Ray Anthony’s musical rebirth over the past 15 years as leader of the Albuquerque , NM based ensemble Ray Anthony & PowerSlyde is a classic example of the reality that , no matter how far or how long one strays from their musical dreams and destiny , the passion can always return. The multi - talented composer , producer and trombonist’s professional career got off to a quick , grooving start , with him joining the horn section of and hitting the road with the seven - piece Chicago funk based band Sneak Preview. For several action - packed years , he and the group played an average of six nights a week in and around the Windy City and toured the Midwest and South.

Economic changes in the industry back then led to budget cutbacks at popular venues , and when Sneak Preview could no longer afford a horn section , Anthony returned to the Southwest. After playing with local bands for a time , he decided it made more practical economic sense to build a life outside of music , building a steady career in the electric utility business , serving for mamy years as a high voltage substation journeyman electrician while rasing a wonderful family. Decades later in 2007 , taking stock of the technology boom , the downloading era and the new ways fans were experiencing music , Anthony dusted off his horn bought a keyboard and started writting music.

While getting his playing chops back up to speed , he reached out to former bandmates he had played with back in the day. In addition to the handful who were interested in making music again , Anthony invited other local players he knew to be part of his project Ray Anthony & PowerSlyde. Though Albuquerque at that time was generally a rock and roll and spanish music town , he was inspired by the many jazz musicans and jazz - friendly venues around town. His one caveat was that PowerSlyde would play only original material. The band developed into a popular regularly performing act , gigging several times a month for years until the pandemic. Things are slowly getting up to speed again.

Considering the band’s high energy urban jazz vibe , it was only a matter of time before top names in smooth jazz took notice. When Ray Anthony & PowerSlyde opened up a local concert for Steve Oliver , the # 1 Billboard charting guitarist was so impressed that he invited the group to his home studio to record their 2017 debut album (appropriately titled Have Fun) with Oliver lending his hit - making production skills. A few years down the road , the pandemic downtime gave Anthony time to gather tunes for a follow up EP.

Another multiple # 1 Billboard charting smooth jazz guitarist and producer , Nils , caught the trombonist’s attention via Nils weekly streaming Saturday Night Sessions. Not long after Anthony reached out to Nils and sent him the tracks , the guitarist was on board and the two were sending music files back and forth , building tracks for Ray Anthony & PowerSlyde’s new EP U Got Dis. The project’s five tracks are written by Anthony (with additional composition by Nils) and produced by the guitarist , who adds his fresh rhythm and electric guitar energy. Bringing some of his A - list studio cats on board to bring the tunes to the next level - including Nils on (guitar) , Darryl Williams (bass) , Johnny Britt (trumpet & rhodes) , Leon Bisquera (rhodes & B3) , Oliver Brown (percussion) , Gordon Campbel and Eric Valentine (drums). The new EP U Got Dis is a spirited , infectious collection that should not only help Anthony realize his goal of getting on the radar of festival and venue talent buyers , but also establish him as an impactful charting artist moving forward.” - Jonathan Widran