Big Bill Bissonnette — New Orleans Jazz Trombonist, Drummer, and Producer

Musical profile and style

Bissonnette's playing reflected the collective, ensemble-driven approach of early jazz trombone, favoring melodic support, rhythmic drive and interaction with horns and rhythm section. As a drummer he understood time feel and the subtle dynamics of traditional jazz, qualities that informed his work as a bandleader and producer. His career balanced performance with behind-the-scenes responsibilities for recording and concert organization.

Career, bands and label

In the 1960s Bissonnette led the Easy Riders Jazz Band, a group that performed classic New Orleans repertoire and helped sustain public interest in early jazz forms. He founded the Jazz Crusade label to record and distribute music by elder statesmen of the style and by revival ensembles. Through that label and other projects he documented musicians whose careers dated back to the prewar era, preserving performances that might otherwise have been lost.

Promotion and collaborations

Beyond his own bands, Bissonnette organized tours and concerts that introduced Northern audiences to New Orleans players. Notable figures he worked with include:

• Kid Thomas Valentine
• George Lewis
• Jim Robinson

These efforts strengthened ties between regional scenes and helped sustain the livelihoods and legacies of veteran jazzmen.

Recognition and legacy

Bissonnette won early recognition in the Jazzology Jazz Poll, earning the "New Young Artist" title in 1965. Decades later he was still acknowledged in the same poll among leading jazz trombonists, testimony to his long-standing presence in the traditional jazz community. His dual role as performer and producer made him an important figure in the mid-20th-century revival of New Orleans-style jazz.

Why he matters

By recording elder musicians, running a niche label and organizing tours, Bissonnette helped preserve historical repertoires and brought experienced practitioners into new venues and audiences. For readers interested in traditional jazz, his work exemplifies how performer-producers can shape both archives and live performance opportunities. For more on the musical tradition he championed, see traditional jazz resources.

He died in New Orleans on June 26, 2018, at the age of 81, leaving behind recordings, promoted tours and a documented connection between New Orleans veterans and revival-era audiences.