Tony Lada is an accomplished trombonist devoted to extending the J.J. Johnson legacy of bebop trombone playing. Lada started listening early to Johnson and while his vocabulary has remained true to that inspiration, Lada developed a more pronounced articulation, with each note sounded with a near explosive pop. Unlike those who have sought to extend the range of the horn and develop new techniques, he has shaped his work around long, clear eighth-note lines centered on the middle register.

A native of Webster, MA, nearby Boston, Tony Lada showed early promise. At 16 he was a featured soloist with the Milford Youth Orchestra under the direction of Boots Mussulli. Having decided to make a career of music, Lada attended Berklee College of Music in nearby Boston. But he didn't wait to graduate to go on the road. While at Berklee, he went on the road during the summer with the Glenn Miller ghost band led by clarinetist Buddy DeFranco and the Woody Herman Band and took a hiatus from college in 1970 to go on the road with the Buddy Rich Orchestra. After his stint with Rich, Lada returned to Berklee, graduating in 1973 and taking a teaching job at the college where he remained for more than 28 years. He stayed active professionally in the Boston area doing jazz, including playing lead trombone with the Greg Hopkins Big Band and theater work as well as leading his own rehearsal big band as well as teaching at the Jazz Vermont. He has recorded two albums on his own Sterling Bell Records label and on Vee Records. ~ David Dupont, All Music Guide