$15 / 7:30 doors / 8pm start / seated
Trombonist, composer, and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jim Connolly premieres his new suite, “War Is a Racket,” on August 30th, the anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and what was declared the official “end” of the war.
The suite, featuringTrombone, a string quartet and jazz trio, takes its name from the 1935 anti-war manifesto by General Smedley Butler, one of the most decorated Marines in American history. Drawing inspiration not only from Butler’s searing critique of military profiteering but also from the poetry of Bertolt Brecht’s War Primer and the personal stories of fellow veterans, Connolly’s music grapples with the realities of military service, peacetime and wartime, the emotional burden of leaving it behind, and the narratives used to justify seemingly endless wars.
Starting at first as a reflection on his own service, Jim’s “War Is a Racket” blossomed into something else entirely. Something that confronts the true cost conflict and service.
Originally from the Hudson Valley region of New York, Jim Connolly is currently a Boston based Trombonist and composer. Jim holds a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Composition from Berklee College of Music, where he studied with Ayn Inserto and Greg Hopkins, and a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Frank Carlberg, Ken Schaphorst Anna Webber and Kalia Vandever.
Before earning his degrees, Jim served 5 years in the Marine Corps Band, where he served as a bass trombone instrumentalist and Assistant Enlisted Conductor with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Band.
With his music, Jim aims to sculpt unique soundscapes that entice both listeners and improvisers to carve their own narrative in the music.