Jazz/classical trombonist Don Immel (pronounced em-uhl) descends from a musical lineage that includes his grandfather Earl Immel, a music professor at Valley College in Los Angeles, CA; his father Dean Immel, who directed music programs in public schools; and his uncle Jerrold Immel, a composer active in film and television. Born in Simi Valley, CA, he passed his early years in San Diego before completing high school in Auburn, WA. Piano lessons occupied him between the ages of seven and 11, after which he took up the trombone at nine. He completed two undergraduate music degrees at Central Washington University, one in performance and one in music education, then spent two years teaching in public schools before pursuing a Master of Music in trombone performance at Rice University in Texas. Subsequent faculty appointments took him to Pacific Lutheran University and later the University of Washington. Relocating to Hawaii, he assumed the role of principal trombonist with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, and he later accepted the same position with Denmark’s South Jutland Symphony Orchestra, prompting a move to that country.
Beyond his classical and academic work, Immel has performed live with artists including Chris Botti, Doc Severinsen, Cyrus Chestnut, Jon Faddis, Billy Childs, Larry Coryell, Renee Fleming, Elvis Costello, Bernadette Peters, and Linda Ronstadt, and he has contributed to film scores such as The Matrix 3: Revolutions, The Newton Boys, The Mothman Prophecies, Keeping the Faith, and Crocodile Dundee in L.A. Over the course of his career he has formed and performed with an array of jazz, rock, and ska groups as well as modern classical ensembles. In 2007 he issued his debut solo album, Long Way Home, on Elemental Records, with the explicit aim of elevating the trombone’s standing as a featured instrument.
