Jim Robinson (trombonist)

Jim Robinson
Robinson (left) in June 1950
Robinson (left) in June 1950
Background information
Birth nameNathan Robinson
Also known asBig Jim Robinson
BornDecember 25, 1892
Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedMay 4, 1976 (aged 83)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
GenresJazz
InstrumentsTrombone

Big Jim Robinson (born Nathan; December 25, 1892 – May 4, 1976) was an American jazz musician, based in New Orleans, renowned for his deep, wide-toned, robust "tailgate" style of trombone playing, using the slide to achieve a wide swoop between two notes (a technique that classical musicians call "glissando") and rhythmic effects.

Biography

Born Nathan Robinson in Deer Range, a small settlement on the west bank of lower Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, Robinson studied music under James Brown Humphrey.

Robinson arrived in New Orleans looking for work shortly before the 1915 New Orleans hurricane, which wiped out his home town of Deer Range, and prompted Robinson to settle in the city.[1] In his youth, he got the nickname "Jim Crow" because of his facial features, which resembled a Native American.[2] He was playing professionally in his twenties, from World War I on. In the 1920s, he made his first recordings as a member of the Sam Morgan Jazz Band. He gained greater fame with the resurgence of interest in early New Orleans jazz starting in the 1940s as a regular member of the bands of Bunk Johnson and George Lewis. Occasionally, he also led his own band and appeared regularly at Preservation Hall in his later years.

Robinson's widely-recognized style was influential with many later traditional and New Orleans-style jazz trombonists in the United States and Europe. California trombonist Frank Demond assimilated Robinson’s style thoroughly and took his place in the Preservation Hall groups after Robinson’s death. Robinson also tutored Big Bill Bissonnette. (The latter did not quite take, although Bissonnette did produce many recordings of the veteran musicians of New Orleans.)

Robinson's signature tune, "Ice Cream", was requested at almost all personal appearances after his virtuoso performance of the number in an American Music Records recording made in the 1940s. He also was known for promoting audience participation—especially encouraging dancing whenever feasible.

Jim Robinson died of cancer at the Touro Infirmary in New Orleans.[3]

Discography

  • New Orleans: The Living Legends (Riverside)
  • Classic New Orleans Jazz Vol. 2 From The Rare Center Series (Biograph, 1993, 2007)

References

  1. ^ Bruce Boyd Raeburn (2007). ""They're Tryin' to Wash Us Away": New Orleans Musicians Surviving Katrina". Journal of American History. pp. 812–819. Archived from the original on 2012-04-29.
  2. ^ Ashforth, Alden (2001). "Robinson, Jim". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5.‎
  3. ^ "Jim Robinson Is Dead at 86; Trombonist With Jazz Bands". The New York Times. 1976-05-05. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-24.