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Short bio (64 words)
Gabriel Herrera is an NYC- and Central PA-based jazz trombonist and composer who has cemented himself as a rising star in the jazz world. Having performed at internationally acclaimed venues such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center, and Jazz à Vienne, Herrera has also had the pleasure of sharing the stage with notable musicians including Emmet Cohen, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Craig Taborn.
Medium bio (205 words)
Gabriel Herrera is a trombonist and composer who has performed at internationally-acclaimed venues including the Montreux Jazz Festival and Lincoln Center and shared the stage with jazz icons such as Emmet Cohen, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Craig Taborn.
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Inspired by the great Carl Fontana, Herrera has been on the international stage since high school - having toured Europe twice, he has also earned national and international accolades from competitions such as Essentially Ellington and WorldStrides. Since moving to New York City to study at Columbia in 2019, Herrera has continued to build his career as an in-demand and versatile musician, recording or performing at venues such as Lincoln Center, Jazz à Vienne, ShapeShifter Lab, Rudy Van Gelder’s Studio, and Rockefeller Center in genres including jazz, classical, fusion, and pop.
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Currently, Herrera is the bandleader for his own NYC-based jazz quartet and big band in addition to having recent performances as the principal trombonist of the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra and principal trombonist of Nittany Valley Symphony. After earning his BA in Philosophy and Jazz Studies (with departmental honors in music) from Columbia University in 2023, Herrera has started his MM in Trombone Performance at Penn State, where he serves as the jazz department’s teaching assistant.
Long bio (392 words)
Gabriel Herrera is an up-and-coming jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger from State College, Pennsylvania who has performed alongside some of today’s foremost jazz luminaries on some of the world’s most acclaimed stages.
Born into a musical family, Herrera discovered his passion for the trombone early in life after stumbling upon a YouTube video of Carl Fontana playing “Emily.” While in high school, Herrera performed as a soloist internationally at venues such as the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland) and the Litchfield Jazz Festival (Connecticut) in addition to garnering accolades including recognition from national and international competitions including Essentially Ellington and Worldstrides. Having been named to the Pennsylvania All-State Jazz band twice consecutively, he worked with renowned jazz masters like Jon Faddis, Wycliffe Gordon, Alex Iles, and Mike Kamuf while still in high school.
In 2019, Herrera moved to New York City to study at Columbia University under notable faculty such as David Gibson, Ole Mathisen, Don Sickler, Chris Washburne, and Bruce Barth. An active member of the music community both on and off campus, Herrera performed at venues such as Lincoln Center and ShapeShifter Lab and in genres such as jazz, fusion, rock, bossa nova, pop, and classical. Having had the pleasure of sharing the stage with musicians such as Craig Taborn, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Chris Washburne, Herrera then launched his career as a bandleader his senior year, forming his own jazz quartet and big band.
After earning his BA in Philosophy and Jazz Studies with departmental honors in music from Columbia, Herrera toured France and performed as a soloist at festivals including Jazz a Vienne and Jazz a Juan. Since returning to the United States, he has continued his career as a bandleader in NYC in addition to performing as the principal trombonist with the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra and principal trombonist with the Nittany Valley Symphony. He has furthered his career as a director in Pennsylvania, founding the Happy Valley Jazz Octet and Happy Valley Trombone Quartet in addition to directing ensembles at Penn State including Inner Dimensions Big Band, Slide Dimensions Jazz Trombone Ensemble, and several jazz combos.
Currently, Herrera is pursuing his MM in Trombone Performance at Penn State. At Penn State, he has studied under Mark Lusk, Daniel Twentey, and Joshua Davis and performed alongside notable musicians including Emmet Cohen, Corey Wallace, Vardan Ovsepian, Obed Calvaire, Fabian Almazan, Caroline Davis, and Ronen Itzik.
Gabriel Herrera Quartet
Gabriel Herrera Big Band
The Gabriel Herrera Quartet is a Manhattan-based jazz quartet with a diverse repertoire of standards and original compositions, though the hard bop subgenre most influences the quartet. Instrumentation is trombone, guitar, bass, and drums, and an ideal backline would include a talking mic, trombone mic, guitar amp, drum set, and four music stands, though the quartet can supply their own backline as needed.
The Gabriel Herrera Big Band is a Manhattan-based 17-piece big band that performs Herrera's original compositions and arrangements in the straight-ahead swing style with five saxes, four trombones, four trumpets, piano, guitar, bass, and drums. An ideal backline would include a talking mic, solo mic, piano or electric keyboard and amp, drum set, 14 chairs, and 17 music stands, although the big band can supply their own backline if necessary.
Happy Valley Jazz Octet
The Happy Valley Jazz Octet is central Pennsylvania's premier jazz octet, performing transcriptions and original arrangements of jazz classics from the hard bop, swing, post-bop, and cool jazz eras. Instrumentation includes one trumpet, one trombone, three saxes, piano, bass, and drums. An ideal backline would include a talking microphone, guitar amp, bass amp, piano or electric keyboard with amp, drum set, and eight music stands, though the octet can supply their own backline as needed.
Contact
For bookings, please contact Herrera directly at gch2121@columbia.edu.