Jim Robinson, also known as Big Jim Robinson (December 25, 1892 – May 4, 1976) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

musician, based in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, renowned for his deep, wide-toned, robust "tailgate" style of

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

playing, using the slide to achieve a wide swoop between two notes (a technique that classical musicians call "glissando") and rhythmic effects.

Early life

Born Nathan Robinson in Deer Range, a small settlement on the west bank of lower

Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana Plaquemines Parish (; French language, French: ''Paroisse de Plaquemine'', Louisiana French: ''Paroisse des Plaquemines'', es, Parroquia de Caquis) is a Parish (subnational entity), parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a populat ...

, Robinson studied music under James Brown Humphrey.

Career

Robinson arrived in New Orleans looking for work shortly before the

1915 New Orleans hurricane The New Orleans Hurricane of 1915 was an intense Category 4 hurricane that made landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana, and the most intense tropical cyclone during the 1915 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm formed in late September when it moved ...

, which wiped out his home town of Deer Range, and prompted Robinson to settle in the city. In his youth, he got the nickname "Jim Crow" because of his facial features, which resembled a Native American. He was playing professionally in his twenties, from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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 Willie Gary "Bunk" Johnson (December 27, 1879 – July 7, 1949) was an American prominent jazz trumpeter in New Orleans. Johnson gave the year of his birth as 1879, although there is speculation that he may have been younger by as much as a dec ...

and

George Lewis George Lewis may refer to: Entertainment and art * George B. W. Lewis (1818–1906), circus rider and theatre manager in Australia * George E. Lewis (born 1952), American composer and free jazz trombonist * George J. Lewis (1903–1995), Mexica ...

. Occasionally, he also led his own band and appeared regularly at

Preservation Hall Preservation Hall is a jazz venue in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. The building is associated with a house band, a record label, and a non-profit foundation. History of the jazz hall In the 1950s, art dealer Larry Borenstein f ...

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 Big Bill Bissonnette (February 5, 1937 – June 26, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist, drummer, and record producer. He was a strong advocate of New Orleans jazz as played by veteran African-American musicians. In the 1960s, he led his ow ...

. (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 Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...

", was requested at almost all personal appearances after his virtuoso performance of the number in an

American Music Records American Music Records is a jazz record company and label that was established by Bill Russell in 1944. Russell produced new recordings and reissues, concentrating on New Orleans jazz musicians such as Bunk Johnson, George Lewis, Baby Dodds, an ...

recording made in the 1940s. He also was known for promoting audience participation—especially encouraging dancing whenever feasible.

Personal life

Jim Robinson died of cancer at the

Touro Infirmary Touro Infirmary is a non-profit hospital located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded by Judah Touro in 1852, it is a part of the LCMC Health System. Organization Touro Infirmary is affiliated with the Louisiana State University Health Science ...

in New Orleans.

Discography

* ''New Orleans: The Living Legends'' (

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

) * ''Classic New Orleans Jazz Vol. 2 From The Rare Center Series'' ( Biograph, 1993, 2007)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Jim Jazz musicians from New Orleans American jazz trombonists Male trombonists Riverside Records artists People from Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana 1892 births 1976 deaths Deaths from cancer in Louisiana 20th-century American musicians 20th-century trombonists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Preservation Hall Jazz Band members Tuxedo Brass Band members Young Tuxedo Brass Band members 20th-century African-American musicians