Eli Howell | "Steps Taken"

Trombonist & Composer Releases His Electrifying Debut Album, Steps Taken

Featuring Trumpeter Bryan Lynch, Saxophonist Sharel Cassity, Pianist Xavier Davis, Bassist Rodney Whitaker and Drummer Ulysses Owens Jr.

Available Tomorrow via D Clef Records

Album Release Show Friday, April 10 at Townhouse Venice

Venice Beach, CA

8:00PM

Tickets Available Here

“Whether it’s a captivating improvisation, leading a section with high notes and style, low notes on the big horn, or writing compelling original music and arrangements, Eli Howell can do it all.” — Michael Dease

When trombonist and composer Eli Howell set out to record his debut album, Steps Taken, he imagined a celebratory capstone to his years at Michigan State University. Instead, he woke to find Lansing ripped apart by a tornado. Lightning had struck Troubadour Recording Studios — the space booked for a full-band sextet date — leaving it unusable overnight. With musicians already in town, postponement wasn’t an option, so Howell, producer (and modern trombone leader) Michael Dease, and engineer Corey DeRushia improvised a solution: they built a makeshift, all-in-one-room studio at MSU.

Recording without isolation became a creative spark. “Playing live and feeling so comfortable was so nice,” Howell says. “It felt very much like how people used to record albums — everyone in one room, no overdubs. And it turned out amazing.” What began as an emergency pivot quickly became inseparable from the album’s energy and immediacy.

The music also reflects a deeper personal arc. In the fall of 2023, Howell — now based in Harlem — developed focal dystonia (a neurological movement disorder causing sustained muscle contractions or spasms) that forced him to stop playing for a year. “It happened over like two weeks,” he says. “I just started to lose the ability to play.” The long rehabilitation reshaped his practice and perspective. “Coming back from that really made me find a lot of joy in playing again,” he continues. “Getting up and playing scales in the morning didn’t feel like checking something off — it was like, wow, I’m actually excited to do this now.” Many of the album’s originals were written during that uncertain period, marking his path toward recovery and renewed purpose.

The personnel on Steps Taken — rooted in Howell’s admiration for the three-horn language of the Jazz Messengers and One for All — represent the mentors who guided him. Trumpeter Brian Lynch, whose tenure with Art Blakey helped inspire Howell’s sextet concept, brings blistering precision; saxophonist Sharel Cassity, an early influence, adds fire and lyricism. The rhythm section features pianist Xavier Davis, bassist Rodney Whitaker, and drummer Ulysses Owens Jr., each a crucial shaping force in Howell’s development. Trombone great Wycliffe Gordon and producer Michael Dease appear as featured guests. “It meant a lot that they trusted me enough to say yes to this,” Howell says. “Some of them hadn’t even really heard my music. They wanted to help and be part of my journey.”

The album unfolds in sequence, beginning with “Matchmaker,” Howell’s nod to the Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack he grew up on, its crisp counterpoint introducing the three-horn sound. “I Remember Al” follows, a lightning-charged feature for Wycliffe Gordon, whose plunger brilliance and two explosive cadenzas fulfill a dream for Howell. Whitaker’s “For Garrison,” rendered by trombone and tenor, reflects the bassist’s groove-forward writing and his deep influence on Howell’s musicianship.

The tornado forced a second session for “A Clear Sky,” bringing in alto saxophonist Thomas Noble, pianist Miki Hayama, bassist Langston Kitchens, and drummer Colleen Clark — all conveniently in East Lansing that week recording for Dease. “A Clear Sky,” inspired by a winter morning in Maine, unfolds with open harmonies, a “Poinciana”-like pulse, and a sense of calm.

“Reimagined” stands as the emotional fulcrum of the album. Composed during Howell’s year away from the trombone, it channels the fear, uncertainty, and determination of that period. Its tense harmonic rises and stark melodic line form the record’s most intimate statement, capturing a moment of confronting the unknown.

“One for Steve,” Howell’s tribute to trombonist Steve Davis and One for All, moves between swing and straight eighths and features an intimate duo chorus between Howell and Whitaker. Lynch ignites the ending with a soaring vamp suggested by Dease. “Alone Together” becomes a mixed-meter exploration propelled by Owens’s combustible swing, while “Say When” places Howell squarely within J. J. Johnson’s lineage through fresh harmonic turns and a loose, conversational opening phrase.

“Dear Helen,” dedicated to Howell’s great-grandmother — a silent-film-era organist who lived to 108 — blends classical ancestry with a waltz that subtly shifts into 11, enriched by Cassity’s flute. The album closes with Raul de Souza’s “A Vontade Mesmo,” which features Hayama, Kitchen and Clark, a natural fit for Howell, who recently published research on de Souza in the International Trombone Journal. Trading with Dease on valve trombone becomes a joyous summation of mentorship. “Just going at it with him was super cool,” Howell says.

Steps Taken marks the arrival of a young trombonist rooted in tradition, sharpened by adversity, and elevated by the community that shaped him. Under extraordinary circumstances, Howell created the debut he hoped for — and the one he needed.

2026 Tour Dates

January 14 – Eli Howell Quintet at Fiction Bar, Brooklyn

February 23 – Jazz Trombone Studio Masterclass at Michigan State University

February 24 – Eli Howell Quintet at Moriarty’s Pub, Lansing, MI

February 26 – Eli Howell Quintet at Fulton Street Collective, Chicago, IL

March 4 – Eli Howell Quintet ft. Michael Dease at Merriman’s Playhouse, South Bend, IN

March 21 – Eli Howell Quartet at DADA, New York, NY

April 16 – Eli Howell Quartet at The Sound Room, Oakland, CA

Eli Howell · Steps Taken

D Clef Records · Release Date: April 10, 2026

For more information on Eli Howell, please visit:

www.elihowellmusic.com | | Instagram