Trombonist Mitch Butler

Mitchell Butler is a native of Raleigh, NC and currently calls Columbia, SC home. He received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Performance from East Carolina University. Mitch is also a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Doctor of Music Arts degree in Music Performance with an emphasis in Jazz Studies.

Mitch has been the trombonist and leader of a number of musical groups including the Nebulous Jazztet from 2001 to 2006, Modus Bone from 2010 to 2012, the CSU East Bay Faculty Jazztet, and currently the Mitch Butler Quartet. These groups have served as entertainment and educational ensembles for the southeastern United States and the West Coast of the US. These groups perform in venues ranging from night clubs to jazz festivals to music seminars.

Mitch was a member of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra headed by world renowned trumpeter Irvin Mayfield from 2008 to 2010. In February of 2010 the N.O.J.O. won the Grammy Award for large jazz ensemble with the release of the recording "Book One" - a recording that Mitch is featured on. He is also the a soloist on the critically acclaimed Nnenna Freelon and John Brown Big Band album, "Christmas". Mitch has also been a trombonist for the international award winning jazz group JazzBonez, which features six trombones and rhythm section and recorded the critically acclaimed album "Watch It!". Contributions to The New Five Jazz Project based in Austin, Texas, the aforementioned John Brown Big Band based in Durham, NC, the North Carolina Jazz Repertoire Orchestra in Chapel Hill, NC and the Tiffany Austin Quintet based in San Francisco Bay Area, CA have also proven to be important to his musical development as a performer, composer, and/or arranger for those groups. Butler has also performed and/or recorded with musical greats such as Curtis Fuller, Tia Fuller, Derrick Gardner, Aaron Graves, Benny Green, Tim Hagans, Slide Hampton, Tom Harrell, Andre Hayward, Conrad Herwig, Brad Leali, Branford Marsalis, Jason Marshall, Bob Mintzer, Melton Mustafa, Dick Oates, Rufus Reid, Herlin Riley, Stephen Riley, Adonis Rose, Darius Rucker, Grady Tate, Billy Taylor, Gregory Tardy, The Temptations, Ray Vega, Fred Wesley, and many others.

Much time has also been invested as an educator in jazz studies. Mitch was the Director of Jazz Studies and Assistant Professor of Music at California State University, East Bay in Hayward, CA from 2013 to 2016. Before that, he was Director of Jazz Studies at Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC from 2009 to 2013. He has also invested time in music throughout the community, having provided private lessons in trombone and jazz studies as well as participating in clinics/workshops throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, the Southeast, Central Texas, and California. Butler has also held faculty and teaching positions at several institutions including Durham School of the Arts, East Carolina University, North Carolina Central University, Elon University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and the University of Texas at Austin. Mitch is now a full time performing musician, clinician, composer, and arranger.

Mitch Butler is an exclusive Michael Rath Trombones artist and clinician.