The Trombone Alternative Ska and Punk Trombonists of the 1990s: An Interview with Buford O'Sullivan!

This Blog aims to shed some light on a little researched topic of trombone history: The ska and punk trombonists of the 1990s. During a period between 1992 and 2005, horn bands rooted in the rock sub-genres of ska and punk enjoyed a surge in popularity, and inspired a generation of young musicians to pick up the trombone. I will introduce the roots of this trend, progression, and explore performance practices of some of the players who were prominent in this sub-genre. Some of the players interviewed in the research included Daryl Burch (formerly of Radio Noise), Jon Blondell (trombone soloist on “Wrong Way” by Sublime), Rick Faulkner (formerly of the Toasters and the New York Ska and Jazz Ensemble), Buford O'Sullivan (of the Scofflaws, the Toasters, and a number of others), and Karl Lyden (of Streetlight Manifesto). I have found that this is unexplored territory in terms of trombone historical research, in spite of its impact on rock and popular music, and some of that has continued to extend into today. For younger trombonists, and those with interests beyond jazz and classical playing, this is a chance to explore different styles, different performance practices, and also affirmations of their own strengths as performers. For older trombonists, this is a chance to see the trombone musically used in a way that may not have otherwise been even considered.

In May of this year, I conducted an interview via email with Buford O'Sullivan. Buford O'Sullivan performed with the Scofflaws from 1988 to 2000, and is a founder of the Huffers, with whom he currently performs and tours. He has also performed with the Toasters and the Skatalites, and remains a very active performer in the New York Ska Scene. Below is the text from the interview session:

When did you first start playing the trombone?

6th Grade, when they brought out the instruments to the home room class. I wanted something to make the same sound that I heard when I rode on the QE2 ocean liner (when I was 6). Big, deep, ocean liner horn sound. I had to choose between the bari sax and the bone.

Who were your biggest influences?

Rico Rodriquez (Specials) because he played slow, laid-back lines, Joseph Bowie (Defunkt) because he played fast, impossibly ultra-high register. Grachan Moncur III, because of ‘Evolution’. Vinnie Nobile, because his playing is simple and flawless.

When you were first playing, what kind of trombone player did you initially want to be?

Classical. My parents were theater people, Dad taught Greek philosophy, Shakespeare, and so I was immersed in talk of what is ‘real art’, and what is not. So, following their lead, I liked classical, but was distracted by ‘60s and ‘70s electronic music, like Morton Sobotonick. Then, it was prog rock, which had nothing to do with trombone. When I got to college, I almost quit, but some friends and I started jamming, started a band, and ‘Niteklub’ and ‘Ball of Fire’ were on the setlist. Then I started to get into reggae and ska. My own track. Amen.

What initially led you to the ska/punk band?

See Above. But Ska Punk was ‘90s, which is later on. I saw Fishbone open for Red Hot Chilli Peppers in ’86 in NYC, and when that trombone went sailing over the stage, I knew there was something to this crazy shit. But really, it was Richie Brooks and Mike Drance who pulled me off the street to play with The Scofflaws. If I hadn’t met them on Houston St. that day, none of it would have happened.

Who was the first group you started playing with? For how long?

First band was Big Noise, a new wave dance band in the ‘80s Hudson Valley. Formed with the above-mentioned friends, we played Specials, Skatalites, but with other kinds of music too. The first ska band was Scofflaws.

What were the performances like?

Off-the-chain rev-up shows. Lots of dancing, distortion on the system, beer flying about. Sometimes there were fights, which I enjoyed watching because two grown men had made such bad decisions, I had to watch and admire their folly. The Long Island shows were three sets, and I would take the 3am train back into NYC. The City shows were hard core, with the NYC Skins always onsite, tough, ready to fight for their honor – they were mixed race skins, so there was no Nazi bullshit. They were unpredictable. Sometimes they were friendly, but sometimes they got mad. Sometimes they would set off stink bombs at the shows if they didn’t like the music. Once I got a beating by a bass player from a band called “Oxblood”… on the floor of a Skatalites show. I hear he’s in real-estate now.

Describe the sound and style of the band as explained to you by the band leader?

Richie Brooks: “Hey man, we’re all having a good time here. Don’t be a pain in the ass, just play and have some drinks.”

Describe what you consider to be ideal for “ska” or “punk” trombone”?

Don’t be a pain in the ass, just play and have some drinks.

If you were advising young students in the realm of becoming a ska/punk trombone player, what would you tell them?

Don’t be a pain in the ass…

What do you think were the biggest contributions were by the 1990s trombonists, and how do you think the era impacted how trombonists are perceived?

Chris Dowd threw his trombone across the stage! Vinnie Nobile was (is) up front, brash, and fearless. He plays loud, doesn’t get all be-boppy, melodies, screaming high notes. There are types of ska, reggae, punk, where a player can go into the jazz, like The Skatalites, NYSJE, even Mephiskapheles where chops are on display. But Ska/Punk isn’t usually so cerebral, rather it’s a party with bodies flying through the air. Watch that someone doesn’t run into the slide and bend it.

While a good portion of the Scofflaws book consists of head charts with some wonderful extended solos, “William Shatner,” a song written by O’Sullivan himself, best demonstrates the soloist role that he had with the band, as well as highlighting the use of programmatic expression in ska playing. All-Music critic Peter D’Angelo describes is as a “fantastic romp that is as playful as it is funny.” (D’Angelo. Allmusic.com.) A transcription of O'Sullivan's solo is shown below.

O’Sullivan’s solo makes use of the trombone slide right at the beginning to create a very convincing facsimile of the red alert klaxon that is famous on the original Star Trek series. The final extended glissando from bars 6 through 9 makes use of the same delay “studio magic” that Rodriguez utilized on the “Ghost Town” solo, however it also serves a programmatic purpose, simulating the warp engines.

The remainder of the solo largely emphasizes the use of the G major scale over both the D and G major chords. Bars 9 through 11 show an abundance of smearing as O’Sullivan chooses to emphasize the nuances of the trombone slide rather than use the natural slurs of alternate positions here. Bars 14 and 15 were particularly difficult to notate due to O’Sullivan laying back rhythmically over the half-time feel. It is difficult to discern whether he is playing eighth-notes or quarter-note triplets. Following the trombone solo, the tempo returns to the fast ska.

Even though he left the Scofflaws in 2000, Buford O’Sullivan is still active as a ska musician to this day continuing to perform and tour with the Skatalites and the Toasters among others.