i had finished a gig. it was around 11 and i pulled
out my horn to practice a little in Central Park.
i guess i was on my way to Columbus Circle to
head downtown to a jam session. Smalls perhaps
guy came by with a camera and asked if he could
photograph me. i said okay.
he emailed me this picture.
must have been 2008 0r 9.
i"ve always been a bit obsessed
James Zeller
Dear friends,
Thank you for being here (wherever you are).
This, as you may have gathered, is the website of James Alfred Tyson Zeller, son of Charlotte Louise Tyson Zeller.
This website has one purpose: to increase the odds that yours truly might perform for you.
who am i?
33 years ago i was 11. I thought: what the heck should i do? this world is... crazy.
i figured i'd play music.
For the last 33 years i've asked myself that same question.
The answer is the same.
Sonny Rollins said musicians live in the real world. The world of sound. I hope we can share this world together, sooner or later.
Here are several me's. Which is the "authentic me"?
They all are. with Love, semaj
Jameses in no particular order:
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Trombonist: for 33 years and counting
If we have to isolate "mes", starting here at "trombonist" makes a lot of sense.
Under the Spell of The Moon is a song I wrote that imagines a different future, where people are too busy being in (with) (around) love and nature that greed and white supremacy and the terrible exploitation that go hand in hand with them are... gone... we're under the spell of the moon. Lee Phillips on bass, Ramsey Isaacs on drums, John Wood on piano
Humboldt Jazz Collective swingin solo by trombonist James Zeller
A blues in F with an early iteration of the Humboldt Jazz Collective... thats the great young Ramsey Isaacs on drums (thanks Dave Isaacs for the video!)... we'replaying at the Sanctuary in Arcata in early 2025. I'm playing a bunch of stuff that sounds alot like those JJ Johnson, Slide Hampton and Curtis Fuller records I listened to... makes sense... love playing a blues.
(same band) i wrote some music that i hoped my friend might add spoken word to (that could still happen), and what resulted was this song, currently called Nom de Plum.
i decided to use it as a vehicle for improvising. Lee Phillips (who is playing bass) said "sounds like some of the Wayne Shorter Zero Gravity kind of vibe" and thats exactly what i was thinking too.
"Let go of what you think you know"....
Ask Me Now (Thelonious Monk)
Humboldt Jazz Collective and Creative Sanctuary collaborated on a a 2024 Jazz Series, and another in 2026. This is the group playing Ask Me Now, by Thelonious Monk, with your truly crooning the melody with great lyrics by Jon Hendricks. What a tune, huh?. Matt Seno on piano, Tree on Viola, Ramsey Isaacs on drums, Lee Phillips on Bass
i'm not really sure how to construct a resume. I've played a lot of music. i'm 44, been playing trombone since i was 11 or 12.
At some point i'm going to write some autobiographical pages about my life in music.
I've been lucky enough to appear on stage and to know quite a few great musicians. I think without more of the stories behind how events went down, a bio that just lists them all seems weird to me, at this time. I didn't shy away from that in the past...
I have had a lot of great teachers: Ron Bertucci taught me trombone as a kid in Eugene, OR. I studied with Tim Newman, then Benny Powell when I first arrived at the New School in NYC in 2000. I had the great fortune to study with Laurie Frink, brass legend.
When I attended Queens College I studied with Michael Mossman and Luis Bonilla. Great teachers. Also Antonio Hart. Alot of great trombonists helped me out. Because of Steve Davis sending me to sub, I got to play with the Jimmy Heath Big band. I lived with David Gibson for a while, and learned a lot from him. Because of DG I got to play with 16 trombonists and Slide Hampton for Slide's 75th birthday. What an honor.
I met and learned a lot from Curtis Fuller at Betty Carter's Jazz ahead at the Kennedy Center in 2004. Curtis was a generous and kind man, always put me on the guest list for his gigs, and I always went. No one has rhythm like that. Crazy stuff. I think anyone who was sleeping on Curtis in his later years missed out.
I"m sure I forgot a lot. Trombone is part of me, and this website exists because I want to find ways to share these sides of myself. Thank you.