Underrecognized female trombonist, arranger, and composer Melba Liston leaves distinguished legacy

WABE’s H. Johnson has been a fixture on our station since 1978. As host of both “Blues Classics” and “Jazz Classics,” H. continually educates and entertains WABE listeners every Friday and Saturday night. Now, H. joins “City Lights” every other Friday to share a bit from his breadth of jazz knowledge.

The segment, “H. Johnson’s Jazz Moment,” explores selections from the best of H.’s music collection along with tidbits from history, personal reflections, and his thoughts on the evergreen resonance of jazz. 

This time, Johnson spotlights Melba Liston, an arranger, composer and trombonist who featured in the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and Count Basie, among many others. Often the only woman on stage in those ensembles (not counting her tours with Billie Holiday), Liston encountered the worst of the music industry’s sexism and racism. But in the 1920s and ’30s, she performed in an all-female quintet, the Sweethearts of Rhythm. Through her progression through the bands of legendary band leaders, she distinguished herself with her ability to pull out world-class trombone solos and create brilliant (and often uncredited) arrangements.