When trombonist and composer Eli Howell set out to record his debut album, Steps Taken, he envisioned a celebratory capstone to his years at Michigan State University. Instead, the project was shaped by forces far beyond planning or control. On the morning of the scheduled recording, Howell awoke to find Lansing torn apart by a tornado. Troubadour Recording Studios—booked for a full-band sextet session—had been struck by lightning and rendered unusable overnight. With musicians already in town and no possibility of postponement, Howell, producer Michael Dease, and engineer Corey DeRushia improvised, transforming a room at MSU into a makeshift, all-in-one recording space.
What began as an emergency pivot quickly became central to the album’s identity. Recording without isolation or overdubs brought a sense of immediacy and shared energy that Howell instantly recognized. Playing live in a single room echoed the way classic jazz records were made, and that collective comfort and spontaneity became inseparable from the album’s sound. The crisis gave way to cohesion, turning limitation into creative spark.
Steps Taken also reflects a deeply personal journey. In the fall of 2023, Howell—now based in Harlem—developed focal dystonia, a neurological movement disorder that forced him to stop playing the trombone for a year. The sudden loss of physical control and the long road back reshaped not only his technique but his relationship to music itself. When he finally returned to the instrument, practice was no longer routine or obligation, but a source of renewed joy. Many of the album’s original compositions were written during this uncertain period, tracing a path through fear, recovery, and rediscovered purpose.
The personnel on Steps Taken represent both Howell’s musical ideals and the mentors who guided him. Drawing inspiration from the three-horn language of the Jazz Messengers and One for All, Howell assembled a sextet anchored by trumpeter Brian Lynch and saxophonist Sharel Cassity, whose artistry and lineage helped shape his vision. The rhythm section—pianist Xavier Davis, bassist Rodney Whitaker, and drummer Ulysses Owens Jr.—includes key figures in Howell’s development, while trombone legends Wycliffe Gordon and producer Michael Dease appear as featured guests. Their willingness to lend their voices speaks to a deep sense of trust and shared investment in Howell’s journey.
The album unfolds as a narrative sequence. “Matchmaker” opens with crisp counterpoint inspired by the Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack Howell grew up with, introducing the three-horn sound. “I Remember Al” follows as a high-voltage feature for Wycliffe Gordon, complete with plunger work and explosive cadenzas. Whitaker’s “For Garrison,” rendered by trombone and tenor, reflects groove-forward writing and his profound influence on Howell’s musicianship.
The tornado necessitated a second session for “A Clear Sky,” drawing in alto saxophonist Thomas Noble, pianist Miki Hayama, bassist Langston Kitchens, and drummer Colleen Clark. Inspired by a winter morning in Maine, the piece unfolds with open harmonies and a gentle, steady pulse, offering a moment of calm and clarity. At the album’s emotional center is “Reimagined,” composed during Howell’s year away from the trombone. Its tense harmonic rises and stark melody confront uncertainty head-on, capturing the vulnerability and resolve of that period.
Elsewhere, “One for Steve” pays tribute to trombonist Steve Davis and One for All, moving fluidly between swing and straight-eighth feels. “Alone Together” becomes a mixed-meter exploration propelled by Owens’s combustible swing, while “Say When” situates Howell within the lineage of J. J. Johnson through fresh harmonic turns and a conversational opening. “Dear Helen,” dedicated to Howell’s great-grandmother—a silent-film-era organist—blends classical heritage with a waltz that subtly shifts into 11, enriched by Cassity’s flute. The album closes with Raul de Souza’s “A Vontade Mesmo,” featuring Hayama, Kitchens, and Clark, and culminating in joyful valve trombone exchanges between Howell and Dease.
Released April 10, 2026 on D Clef Records, Steps Taken marks the arrival of a young trombonist deeply rooted in tradition, sharpened by adversity, and lifted by the community around him. Under extraordinary circumstances, Eli Howell created not only the debut he hoped for, but the one he needed.
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