Altin Sencalar
Altin Sencalar is a trombonist, composer and educator. A Yamaha Performing Artist and Posi-Tone Records artist, Sencalar is both a commanding bandleader and a sought-after sideman. His wide-ranging résumé includes performances with jazz luminaries such as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Rodney Whitaker, David Sanborn, and Michael Bublé, as well as Motown legends the Temptations and the Four Tops.
Drawing on his Mexican and Turkish heritage, Sencalar infuses contemporary jazz with folkloric traditions from both cultures. The result is a sound that is deeply personal, sharply focused, and globally resonant.
The International Trombone Association Journal praised Sencalar for his “brilliance in sound with crystal-clear articulations and impressive control of the wide possibilities of the instrument.” All About Jazz described his tone as “full-bodied, weighty, and expansive,” adding that “Sencalar’s improvisations are rich in detail, balancing in-the-moment discoveries and adherence to the demands of the material.” In a four-star review of his 2025 album Unleashed, DownBeat’s Ted Panken called him “a crushingly strong player, whether gobbling changes at high velocities or portraying emotional vulnerability.”
Born in 1994 in Fremont, California, and raised in Temple, Texas, Sencalar picked up the trombone at age 11. He began his studies at Texas State University, where he studied euphonium and trombone under Austin jazz stalwart Freddie Mendoza. Early mentors included trombonist Elliott Mason and trumpeter Marcus Printup. In 2014, Sencalar transferred to the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied with Andre Hayward — lead trombonist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Later that year, he met acclaimed trombonist Michael Dease, who invited him to audition for Michigan State University. Accepted into the program, Sencalar soon became Dease’s teaching assistant — a pivotal step into the professional jazz world. He went on to perform with Christian McBride’s big band and tour with the official lineups of the Temptations and the Four Tops.
Sencalar self-released his debut, Introducing Altin Sencalar, in 2017. He followed it with a co-led album with tubist Chris Glassman, Realization (2020); Reconnected (2021); and Live at Monks Jazz (2022). At a crossroads between a tenure-track educational position in Texas or moving to New York City, Sencalar chose the latter. Within hours of signing his lease, he was offered to tour with singer Michael Bublé — joining a horn section composed largely of fellow Michigan State alumni. After seven months on the road, he signed with Posi-Tone Records and released his label debut, In Good Standing (2023), following up with Discover the Present (2024), and Unleashed (2025). His latest album Natural Rhythm (2026) features unorthodox instrument groupings and arrangements, along with different styles of Latin Jazz.
A dedicated educator, Sencalar has held appointments at Central Texas College, University of Mary-Hardin Baylor, Iona University, Missouri State University and San Francisco Conservatory. He joined the Thompson Jazz Studies faculty at University of Colorado Boulder in the fall of 2025 as assistant teaching professor of jazz studies.
In his young thirties, Sencalar is now a loving husband, parent of two young children, devoted dog lover, and an artist driven by vision and conviction — constantly moving forward in music and life. “Consistency, awareness, and intention,” he says. “That’s what I live my life by in everything that I do.”
Altin Sencalar is a trombonist, composer and educator. A Yamaha Performing Artist and Posi-Tone Records artist, Sencalar is both a commanding bandleader and a sought-after sideman. His wide-ranging résumé includes performances with jazz luminaries such as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Rodney Whitaker, David Sanborn, and Michael Bublé, as well as Motown legends the Temptations and the Four Tops.
Drawing on his Mexican and Turkish heritage, Sencalar infuses contemporary jazz with folkloric traditions from both cultures. The result is a sound that is deeply personal, sharply focused, and globally resonant.
The International Trombone Association Journal praised Sencalar for his “brilliance in sound with crystal-clear articulations and impressive control of the wide possibilities of the instrument.” All About Jazz described his tone as “full-bodied, weighty, and expansive,” adding that “Sencalar’s improvisations are rich in detail, balancing in-the-moment discoveries and adherence to the demands of the material.” In a four-star review of his 2025 album Unleashed, DownBeat’s Ted Panken called him “a crushingly strong player, whether gobbling changes at high velocities or portraying emotional vulnerability.”
Born in 1994 in Fremont, California, and raised in Temple, Texas, Sencalar picked up the trombone at age 11. He began his studies at Texas State University, where he studied euphonium and trombone under Austin jazz stalwart Freddie Mendoza. Early mentors included trombonist Elliott Mason and trumpeter Marcus Printup. In 2014, Sencalar transferred to the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied with Andre Hayward — lead trombonist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Later that year, he met acclaimed trombonist Michael Dease, who invited him to audition for Michigan State University. Accepted into the program, Sencalar soon became Dease’s teaching assistant — a pivotal step into the professional jazz world. He went on to perform with Christian McBride’s big band and tour with the official lineups of the Temptations and the Four Tops.
Sencalar self-released his debut, Introducing Altin Sencalar, in 2017. He followed it with a co-led album with tubist Chris Glassman, Realization (2020); Reconnected (2021); and Live at Monks Jazz (2022). At a crossroads between a tenure-track educational position in Texas or moving to New York City, Sencalar chose the latter. Within hours of signing his lease, he was offered to tour with singer Michael Bublé — joining a horn section composed largely of fellow Michigan State alumni. After seven months on the road, he signed with Posi-Tone Records and released his label debut, In Good Standing (2023), following up with Discover the Present (2024), and Unleashed (2025). His latest album Natural Rhythm (2026) features unorthodox instrument groupings and arrangements, along with different styles of Latin Jazz.
A dedicated educator, Sencalar has held appointments at Central Texas College, University of Mary-Hardin Baylor, Iona University, Missouri State University and San Francisco Conservatory. He joined the Thompson Jazz Studies faculty at University of Colorado Boulder in the fall of 2025 as assistant teaching professor of jazz studies.
In his young thirties, Sencalar is now a loving husband, parent of two young children, devoted dog lover, and an artist driven by vision and conviction — constantly moving forward in music and life. “Consistency, awareness, and intention,” he says. “That’s what I live my life by in everything that I do.”