Clifton Anderson

Clifton Anderson, the nephew of Sonny Rollins and a longtime member of his band, has long been in the awkward position of sharing the stage with his uncle, standing motionless while Rollins takes extended solos. In 1996 on his own excellent Landmarks recording (Milestone), Anderson finally had the opportunity to step out from his uncle's giant shadow. Anderson started on trombone at age seven, when Sonny Rollins bought him his first instrument. He attended the High School of Music and Art in New York City, graduated from the Manhattan School of Music, and worked with Slide Hampton's World of Trombones, Frank Foster's Loud Minority, McCoy Tyner's Orchestra, Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, and Abdullah Ibrahim before joining Rollins' band in 1983. Influenced most by J.J. Johnson, Clifton Anderson remains quite underrated.