Shawn Rhoades is a versatile recording and performing trombonist who has worked with and studied with many legendary artists for over 10 years. Shawn is also a certified music teacher currently directing Band and Music through the NYC Department of Education.
He is from Staten Island, New York and is currently the trombonist for the Staten Island based jazz/funk fusion group The Jazztronauts.
A native of Staten Island, New York, Shawn discovered the Trombone at the age of 9 and studied with local teachers such as Jo Ellen Fusco, Richard Casparie, William Levay and Evan Robinson. Later on, he studied at the prestigious Music and Art school known as Laguardia High School where he soon discovered many different musical styles and studied with Chicago native and New York based trombonist John Yao. He then received a scholarship from SUNY Purchase College where he graduated Cum Laude with his Bachelors of Music in Jazz Studies. At Purchase he studied under the tutelage of John Fedchock, Todd Coolman, Jon Gordon, Pete Malinverni, Jon Faddis, Charles Blenzig, Mark Vinci, Kenny Washington, Hal Galper, David DeJesus, Arturo O'Farrill, Doug Weiss, John Riley and Doug Munro and while at Purchase, he took up playing the Bass Trombone and studied with Earl McIntyre. After graduation he continued on to pursue his Masters Degree at The Manhattan School of Music where he studied with many great artists such as Luis Bonilla, Dave Liebman, Phil Markowitz, Bobby Sanabria, Chris Rosenberg, Garry Dial, Jeremy Manasia and Justin DiCioccio. Shawn has also played at some of NYC's top venues such as Birdland, Blue Note, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Appel Room, Symphony Space, Smalls, Smoke, Swing 46, Somethin' Jazz Club, The Shrine, NYC's JazzMobile and Carnegie Hall. He has also had the honor of playing with many legendary and Grammy Award-Winning Artists: Arturo O'Farrill and His Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Bobby Sanabria's Multiverse Big Band, MSM Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, Jane Monheit and the MSM Swing Band, Chris Potter, Tom Harrell, Paquito D'Rivera, Alex Sipiagin, Rich Perry, Steve Wilson and Donny McCaslin.
Shawn currently plays a Bach 36 Tenor Trombone, a King 7B Bass Trombone, and a Schiller Bass Trumpet