Biography
Among jazz performers, trajectories sometimes embody genuine explorations across geographic locales and sonic landscapes alike, and trombonist Lou Blackburn stands as an ideal case. Dismissing him merely as one more mainstream jazz trombonist who shifted toward Afro-pop overlooks the actual path he followed—from his Pittsburgh origins to expatriate status as a jazz musician in Europe, and onward from mainstream jazz to Mombassa—which offers a compelling model of personal growth realized through trombone improvisation.
Blackburn developed an early passion for music that aided his navigation of both collegiate routines and military discipline. Following his discharge in 1956, he began performing with Charlie Ventura and thereby forged a lasting tie to the West Coast scene. His California years extended well beyond leisure; whenever a significant jazz occasion arose, Blackburn was typically involved rather than peripheral. One such instance appears on the modern jazz classic Mingus at Monterey, where he joined an expanded horn section—including trumpeters Bobby Bryant and Melvin Moore, Red Callender on tuba, and Buddy Collette on alto sax and flute—for the demanding “Meditations on Integration” arrangement. He also recorded under his own name with Horace Tapscott at the piano, and the later reissue has furnished valuable insight into Tapscott’s developing approach.
Already seasoned by the time of his Tapscott association, Blackburn had refined his trombone technique during late-’50s travels with Lionel Hampton’s extensively booked ensemble, which undertook prolonged runs of one-nighters across Europe and North Africa. In 1960 he entered the band of trumpeter Cat Anderson, a connection that eventually returned him to Duke Ellington’s classic big band for eight months in 1961, portions of which were spent in Columbia’s recording studios. He subsequently relocated to California, taking on film-studio work while also exposing his trombone slide to the pull of pop music.
At this juncture Blackburn’s credits expanded into fresh territory, encompassing sessions with the Turtles, the Righteous Brothers, and the Beach Boys—the last of these finding him contributing to “Good Vibrations” without drawing attention from the theremin. Additional imaginative endeavors included the David Amram date for the film The Manchurian Candidate, which assembled a first-rate orchestra from symphony soloists, chamber players, Latin musicians, and jazz figures such as reed and flute specialist Paul Horn, robust-toned tenor Harold Land, low-register reed player Jack Nimitz, and trombonist Dick Leith alongside Blackburn. Amram himself surprised the film’s producers by stepping away from the podium to deliver improvised solos on French horn and piano.
During the ’70s Blackburn pursued yet another shift. He settled in Europe, initially directing ensembles from Berlin and later from Switzerland. He established the group Mombassa, whose arrangements carried pronounced African elements and whose personnel drew from several African nations, allowing African musical influences to become increasingly evident in his own playing over successive years. He further worked with European jazz musicians such as Wolfgang Köhler in settings like the Lou Blackburn International Quartet, which leaned toward a progressive jazz orientation.
Blackburn developed an early passion for music that aided his navigation of both collegiate routines and military discipline. Following his discharge in 1956, he began performing with Charlie Ventura and thereby forged a lasting tie to the West Coast scene. His California years extended well beyond leisure; whenever a significant jazz occasion arose, Blackburn was typically involved rather than peripheral. One such instance appears on the modern jazz classic Mingus at Monterey, where he joined an expanded horn section—including trumpeters Bobby Bryant and Melvin Moore, Red Callender on tuba, and Buddy Collette on alto sax and flute—for the demanding “Meditations on Integration” arrangement. He also recorded under his own name with Horace Tapscott at the piano, and the later reissue has furnished valuable insight into Tapscott’s developing approach.
Already seasoned by the time of his Tapscott association, Blackburn had refined his trombone technique during late-’50s travels with Lionel Hampton’s extensively booked ensemble, which undertook prolonged runs of one-nighters across Europe and North Africa. In 1960 he entered the band of trumpeter Cat Anderson, a connection that eventually returned him to Duke Ellington’s classic big band for eight months in 1961, portions of which were spent in Columbia’s recording studios. He subsequently relocated to California, taking on film-studio work while also exposing his trombone slide to the pull of pop music.
At this juncture Blackburn’s credits expanded into fresh territory, encompassing sessions with the Turtles, the Righteous Brothers, and the Beach Boys—the last of these finding him contributing to “Good Vibrations” without drawing attention from the theremin. Additional imaginative endeavors included the David Amram date for the film The Manchurian Candidate, which assembled a first-rate orchestra from symphony soloists, chamber players, Latin musicians, and jazz figures such as reed and flute specialist Paul Horn, robust-toned tenor Harold Land, low-register reed player Jack Nimitz, and trombonist Dick Leith alongside Blackburn. Amram himself surprised the film’s producers by stepping away from the podium to deliver improvised solos on French horn and piano.
During the ’70s Blackburn pursued yet another shift. He settled in Europe, initially directing ensembles from Berlin and later from Switzerland. He established the group Mombassa, whose arrangements carried pronounced African elements and whose personnel drew from several African nations, allowing African musical influences to become increasingly evident in his own playing over successive years. He further worked with European jazz musicians such as Wolfgang Köhler in settings like the Lou Blackburn International Quartet, which leaned toward a progressive jazz orientation.
Albums
