Jim Robinson

Jim Robinson stood out among New Orleans trombonists for his steady reliability, rarely matching the inconsistencies that plagued many of his bandmates and seldom showing signs of an uneven performance. As an early figure in jazz, he first handled guitar during childhood before taking up the trombone in 1917 at age 24, during his World War I service in France. By 1919 he had begun performing in New Orleans alongside Kid Rena, the Golden Leaf Band, and the Tuxedo Band. In 1923 he entered the Morgan band, which later cut sides under Sam Morgan’s direction in 1927. For many years he remained a constant presence on the local scene, appearing with assorted groups while holding daytime employment as a longshoreman throughout the 1930s. Robinson participated in Kid Rena’s 1940 session and, in 1942, entered Bunk Johnson’s ensemble, where he first encountered George Lewis. He came back to New Orleans with Lewis in 1946 and remained a central member of Lewis’ widely admired group through the 1950s and 1960s, traveling internationally and committing numerous recordings to tape. During the 1970s he served as the leading voice in the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and continued performing until his death at 83. As a leader he documented sessions for AM in 1944, Riverside in 1961, Atlantic, Pearl, Jazz Crusade, and Smoky Mary in January 1976.