MEET THE ARTIST

Alan Kaplan

Los Angeles studio trombonist, soloist and lead player whose sound has traveled through records, film, television and large ensembles.

Kaplan's command is heard in the shape of a phrase and the center of a section. The lead chair sets character for everyone around it while leaving the music room to move.

Official artist site →

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Alan Kaplan · live at JAX

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WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW THEM

Listen from the lead trombone out.

THE SOUND

A studio voice with range.

Kaplan's official biography documents a wide Los Angeles recording career across artists and media.

THE CHAIR

Lead means shape.

In The BBB, articulation and register from the lead chair define the trombone section's collective profile.

THE RETURN

January to October 2026.

Two Campus JAX broadcasts let listeners recognize that organizing voice across performances.

THE STORY

The line that organizes the section.

Alan Kaplan is one of the defining studio trombone voices in Los Angeles. His career spans records, film and television sessions, but the essential quality is audible without a credit list: command of sound, time and register, with the flexibility to make the trombone fit radically different musical worlds. In The BBB, that experience becomes section leadership. The lead trombone chair carries more than volume; it establishes shape, articulation and character for the entire row. Kaplan's own work as a solo artist also keeps the expressive voice of the instrument in the foreground. Campus JAX documents Kaplan with The BBB on January 11 and October 4, 2026. The return is the point: the first broadcast introduces the sound, and the second lets listeners recognize how that sound organizes the section around it.

LIVE AT JAX

The Room Comes Alive.

START HERE · LIVE PERFORMANCE · CAMPUS JAX APPEARANCE · Oct 4, 2026

The BBB Featuring Bernie Dresel — Live from Campus JAX

JAX HISTORY

Alan Kaplan at Campus JAX

A selective history of live performances and appearances, preserved across visits to the room.

FROM THE ARCHIVE

Previous JAX moments

REPLAY · Oct 4, 6:30 PM

The BBB Featuring Bernie Dresel

Blistering big band jazz with rockabilly fire