About
Ethan Santos is a Filipino-American multi-instrumentalist based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Influenced by the sounds of Jazz, R&B and Hip Hop, Ethan’s performed as a bandleader at venues such as The Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival, The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, the San Joaquin Valley Jazz Festival, Royal Frenchmen Hotel & Bar, the New Orleans Jazz Market, Howlin' Wolf and Lucy's Lounge. They're an avid sideman who’s translated their craft on trombone to a wide array of musical environments; these musical acts include performing with/alongside the likes of Ralph Peterson (DC Jazz Festival/Scullers Jazz Club), Big Red Machine (Boston Calling), Tia Fuller (Next Generation Jazz Festival), the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Tahiti Soul and Jazz Festival) and The Berklee Silent Film Orchestra (San Francisco Silent Film Festival). Ethan's work as a tenor and bass trombonist at the BSFO also involved recording the new soundtrack on an NBCUniversal StudiosPost 4K restoration of the 1928 silent film The Man Who Laughs. Additional film score credits include Abominable and the Invincible City and Mercury Corp. Their adaptive musicianship was developed during their time as a Presidential Scholar at Berklee College of Music from 2016-2019; it was here that he had the pleasure of working with the likes of Phil Wilson, Marshall Gilkes, Gary Burton, Danilo Perez, Ralph Peterson, Tia Fuller and Robert Glasper.
After their time in Boston, Ethan moved to Los Angeles and played trombone, bass trombone and flute for the likes of Bob Mintzer, Ricky Peterson, George Stone, Barbara Morrison, Luciana Souza, Flight of Voices, Printz Board, Cody Simpson, Adrian Cota, Trevor Wesley, sonofsteve, ILYS, Lucy Clearwater, MONIX, Perta, Elios Key and Shelby 5. While in Los Angeles, Ethan completed their M.M. in Jazz Studies at the USC Thornton School of Music under the mentorship of Russell Ferrante, Peter Erskine, Ruslan Sirota, Andy Martin, Vince Mendoza and Bob Mintzer. Since moving to New Orleans in 2021, Ethan has performed with Trumpet Mafia, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Ashlin Parker, Adonis Rose, Nicholas Payton, Leroy Jones, Jamil Sharif, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Cyrille Aimée, Wes "Warmdaddy" Anderson, Nikki Glaspie, Tank and the Bangas, and Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience.
As a fervent educator amongst their musical communities, Ethan has taught at the KIDmunity and the California Arts Academy’s summer programs, the New Orleans Creative Center for the Arts at clinics at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival, Buchanan Educational Center and Bullard High School. They extend this pedagogical practice by offering transcriptions of solos and songs, which can be viewed on Instagram and YouTube. Ethan currently serves as an adjunct professor at Tulane University and teaches private lessons.
