Jimmy Robinson plays the electric guitar, an instrument that hadn't even been invented when trombonist Jim Robinson was first climbing onto bandstands. That doesn't keep the two New Orleans musicians from being confused with each other, which is bound to happen when two people with the same name both play in the same genre, in this case New Orleans jazz. But these two players named Robinson are like separate pillars holding up a musical temple, representing equally important aspects of the city's lively music scene. While the trombonist was strictly an old-school jazzman who played in a style appropriately named after the city it originated in, the guitarist Jimmy Robinson is an example of the new, dynamic, and fresh outlooks on improvised music that have been a part of New Orleans since the mid-'70s. That was when guitarist Robinson first formed the band Woodenhead, one of several highly exploratory combos he has been involved with. Other projects include Twangorama, a band that could certainly inspire a suicide pact among listeners who dislike guitar. The instrumentation of this group features five guitarists jamming on both classic rock covers and jazz selections. Robinson is typical of the five guitarists involved in this project; all of have paid dues in the groups of New Orleans legends such as Dr. John, the Neville Brothers, and Allen Toussaint. Both of these Robinson projects have had to fight off various stigmas. With Twangorama, there is segment of the listening public who will assume that five electric guitarists on-stage is going to result in not much more than a headache, while the instrumental rock of Woodenhead was quickly stuck with the dreaded label of fusion and all its connotations, from the wimpy muzak of Spyro Gyra to the excessive bombast of Return to Forever. Recordings by both of Robinson's groups, largely comprised of live music captured at atmospheric venues such as the Mermaid Lounge, do much to correct these assumptions. Twangorama has an especially broad outlook, having collaborated with a horn section as well as a string quartet comprised of players from the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. The city's illustrious Jazz Fest remains the largest audience these groups have played for, as neither have been involved in extensive touring outside New Orleans. More recently, Robinson became a member of Mulebone, an interesting group in which the trombone of Mark Mullins, heavily processed electronically, sounds almost like another electric guitar. It's not quite Jimmy Robinson jamming with Jim Robinson -- but its close enough for jazz. ~ Eugene Chadbourne