When people think of jazz music, the saxophone and the trumpet are often the first two instruments that spring to mind.

Jay Vonada wants to change that. He’s been loyal to the trombone for about 20 years, ever since the sixth grade.

“It’s different for everybody,” said Vonada, who lives in Aaronsburg. “But I guess for me ... I can express myself on that instrument.”

Vonada plans to release his second CD, “Red Pajamas,” later this month with Alex Sell playing the organ and Kevin Lowe playing the drums.

He’ll be playing multiple gigs in Centre County this month, including two in Millheim: at the Green Drake Gallery and Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18, and at the Elk Creek Cafe and Aleworks at 4 p.m. Jan. 29.

“He’s really studied the instrument and plays in a lot of different bands,” said Karl Leitzel, managing partner at the art gallery. “It’ll be a unique kind of performance.”

Tim Bowser, owner of the Elk Creek Cafe, has seen Vonada perform the trombone several times with various groups.

“It’s a pretty critical instrument. Duke Ellington had a whole row of trombone players.

Charles Mingus — sometimes he had more trombones than trumpets in his bigger ensembles,” said Bowser. “It’s usually regarded as an auxiliary position, but it can be a lead position.”

The trombone wasn’t Vonada’s first instrument. In second grade, he played the piano.

He made the switch in sixth grade.

“It was my dad’s trombone in the attic that I started playing on, and it’s actually the trombone that I play on now,” said Vonada. “It’s a really good horn.”

As a Penns Valley Area High School student, he made all-state band as a junior.

He did even better his senior year, making both all-state and all-Eastern bands. It was as a student at Mansfield University in north-central Pennsylvania that he got hooked on jazz.

One of his biggest influences was the late J.J. Johnson, who trombonist Steve Turre once said “did for the trombone what Charlie Parker did for the saxophone. He put it into a new existence.”

Johnson’s credited with showing that the trombone could be played in the fasttempoed bebop style. Vonada heard one of his CDs during a jazz class in college.

“He gave me a bug for learning how to improvise,” said Vonada.

For more information on Vonada’s upcoming performances or on his CD, visit www.jayvonada.net. Ed Mahon writes about news from the Penns and Brush Valley regions. He can be reached at 231-4619 or emahon@centredaily.com.