Music: "Nambone" Moves On; ronald "Nambo Robinson: 1950-2017

The pain and grief I feel at the loss of my friend Nambo, I can't put into words, so the following, from Heather Augustyn's "Foundation Ska" blog, will suffice for now. My sincerest wishes for strength for the loved ones he leaves behind.

The sweet man who called me Sis Heather, Ronald "Nambo" Robinson, has died today, January 25th at the age of 67.

According to Howard Campbell in the Daily Gleaner, "Trombonist Ronald 'Nambo' Robinson, a prolific session musician who worked with reggae's greats, died this morning at his St Andrew home. He was 67. Robinson's wife, Marcia, told the OBSERVER ONLINE that he died at 1:00 am but did not give a cause of death. From East Kingston, Robinson started his career with Mystic Revelation of Rastafari. He was a founding member of the 809 Band, which also included his longtime friend, saxophonist Dean Fraser; singer Desi “Desi Roots” Young and bassist Michael Fletcher. Robinson was also a longstanding member of Sly and Robbie's Taxi Gang. He played on several of the duo's biggest hit songs such as Baltimore by The Tamlins and Bull Inna The Pen by Black Uhuru. Robinson got his big break in the late 1970s by playing on Survival and Confrontation, two of Bob Marley's albums. Buffalo Soldier, Trench Town and Wake Up And Live are among the Marley songs Robinson played. Ronald “Nambo” Robinson is survived by his wife and three children."

For his own bio, Nambo wrote, "My name is Ronald 'Nambo' Robinson, and I am a veteran musician, vocalist, percussionist and recording artist in Jamaica.  I am recognized among my peers as one of Jamaica’s foremost trombonists.  I have recorded with various artists such as Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Jimmy Cliff, Lauryn Hill, Gregory Isaacs, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Beres Hammond, Shaggy, and Buju Banton. Also I performed live with Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, The Four Tops, Lloyd Parks and We the People, The Tony D’Acosta Affair, The Boris Gardener Happening, Light of Saba and Mystic Revelation of Rastafari.  This vast array of experience not only made me a true expert in composing reggae music, but also exposed me to genres such as jazz, classical and rhythm  and blues. I have recently launched a series of shows that feature young Jamaica musicians.  The purpose of this effort is to showcase these talented young musicians while celebrating the various genres of indigenous music such as Mento, Ska and Rocksteady. I have launched solo projects with the release of four album/CDs, titled Reggae in my Bone, Nambone Ska, Nambo Sing and Play and Raw Roots Rock Reggae. Along with that, I perform regularly at studio sessions for many of the island’s contemporary artists."