Younger brother to guitarist Kevin, who leads the Tonight Show band, and Robin, who plays with Elvin Jones and Dave Holland, as well as nephew to piano giant, Ray Bryant, Duane Eubanks is an emerging talent in his own right. The Philadelphia native was nurtured by a musical family, and musical talent may be in his genes. Duane played trumpet for the first time in the 6th grade but didn’t begin to think of music as a career until college. In addition to his University education, Duane took two years of private lessons with legendary trumpeter Johnny Coles.

Currently, Duane plays with the Illinois Jacquet Big Band, the Next Legacy Orchestra and the Oliver Lake Big Band. Duane sees value in working with big bands and observes that trumpeters historically come up through big bands before launching their solo careers. He believes theses experiences are part of the education necessary to develop as a mature and powerful leader.