Third Side Music Signs Legendary Trombonist Phil Ranelin To Worldwide Admin Deal

Legendary trombonist Phil Ranelin is not only celebrating his 82nd birthday this week, but also the signing of his first ever publishing deal (in his decades-long career) with Third Side Music.

Known as an unsung hero in the late 60s / early-mid 70s Detroit underground jazz scene (where he started out as a session player for Motown artists such as Stevie Wonder), Phil Ranelin famously formed Tribe Records, a collective with Wendell Harrison that "used experimental jazz as a vehicle to raise African-American political consciousness". Off the back of seminal Tribe releases such as Message From The Tribe (1971) and Vibes From The Tribe (1976), Ranelin relocated to LA in the mid-80s and began working with the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Roy Ayers, Billy Higgins, and Horace Tapscott.

This year, Ranelin's Tribe discography has seen a long-awaited re-issue in collaboration with Now-Again and Vinyl Me Please, entitled The Story of Tribe Records. Ranelin is also currently working with filmmaker Stephen Auerbach on the documentary of frequent collaborator, Freddie Hubbard.

"Phil Ranelin is hands down one of the greatest musicians alive," says Third Side Music's Alex Kelman. "He has dedicated his life to the pursuit of excellence in creativity, originality and spiritually and it's a real honor to be the first ever publisher he's chosen to work with."

"I'm truly excited and absolutely looking forward to a long, fruitful, and financially rewarding relationship with Third Side Music," says Ranelin.

Phil Ranelin joins Third Side Music's roster of artists such as SOFI TUKKER, BadBadNotGood, Future Islands, Courtney Barnett, Flying Lotus, Kurt Vile, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Blonde Redhead, and The Cinematic Orchestra, as well as legacy catalogs such as The Clyde Otis Music Group, Studio One, Pharoah Sanders, Galt MacDermot, Soundway, and more.