Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
Katheryn Russell-BrownA biography of African American jazz virtuoso Melba Doretta Liston, a pioneering twentieth-century trombone player, composer, and music arranger at a time when few women, of any race, played brass instruments and were part of the jazz scene.
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.
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Published: 07/01/2014
ISBN: 9781600608988
Pages: 40
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.90h x 10.60w x 0.40d
Award: Georgia Children's Book Award - Finalist
Award: Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens - Recommended
Award: Coretta Scott King Award - Honor Book
Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 06/15/2014
School Library Journal 07/01/2014 pg. 122
Publishers Weekly 07/21/2014
Booklist 09/15/2014 pg. 51
Horn Book Magazine 11/01/2014 pg. 127
Kirkus Best Picture Books 11/15/2014 pg. 71
PW Children's Starred Reviews 12/01/2014 pg. 55
SLJ's Best Books 12/01/2014 pg. 28
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2015 - Superior,Well Above Average
Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 171228 / Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
Reading Level: 4.7 / Interest Level: Lower Grade / Point Value: 0.5