Dr. Colby J Norton
Receiving his Bachelor’s in Music from the University of Kentucky, and Master’s in Jazz from the Manhattan School of Music, Dr. Colby Norton started his playing career with multiple big bands including the DiMartino/Osland Jazz Orchestra, The MetroGnomes, and the Bluegrass Area Jazz Ambassadors. Almost simultaneously, he was a regular member of the Lexington Brass Band and Lexington Philharmonic. Dr. Norton has presented multiple recitals throughout the nation and has had the honor of performing at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and as part of Jazz at the Lincoln Center.
Throughout his career, Dr. Norton has appeared and recorded with many artists including Arlo Guthrie, Gil Shaham, Lynn Harrell, Bob Mintzer, Bob Lark, Laura Bell Bundy, David Liebman, Randy Brecker, Joe Lovano, Candido, Paquito D’Rivera, and Wycliffe Gordon.
2008 was a special year for Dr. Norton as he made his recording debut with Thomas Pasateria’s opera The Hotel Casablanca. That same year, he recorded the premier of George Frederick McKay’s Epoch “ An American Dance Symphony. Since then, he can be heard on Two Two’s with the Two O’ Clock Lab Band, and Lab 2014 with the One O’ Clock Lab Band. Dr. Norton has won multiple Downbeat Awards and has received recognition for his original compositions for the bass trombone. He has been asked to audition for multiple Premier Military bands including the Army Jazz Ambassadors and the Airmen of Note.
Dr. Norton completed his Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas where he researched the compositional approach of Daniel Schnyder for his dissertation titled World’s Beyond: A Stylistic Analysis of Collage in the Music of Daniel Schnyder as a Universal Model for the Bass Trombone Repetoire. In 2013, he was the recipient of the Toyota Alumni Fund from the Kentucky Center to aide in his research of the music of Daniel Schnyder. While completing his Doctoral degree, Dr. Norton has been Professor of Low Brass at Centre College. He frequently composes/premiers new works for the bass trombone with multiple ensembles as well as teaches privately throughout Kentucky while continuing to perform in both jazz and classical settings.
Dr. Norton is currently Professor of Theory at Eastern Kentucky University, conductor of the Berea College Wind Ensemble and a Lexington Philharmonic Teaching Artist.