I’m a few months late in acknowledging Melba Liston’s centennial, but it’s never too late to give this trailblazing musician her propers. Her work as a trombonist is underrepresented on recordings, at least in featured settings (she is heard quite a bit in big band settings) but remains noteworthy. Her work as a composer, arranger, and conductor, meanwhile, is vast, and even if we look past the uphill battle she faced as a woman (and not singer) in that realm of the music world, her legacy is secure. Here are some personal favorites, presented in chronological order.  

1 ) “Warm Mood” (single, issued on Chronological 1945-1946) by Gerald Wilson (1945)

This evocative big band ballad is, as far as I know, Melba’s first recorded composition, which would be noteworthy enough even if not for the vote of confidence suggested by her being given space for that by the great composer/arranger Gerald Wilson, who certainly had no shortage of his own material to draw from.

2 ) “My Reverie” from World Statesman by Dizzy Gillespie (1956)

This is probably Melba’s best-known performance on trombone, as she is the featured soloist on this iconic track from Dizzy Gillespie’s big band. She also contributed the colorful arrangement of this song, itself an adaptation of a Debussy piece.

3 ) “Babe’s Blues” from Little Niles by Randy Weston (1958)

Most of Melba’s many contributions to pianist/composer Randy Weston’s records revolve around her arrangements of his music, but here we are additionally treated to her bluesy, assured work as a soloist with her three super-bluesy trombone choruses flanking solos by Idrees Sulieman, Johnny Griffin, and Jamil Nasser as well as Weston himself.      

4 ) “You Don’t Say” from Melba Liston and Her ‘Bones (1958)

Hearing Melba’s relaxed, swinging soloing here (sandwiched between an opening solo by trombone compatriot Bennie Green and one by guitarist Kenny Burrell) is such a revelation that it’s almost possible to miss how hip the composition and arrangement are here. This is from her one (maddeningly out of print) album as a sole bandleader.

5 ) “Tone Poem” from I Dig Dancers by Quincy Jones (1960)

A hip and strikingly modern ballad from Melba’s pen, this is like the first track on the list in the sense of demonstrating how respected she was, invited here to contribute with pen as well as trombone to a record by the great Quincy Jones.

6 ) “Peggy’s Blue Skylight” from The Complete Town Hall Concert by Charles Mingus (1962)

Most Mingus versions of this tricky tune are performed by mid-sized ensembles with two to six horns. All of them, actually, except for this hip, densely orchestrated big-band-and-then-some version arranged and conducted by Melba.

7 ) “Just Waiting” from For Someone I Love by Milt Jackson (1963)

This gorgeous ballad might be Melba’s best-loved composition, and there are multiple compelling recordings of it. This one, revolving around the bluesy lyricism of vibraphonist Milt Jackson, is bolstered by thick, brassy orchestrations by Melba.

8 ) “Len Sirrah” from And Then Again by Elvin Jones (1965)

A case could be made that slower tunes predominate this list, given Melba’s skill with writing and arranging ballads. But here she is writing a lush but edgy arrangement of her waltz (subsequently recorded by Blue Mitchell) for Elvin Jones’s band. Although she doesn’t play on this one, J.J. Johnson is a star soloist here, as is Frank Wess on flute and Elvin on drums.

9 ) “Shame On the Family Name” from I’m Not Blind . . . I Just Can’t See (reissued on the multi-artist Complete Stax Singles) by Calvin Scott (1971)

This may seem like a curveball given the extent to which Melba’s work is usually situated within the jazz world, but her work as a “commercial” arranger, especially in the 1970s, is not only part of the narrative but also very cool in its own right, as with the slick horn parts here. Her work for vocalists is important and eclectic across the board, spanning work by blues singer Mel Walker, Motown singer Kim Weston, jazz legend Betty Carter, and various other important figures who are jazz-relevant but harder to classify like Gloria Lynne, Billy Eckstine, and Dakota Staton.

10 ) “Volcano” from Volcano Blues by Randy Weston and Melba Liston (1993)

It is appropriate to end with some more of Melba’s work with Randy Weston, particularly this album that credits her as a co-leader, providing a long overdue moment in the spotlight and on an album cover. The balance of intricate, sophisticated, and texturally gnarly that she modeled so expertly is on full display here.