Nambo Robinson: Heavy Beat, Freedom Sound

A veteran musician/vocalist and recording artist, Ronald “Nambo” Robinson has been singing and playing trombone for almost forty years. He was born and raised in East Kingston, the 'musical incubator' that also brought forth lauded trombonists Don Drummond and Rico Rodriques.

“I have been termed a late comer in the business because I started playing the trombone when I was almost 18 years old. And I had to borrow an old trombone from a friend, Calvin “Bubbles Cameron who used to play in the Army band. I used to watch my neighbor, Babe O’Bryan practice his sax and I was thrilled by it. My first studio recording was with Babe, the maestro who was also my music teacher. He wrote the trombone part for a recording session he was employed to do and said to me, ‘Go and practice this part because you are reading well and I am taking you to the studio’. That piece was for a mento song.

After leaving Babe O’Bryan’s school I was invited by Cedrick Brooks to play with Count Ossie and The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari. And the first album I played on was their “Groundation”.

Then Melba Liston (the great American trombonist and arranger) came to Jamaica. We heard that they were opening up the African American Music Studies at the University of the West Indies - around 1974 - and we went and checked her and she said ‘Yes! Come to class’, that’s where we studied Jazz chords, progressions and scales. At that time Dean Fraser and I would hang out at Joe Gibbs’ studio trying to get recording sessions so that we could earn some bread. And that’s where we started doing regular sessions.” “I later became a member of The Light Of Saba band, sticking close to my mentor Cedric Brooks.

“After that foundation of Jazz and African music, I got the urge to venture out into more commercial stuff, to play more dance music and popular numbers. So I started doing jams with groups like Lloyd Parks & We The People, Tony Dacosta Affairs and The Boris Gardner Happening. Then I started to get busy playing pop music while learning to appreciate the different genres of music. So over the years, I man listen to everything, from classic to…everything. There have been times I get a chance to play light classic, nothing heavy, and I find that there is enjoyment in every music form.

After a one-year stint in Atlanta, playing virtually every night, Nambo decided to return home. He regrouped with We The People Band and began touring extensively with Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, The Mighty Diamonds and Sugar Minott. Subsequently he became a founding member of The 809 Band, which went on to be the foremost backing band in the industry, comprising a set of leading musicians. They spanned the globe - Japan, Europe, North and South America, The Caribbean and Africa - supporting artists from Shaggy to Beres Hammond.

Eventually, 809 disbanded and Nambo became a freelancer, still lighting stages and filling demand for studio sessions. In addition to touring with the likes of Max Romeo, he also performed with Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and The Four Tops.

Anxious to share his knowledge & experience with the 'Now' generation, Nambo has begun his own series of shows featuring himself and other musicians, titled "Nambo Robinson Presents… Freedom Sounds" “I am going to present myself playing all genres, but mainly the Jamaican experience, from mento to dancehall. Because I find that a lot of our Jamaican musicians don’t play some of this music any more. So my program will consist of mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae and dancehall. And of course there will be some Latin stuff and Jazz, whatever appeals to me. It will be under the caption of ‘A Presentation Of Fine Music’, whatever genre it comes from, once it is nice music and people can be entertained by it.

Today, Nambo is constantly in demand for studio sessions. He has also been working on his solo projects and it is safe to say he is on a guided course destined to arrive at the highest standard. He has recorded with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Jimmy Cliff, Beres Hammond, Freddie McGregor, Dennis Brown, Lauryn Hill, Buju Banton, Toots Hibbert aims to continue in the tradition of these powerful musical contributors who have inspired people all over the world.

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