{{Short description|American jazz trombonist (1979–2026)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> |name = Ryan Porter | image = File:Kamasi Washington Band INNtöne 08.jpg | caption = Ryan Porter performing at INNtöne Jazzfestival in Austria in 2018 | image_size = 225 | background = | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = {{birth date|1979|7|31}} | birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2026|5|16|1979|7|31}} | death_place = | origin = | occupations = {{hlist|Musician|composer}} | years_active = 2001–2026 | instrument = {{hlist|Trombone}} | label = | genre = {{hlist|Jazz|funk|R&B|hip hop<ref name="bandcamp-optimistic" />}} | past_member_of = West Coast Get Down | website = {{URL|www.ryanporterofficial.com}} }}
'''Ryan Porter''' (July 31, 1979 – May 16, 2026) was an American jazz trombonist. Based in Los Angeles, he was a founding member of the West Coast Get Down jazz collective. A longtime collaborator of West Coast Get Down saxophonist Kamasi Washington, he also toured with Stevie Wonder, Rihanna, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hill, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.<ref name="bandcamp-optimistic" /><ref name="vail" />
== Early life == Ryan Porter was born in Los Angeles, California, on July 31, 1979.<ref name="allmusic-bio">{{cite web |last1=Collar |first1=Matt |title=Ryan Porter Biography, Songs, & Albums |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ryan-porter-mn0000865600/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=12 January 2023 |language=en}}</ref> He was introduced to jazz by his grandfather, who had a large jazz record collection.<ref name="downbeat">{{cite web |last1=Hermann |first1=Andy |title=Ryan Porter: Jams from the Shack |url=https://downbeat.com/news/detail/ryan-porter-jams-from-the-shack |website=Downbeat |access-date=12 January 2023 |language=en |date=1 May 2018}}</ref> He was first drawn to the trombone after seeing the cover of J. J. Johnson's album ''Proof Positive''.<ref name="vail" />
In high school, he was a member of the Multi-School Jazz Band in Watts under the direction of Reggie Andrews, in which he played alongside Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner, and Ronald Bruner Jr., who would later be his bandmates in the West Coast Get Down.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Effinger |first1=Shannon |title=Q&A with Terrace Martin: From Hip-Hop to Herbie Hancock |url=https://downbeat.com/news/detail/qa-with-terrace-martin-from-hip-hop-to-herbie-hancock |website=Downbeat |access-date=12 January 2023 |language=en |date=28 October 2016}}</ref> He participated in the inaugural Vail Jazz Workshop in 1996, where he met trumpeter Roy Hargrove.<ref name="vail">{{cite web |last1=Valente |first1=Sarah |title=Vail Jazz Workshop alumnus Ryan Porter: 'The music chose me' |url=https://www.vaildaily.com/news/vail-jazz-workshop-alumnus-ryan-porter-the-music-chose-me/ |website=www.vaildaily.com |access-date=12 January 2023 |date=31 August 2022}}</ref> From 1997 to 2001, he attended the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied under jazz trombonists Steve Turre and David Taylor.<ref name="bandcamp-optimistic">{{cite web |last1=West |first1=Michael |title=The "Optimistic" Jazz of Kendrick & Kamasi Collaborator Ryan Porter |url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/ryan-porter-force-for-good-interview |website=Bandcamp Daily |access-date=12 January 2023 |date=29 July 2019}}</ref>
== Career == [[File:Jazzaldia 2017 - Kamasi Washington Concert Plaza Trinidad 03.jpg|thumb|Porter performing with Kamasi Washington at San Sebastian Jazz Festival in 2017]]
Between 2008 and 2009, Porter and his West Coast Get Down bandmates held a series of recording sessions in Kamasi Washington's parents' garage, which they called "the Shack." These sessions were cramped, overheated, and frequently interrupted by planes at the nearby Los Angeles International Airport landing strip. The recordings were released a decade later on Porter's album ''The Optimist'' (2018), whose title was inspired by Porter's optimism for the newly elected president Barack Obama at the time of recording.<ref name="bandcamp-optimistic" /><ref name="bandcamp-aotd">{{cite web |last1=Moore |first1=Marcus |title=Album of the Day: Ryan Porter, "The Optimist" |url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/album-of-the-day/album-of-the-day-ryan-porter-the-optimist |website=Bandcamp Daily |access-date=12 January 2023 |date=14 February 2018}}</ref> The album was released on World Galaxy and Alpha Pup Records.<ref name="downbeat" />
In December 2011, Porter participated in the West Coast Get Down's Kingsize Soundlabs sessions, where the collective spent 30 straight days recording songs for seven different albums including Washington's ''The Epic'' (2015).<ref name="nyt-giant-step">{{cite web |last1=Shatz |first1=Adam |title=Kamasi Washington's Giant Step |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/magazine/kamasi-washingtons-giant-step.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=10 January 2023 |date=21 January 2016}}</ref><ref name="dazed">{{cite web |last1=Hobbs |first1=Thomas |title=The history of the West Coast Get Down, LA's jazz giants |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/49630/1/west-coast-get-down-los-angeles-jazz-collective-interview |website=Dazed |access-date=9 January 2023 |language=en |date=26 June 2020}}</ref> Porter led a portion of these sessions, yielding the tracks on his debut album ''Spangle-Lang Lane'' (2017), a collection of reimagined children's songs reimagined in a soulful jazz and hip hop style.<ref name="bandcamp-optimistic" /><ref name="bandcamp-spangle">{{cite web |last1=Schube |first1=Will |title=Trombonist Ryan Porter is For the Children |url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/ryan-porter-feature |website=Bandcamp Daily |access-date=12 January 2023 |date=25 September 2017}}</ref> With the album, he released a series of videos depicting puppet versions of the West Coast Get Down and other jazz musicians.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Sarah |title=Ryan Porter "Itsy Bitsy Spider" {{!}} Exclaim! |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/ryan_porter-itsy_bitsy_spider |website=Exclaim |access-date=12 January 2023 |language=en-ca |date=14 August 2017}}</ref>
In June 2019, Porter released his third album ''Force for Good'', which was recorded over the course of five years and also features Kamasi Washington.<ref name="bandcamp-optimistic" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Sinnenberg |first1=Jackson |title=Trombonist Ryan Porter, new DMV resident, wants to be a 'Force for Good' |url=https://www.capitalbop.com/trombonist-ryan-porter-los-angeles-kamasi-force-for-good/ |website=CapitalBop |access-date=12 January 2023 |date=21 August 2019}}</ref>
== Death == Porter was injured in a traffic collision in late April 2026. He died from complications of the injuries he sustained on May 16, at the age of 46.<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Brien |first1=Andrew |title=Ryan Porter, Lauded Jazz Trombonist & Kamasi Washington Collaborator, Dies At 46 [Obituary] |url=https://liveforlivemusic.com/features/ryan-porter-trombonist-kamasi-washington-dies-46-obituary/ |access-date=18 May 2026 |publisher=Live For Live Music |date=18 May 2026}}</ref>
== Discography == Adapted from AllMusic.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ryan Porter Albums and Discography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ryan-porter-mn0000865600/discography |website=AllMusic |access-date=12 January 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
=== Studio albums === * ''Spangle-Lang Lane'' (2017) * ''The Optimist'' (2018) * ''Force for Good'' (2019) * ''Resilience'' (2022)
=== Live albums === * ''Ryan Porter'' (2020) {{small|(with the West Coast Get Down)}}
=== With Kamasi Washington === * ''The Epic'' (2015) * ''Harmony of Difference'' (2017) * ''Heaven and Earth'' (2018) * ''Becoming'' (2020) * ''Fearless Movement '' (2024)
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{Official website|https://www.ryanporterofficial.com}} * {{Allmusic|id=ryan-porter-mn0000865600}} * {{discogs artist|Ryan Porter}} * {{imdb name|7576309}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Ryan}} Category:1979 births Category:2026 deaths Category:Manhattan School of Music alumni Category:American jazz trombonists Category:21st-century American male musicians Category:West Coast Get Down members Category:Road incident deaths