Ryan Porter (born July 31, 1979, in Los Angeles, California; died May 16, 2026) was an American jazz and funk musician (trombone, arrangement).

Porter began learning the trombone when he developed an interest in jazz music at the age of ten. During his high school years, he took music lessons and played in a marching band as well as in a jazz ensemble led by his schoolmate Kamasi Washington. One of his mentors (alongside Roy Hargrove) was Billy Higgins, who invited him to participate in jazz workshops and jam sessions. On a scholarship, he moved to New York to study at the Manhattan School of Music, where he took lessons with David Taylor and Steve Turre.

After completing his studies in 2001, Porter returned to Los Angeles, where he quickly established himself within the music scene; his work included collaborations with Snoop Dogg, Stevie Wonder, Rihanna, Kanye West, and Nick Cave, as well as stints as a musician on TV shows such as *American Idol* and *The Voice*. Porter also played in the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, contributing to their albums *Live at MCG* (2004) and *Dear Mr. Sinatra* (2005, featuring John Pizzarelli). In the years that followed, he worked with Ben Dowling, Stix Hooper, Henry Franklin, and the West Coast Get Down—a collective of jazz, hip-hop, and funk musicians that included Kamasi Washington (*The Epic*), Cameron Graves (*Planetary Prince*, 2010), and Miles Mosley (*Uprising*). These sessions yielded three productions released under his own name: *The Optimist* (2017), *Spangle-Lang Lane* (2018), and *Force for Good* (2019); for *Spangle-Lang Lane*, he blended classic children's songs and nursery rhymes with arrangements influenced by jazz, soul, and R&B.[1] Within the jazz genre, he participated in 21 recording sessions between 2004 and 2017.

Porter passed away on May 16, 2026, succumbing to injuries sustained in a traffic accident on April 28 of the same year.

Ryan Porter Feat. The West Coast Get Down - 6 (New Morning - Paris - October 17th 2019)

Ryan Porter "The Instrumental Hip-Hoppa"