Lou Blackburn

With some musicians, their career represents an actual odyssey or travel through musical situations both geographical and aesthetic, and trombonist Lou Blackburn is a perfect example. It is too easy just to dismiss him as another mainstream jazz trombonist gone Afro-pop, when his actual personal voyage, from his native Pittsburgh to the life of an expatriate jazz player in Europe, from mainstream jazz to Mombassa, is an inspiring example of self-realization through trombone solos. Blackburn became passionate about music early in life, using it to help get through both the disciplined lifestyles of college and the army. Getting out of the services in 1956, he began gigging with Charlie Ventura, immediately establishing a connection with the West Coast scene that never went away. Blackburn did more than catch sun rays in California; if a really happening jazz event was taking place, he tended to be more than just on the sidelines. Mingus at Monterey is one classic recording of modern jazz on which Blackburn appears as part of an expanded group of hornmen tackling the difficult and profound "Meditations on Integration" chart, including trumpeters Bobby Bryant and Melvin Moore, Red Callender on tuba, and Buddy Collette on alto sax and flute. Blackburn also cut sessions on his own with Horace Tapscott sitting in the piano chair, the reissue of which has been a great opportunity to study the latter unique musician's evolving style. Blackburn was already a veteran himself when he became involved with Tapscott, and had spent the late '50s honing his trombone chops on tour with Lionel Hampton, a heavily booked group that did long stretches of one-nighters throughout Europe and North Africa. In 1960, Blackburn joined the band of trumpeter Cat Anderson, a trail that led back to...