Spears, Maurice

He is a trombonist, music copyist and teacher born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, whose brother is the trombonist Louie Spears and whose parents owned a cafe where many jazz musicians would play.

He began playing the trombone, guitar and piano when he was about twelve years old and then decided to concentrate on the trombone, which would become the instrument he would gain recognition for. Taking his further studies in music education he studied at the University of Langton, Oklahoma, and moved to the University of Oklahoma to take graduate studies. Further training in music came from the Navy School of Music in Washington when he attended the Army Element there while doing his military service in the US Army.

He led his own band by the time he was 27 and they would play in local clubs and venues and often back up artists that came to the area and as his successful career in music progressed he has worked in most forms of the entertainment industry such as television, Broadway, film, commercials, concerts and recordings.

Performing as a group member or session musician during the course of his career, he has worked with artists that include Herb Alpert, George Bohannon, Ray Charles Orchestra, Paulinho da Costa, Earth, Wind & Fire, Cass Elliott, The Gap Band, LaToya Jackson, Carole King, Hugh Masakela, Carmen McRae, Eddie Murphy, Don Myrick, John Pizzarelli, Lou Rawls Diana Ross and Jackie Wilson.

In recent years he has been heard as a member of BoneSoir and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. The countless albums he features on include 16 Most Requested Songs by Teresa Brewer, Call Me Irresponsible by Michael Buble, I Love You So by Natalie Cole, Heart and Soul by the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Everything Must Change by Randy Crawford, Golden Years by The Crusaders, In My Lifetime by Neil Diamond, I Am by Earth, Wind & Fire, The Best of My Love by The Emotions, Fourever by The Four Tops, The Gap Band, Nashville Rebel by Waylon Jennings, Roots by Quincy Jones, Simple Things by Carole King, Before Me by Gladys Knight, From This Moment On by Diana Krall, Trav’lin’ Light by Queen Latifah, Devotion by L.T.D., Dear Mr. Sinatra by John Pizzarelli, Lady Sings the Blues by Diana Ross, Watch Out by Patrice Rushen, It Only Takes a Minute by Tavares and the soundtracks of Hoodlum and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. As a musical copyist he has gained recognition on an international level and has done work for numerous acts such as the American Jazz Philharmonic, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Dr. John, Lena Horne, Diana Krall, Peggy Lee, L.T.D. and many others as well as doing the music preparation for many albums by Phil Collins.

In the field of musical education he has taught in Oklahoma City schools and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

In recognition for his contribution in music he was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 2004.

The Gap Band recordings
Baby Baba Boogie (Lonnie Simmons/Charlie Wilson)

He performs here with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and John Pizzarelli on “Squatty Roo”…

Sources:

Spears, Maurice

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