Acclaimed Trombonist Jim Pugh Reunites with Lifelong Friend and Grammy-Winning Engineer Jim Anderson of Anderson Audio NY to Resurrect a Forgotten Chapter of American Music History in Digital eXtreme Definition (DXD)
Release event set for September 15 at Technica House in New York City
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June 24, 2026: Nearly ninety years after legendary bandleader Tommy Dorsey abandoned an ambitious new symphonic work deemed too difficult for its time, trombone virtuoso Jim Pugh has finally brought the music to life. Arriving August 14, New American Symphonies unites Pugh with Grammy Award-winning engineer and producer Jim Anderson and acclaimed producer Ulrike Schwarz for the first-ever recording of Roy Harris’s long-lost trombone symphony, originally written for Dorsey in 1938. Captured in stunning Digital eXtreme Definition (DXD) and immersive audio at Power Station at BerkleeNYC, the album pairs the rediscovered Harris composition with Night Suite, a contemporary multi-movement work written specifically for Pugh by composer Scott Ninmer.
Bringing the piece to life required far more than a recording session. The project began with a years-long research effort that eventually led Pugh to the Library of Congress, where he uncovered Harris’s original manuscripts spread across several boxes of archival materials. There, he learned that Dorsey’s orchestra had rehearsed part of the work only once before abandoning it and that the music was never publicly performed.
“It’s really a magnificent piece of music,” says Pugh. “If you close your eyes and listen to the first movement, you can hear where jazz would eventually arrive some 35 or 40 years later, and if you pay attention to the back end, you can hear the roots of minimalism. It’s this remarkable little time capsule that slipped through the cracks of history.”
The recording revives a work by Roy Harris, best known for his Symphony No. 3, that remained unheard for nearly nine decades despite being written for one of the biggest stars of the Swing Era. For Pugh, whose career spans more than 4,000 recording sessions with artists including Steely Dan, Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, Tony Bennett, and Frank Sinatra, the project represents both a musical excavation and a deeply personal collaboration. The album reunites him withJim Anderson, whom he first met in a Pennsylvania school band more than sixty years ago.
While Pugh went on to become one of the most sought-after trombonists in contemporary music, Anderson emerged as one of the world’s leading audio engineers and producers, earning more than 30 Grammy nominations alongside his wife and longtime production partner, Ulrike Schwarz.
Recorded live with an all-star ensemble featuring musicians drawn from the worlds of jazz, classical music, Broadway, and studio recording, New American Symphonies reflects a shared commitment to artistic excellence and sonic innovation.
“If we can make the technology disappear, if our presence can be totally transparent, then we’ve done our job,” says Anderson. “Sure, we’re always trying to push the envelope, but ultimately our goal is to make timeless recordings with nothing standing between the listener and the musical experience.” That philosophy is realized throughout the album’s immersive production:“When you listen to this record, you’ll feel like you’re standing in the middle of the band, but also like they’re playing directly to you,” adds Schwarz. “It’s a completely immersive experience.”
Complementing Harris’s rediscovered work is Scott Ninmer’s Night Suite, composed specifically for Pugh by his former student who has since become Chief Arranger for The United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C.. Together, the two compositions create a sweeping portrait of American music spanning nearly a century, linking the symphonic ambitions of the 1930s to the creative voices of today.
The result is an album that bridges generations, genres, and technologies, honoring America’s musical past and pointing toward its future. The release will be celebrated with a special album event to follow on September 15 at Technica House in New York City.
For more information, please contact Taylor Perry (TPerry@ShoreFire.com).
ABOUT JIM PUGH
A distinguished performer, composer, and educator, Jim Pugh is one of the most sought-after trombonists in contemporary music, with a career encompassing more than 4,000 recording sessions with artists including Steely Dan, Yo-Yo Ma, Philip Glass, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, and Frank Sinatra. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Pugh toured with the Woody Herman Band and Chick Corea before becoming a first-call New York session musician. He has served as solo trombonist for Steely Dan since 2000 and is currently Distinguished Professor of Jazz Trombone at the University of Illinois.
ABOUT JIM ANDERSON & ULRIKE SCHWARZ
With more than 30 Grammy-nominated recordings and numerous international honors, Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz are among the most respected figures in contemporary audio engineering and production. Their immersive, high-resolution recordings have earned critical acclaim across the worlds of jazz, classical, film, and contemporary music. Anderson is Professor Emeritus at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, while Schwarz serves as President of the Verband Deutscher Tonmeister (Association of German Sound Professionals).