Melba Liston(1926 — 1999)
Melba Liston
États-Unis
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Melba Liston (1926-1999) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger. A pioneer as a woman instrumentalist in the big bands of the bebop era, she collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, and above all the pianist Randy Weston.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born January 13, 1926, in Kansas City, Missouri; died April 23, 1999, in Los Angeles
- Joined Gerald Wilson's orchestra in the late 1940s, then toured with Dizzy Gillespie
- Accompanied Billie Holiday and played in the orchestras of Count Basie and Quincy Jones
- Became one of the few recognized women trombonists and arrangers of the bebop era
- Long artistic collaboration with the pianist Randy Weston beginning in the 1950s
Works & Achievements
Her only album as a bandleader, showcasing the trombone section and her own arrangements.
The first major project of her collaboration with pianist Randy Weston, for which she wrote the refined arrangements.
An ambitious suite celebrating African independence movements, set to texts by Langston Hughes and arranged entirely by Liston.
An album blending jazz with West African music, where her arrangements bridge the two musical worlds.
Another collaboration with Weston, extending their exploration of the links between jazz and African heritage.
A late, monumental work composed with Weston, regarded as a high point of their partnership.
Demanding scores written for the State Department's international tour, which cemented her reputation as an arranger.
Anecdotes
Melba Liston received her first trombone around the age of seven. Too shy to play in front of others, she taught herself almost entirely by ear, working the slide of an instrument bigger than she was. A few years later, she was already able to hold her own in adult orchestras.
In 1949, still very young, Melba went on tour through the American South with singer Billie Holiday. Faced with racial segregation, hostile audiences, and miserable pay, she became so discouraged that she left the music world for a time to take an office job.
When she joined Dizzy Gillespie's big band in 1956, several musicians grumbled at the idea of a woman joining the brass section. Gillespie then handed them the very difficult charts she had arranged herself. Unable to sight-read them on the first try, the men quickly realized who they were dealing with and respected her from then on.
In the 1970s, Melba Liston moved to Jamaica to teach at the Kingston music school. There she trained young musicians and passed on her skills as an arranger, proving that her talent reached far beyond the American stage.
After suffering a severe stroke in 1985, she lost the use of part of her body and could barely play the trombone anymore. Refusing to give up, she learned to compose and arrange with the help of a computer, continuing to create music until the end of her life.
Primary Sources
Gillespie recounts hiring Melba Liston as a trombonist and arranger, and describes how his male colleagues, skeptical at first, had to acknowledge the difficulty and quality of her arrangements.
The pianist Randy Weston, her lifelong artistic partner, presents Melba Liston as one of the greatest arrangers and composers in jazz, highlighting their long collaboration from Little Niles to The Spirits of Our Ancestors.
The only album recorded by Melba Liston as a bandleader, showcasing the trombone section and her own arrangements.
Key Places
Melba Liston's birthplace, an important hub for jazz and swing in the 1920s and 1930s.
The city of her teenage years and musical training, where she got her start in big bands and where she died in 1999.
The jazz capital where she played and arranged alongside Dizzy Gillespie and Randy Weston.
The city where she taught music in the 1970s and trained young musicians.