established in 1977, by Benny Jones and members of the Tornado Brass Band. The Dirty Dozen incorporated funk and bebop into the traditional New Orleans jazz style, and has since been a major influence on local music. They won the Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance in 2023.
Percy Gaston Humphrey was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Kamal Gray is a keyboardist, rapper, vocalist, and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is member of the hip hop band, The Roots, who are also the house band, The Tonight Show Band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Gray occasionally appears in games and sketches on The Tonight Show.
Ralph Anthony MacDonald was an American percussionist, steelpan virtuoso, songwriter, musical arranger, and record producer.
The Young Tuxedo Brass Band is a brass band from New Orleans that was active after World War II.
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon was an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon. The hour-long show aired from March 2, 2009 to February 7, 2014 on weeknights at 12:35 am Eastern/11:35 pm Central, on NBC.
The Tonight Show Band refers to the house band on the American television variety show The Tonight Show, which has created an important showcase for jazz on American television. The Tonight Show Band has changed in form and composition since the program first aired in 1954. The Roots have been The Tonight Show Band since 2014 for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band fostered awareness of this new style of music.
Undun is the twelfth studio album by American hip hop band the Roots. It was released on December 6, 2011, by Def Jam Recordings.
Raymond "Ray" Angry is an American keyboardist, record producer, and composer. Ray Angry sometimes uses the stage name "Mister Goldfinger". Angry also regularly plays keyboards with The Roots, including in the The Tonight Show Band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is the fourteenth studio album by American hip hop band the Roots. The album was released on May 19, 2014, by Def Jam Recordings.
Mark Kelley is an American bass guitar player and member of the hip hop band The Roots, joining the band in 2011. Kelley plays with The Roots in the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He occasionally appears in games and sketches on The Tonight Show.