Founder of the Center City Jazz Festival, Ernest Stuart stud- ied jazz at Temple University in Philadelphia, where he began to make a name for himself as a versatile trombonist of jazz, salsa, R & B, neo-soul, and hip-hop with such artists as The Roots, Jaguar Wright, and Orrin Evans. Since moving to New York, he has played at the Village Vanguard, the Iridium, and Blue Note, and has shared the stage with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, among others. Stuart is also a member of the New York–based bhangra funk band Red Baraat.