There’s a million ways to tell a story, and that’s a very lucky thing. Our ability as a species to share and build on knowledge with each other has given us a path from the caves to the stars. Trombone Shorty has shown great skill in communication in song and onscreen, his passionate playing and natural exuberance drawing in audiences around the world. Now, with his award winning young readers book, Trombone Shorty, he shown his magic translates to the written word as well.
Having lived a remarkable life fueled by a self determination and drive from a very early age, Trombone Shorty has never lost sight of his roots, his home, his beloved city of New Orleans. Even though he’s played for presidents and kings, in his heart he’s happiest playing on the streets of Treme, his childhood home. Shorty has long reinvested in his city, starting both a foundation to preserve the history and heritage of the musicians who’ve come before and an academy to teach and guide the generation of players to come. In this spirit of sharing his success and knowledge with the world, he decided to share his story with those he thought could most benefit from a lesson in the value of perseverance, the children.
Working with Shorty to realize his message to the world was renowned book illustrator and multiple award winner Bryan Collier. Collier, whose expressive use of a singular mixed-media styled design aesthetic and rough edged line work brings the words to vibrant life with a savvy use of a muted palette. Given Collier’s focus on youthful figures, it’s no surprise that he renders the young Shorty and his contemporaries in a much varied, true to life and innately relatable. His mixture of inset panels and wide angle double page spreads moves the eye slowly from left to right, filling the borders with an amazing amount of detail and flair in a modernist take of illustration.
Together the two created an intimate portrait of a young boy’s love affair with the sights, sounds and atmosphere of one of the music capitols of the world. Trombone Shorty came of age surrounded by music on all sides. From the streets filled with marching band to his own home as his older brother practiced and played, Shorty was surrounded by music. He, like so many others in the crescent city, was drawn into the culture from an early age. He and his friends would riff for hours on end, playing imaginary instruments and dreaming of the day they too would be part of the parade. Then one day a glimpse of dull brass in a trash can changed his entire life.
While we don’t want to spoil any new readers enjoyment of the book, since the title and the name of the author both contain the word Trombone, it’s safe to assume that is what he found that day. The book does a wonderful job of expressing the joy the young boy had at finding a working instrument and the hilarious size differential between the two. Though the trumpet was almost more than he could handle, the dedication and love that he pours into his playing fills the pages with a spirit that lifts the heart and soul.
The tale of how a young boy goes from finding his passion, seeking to perfect it and seeing his skill take him to the top tiers of his success is an inspiring one, and exactly the sort of message that the youth of the world need. Young minds grow the same as young bodies in that they both require the proper nutrients and exercise to grow strong and true. Throughout Shorty’s story you see the tangible results of his ceaseless efforts. Though he can barely manage to lift his instrument he never stops trying.
While first amused by his attempts to join the music world, everyone around him quickly learn he is not playing a game. The moment in the story when his playing is recognized and he’s finally given a chance to show what he’s capable of, he’s ready. The culmination of his tireless work is a level of preparedness and comfort that allows him the confidence he needed to stand tall with his horn next to music icon Bo Diddley. That first big moment onstage has led to a lifetime of ever increasing opportunities which he pursued with the same relentless drive that got him there to begin with.
From fronting his own group, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. He appeared on the HBO series Treme, which shared the legend of his New Orleans neighborhood with the world. He even wound up playing for the president of the United States Of America, causing the Commander In Chief to bop along as he shared one of the classic songs of Louisiana, Fire On The Bayou, with an appreciative White House crowd loving every minute of it.
Showing young minds the power of following your dreams, and the magic that can be made in life by committing to a goal is invaluable to their development. Boiling down this message into a package as engrossing and easily digested is an impressive feat for a first time author, even with the help of an artist as talented as Collier. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a properly chosen word can change the world. Here Shorty’s words and Collier’s art combine to form something that says far more than either ever could alone.
Their achievement did not go unnoticed. The book was nominated for and won both the Corretta Scott King Award and the Caldecott Medal earlier this year. The King Award honors the finest African American authors and illustrators who work to share their experiences with youth audiences. The award is named for the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and is voted on and given by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association. Trombone Shorty may be a representative of a strong black family and neighborhood, this work transcends all racial boundaries and works as a tool of hope for all ages, creeds and colors.
All of our lives are filled with magic if you take the time to actually search for it. We learn to crawl before we can walk, and walk before we can run. Our time on the Earth is short, and if our stories remain untold and our songs remain unsung we vanish without a trace into the mists of time. While Trombone Shorty is both a man and a book, they are both an example of the power of sharing our hopes, dreams and passions with the world. With his music Shorty can lift the hearts of all within earshot, but when his words combined with the art of Bryan Collier he has the chance to lift the world.
When the last notes ring out and the final page is turned the best any creator can hope for is to leave an impression on those who observe their work. In this regard, Trombone Shorty can rest easy, though it’s clear that he’ll never stop trying to improve himself and the world around him. And as lessons go, there is no finer.
You can, and totally should, purchase Trombone Shorty, the book, HERE.