num_pages: 40
description: Melba Doretta Liston loved the sounds of music from as far back as she could remember. As a child she daydreamed about beats and lyrics and hummed along with the music from her family's Majestic radio. At age seven Melba fell in love with a big shiny trombone and soon taught herself to play the instrument. By the time she was a teenager Melba's extraordinary gift for music led her to the world of jazz. She joined a band led by trumpet player Gerald Wilson and toured the country. Overcoming obstacles of race and gender Melba went on to become a famed trombone player and arranger spinning rhythms harmonies and melodies into gorgeous songs for all the jazz greats of the twentieth century: Randy Weston Duke Ellington Count Basie Billie Holiday and Quincy Jones to name just a few. Brimming with ebullience and the joy of making music Little Melba and Her Big Trombone is a fitting tribute to a trailblazing musician and a great unsung hero of jazz.
language: English
title: Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
publisher: Lee & Low Books