Joseph Alessi and Philip Smith

Joseph Alessi is among the world's preeminent trombonists, widely active as an orchestral player -- he is the principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic -- and as a soloist. He has also played jazz and is an important educator. Alessi was born in Detroit, Michigan, on September 20, 1959. He grew up in San Rafael, California. Alessi studied the trombone with his father, also named Joseph Alessi; his mother was also musical and sang in the Metropolitan Opera Chorus in New York. At age 16, he was already skilled enough to be accepted as a member of the San Francisco Balle...