Eric is “a formidable trombonist” with a “voice smooth enough to merit Connick comparisons,” writes JazzTimes. Critics have compared Eric’s “singing to that of Michael Bublé or Harry Connick,” notes Donald Clarke, author of The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. “But worthy as those gentlemen are, I find Eric Felton Orchestra’s singing more charming, more personal, more intimate, as though one of your best buddies could sing. He is a crooner with style.”

Based now in Washington, DC, Eric grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, where he began studying trombone at age nine with his grandfather, a veteran of east-coast bands from the Swing Era.  At 24, Eric was named best new jazz trombonist by the International Trombone Association. He moved to Washington in 1989, and in 1990 formed the Eric Felton Orchestra, a big band known for its interpretations of the music of Frank Sinatra, Nat “King” Cole, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, and Benny Goodman, among other greats of the big band era.

Penguin Guide to Jazz declared that Eric “has the music in his genes…a more than promising talent, he’s a man we’re going to hear a lot more about.”

 Eric starred, with his big band, in The Big Band Sound of WWII, a concert special for public television. The overwhelming response from television audiences across the country demonstrated the enduring power and appeal of classic American popular music. And it showed why PBS calls Eric a “renowned crooner and bandleader.” The program has been seen by over 15 million viewers.

QUARTET

“Intimate, relaxed, and cocktail-chic,” this charming small band showcases Eric’s talents as a singer of “hip and clubby, Tony Bennett-style standards” [Washington Flyer]. Music of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin and other masters of American popular song.
Fly Me To The Moon
The Way You Look Tonight
Our Love Is Here to Stay
Blue Skies

JAZZ ORCHESTRA

The classic 14-piece swing dance band. Eric sings hits from Frank Sinatra, Nat ‘King’ Cole, and Bobby Darin, featuring the original big band arrangements of Nelson Riddle, Billy May, and Quincy Jones. The EFO also “sets a standard not easily matched,” [Washington Post] in its performance of music from the great bands of the Big Band Era–Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and more.

In The Mood
Saturday Night Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week
As Time Goes By
You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To
Take the ‘A’ Train
We’ll Meet Again
Watch What Happens
Accentuate The Positive