During the Fifties, the bass trombone did come to spectacular attention in the gifted hands of George Roberts, one of Los Angeles most sought-after sidemen and busiest studio men, whose arresting style was introduced to audiences on the two Columbia Records albums he made as a leader in 1959 and 1960.
Meet Mr. Roberts, the first of the two, focused on the wonderful open sound of his trombone, romping through a set of standards with an unusual line-up featuring in addition to Roberts three trombones, two French horns, vibes, bass, drums and a harp, with Frank DeVol taking care of the direction and arrangements.
For Bottoms Up, the second, he used a sextet, and added a special mute to his bass trombone to produce a rich, warm and happy sound that was unusually appealing. John T. Williams was the arranger and pianist of the group, which also includes two guitars, piano, bass and drums. Making use of his generous wit and a dash of sentiment, Roberts kept the tone light and bouncy for both albums, which reflect his sinuous style and keen sense of humor in an irresistible combination.
Tracklist
Total time: 64:31 min.
01. In the Hall of the Mountain King (Grieg-DeVol) 3:05
02. Nobody's Heart Belongs to Me (Rodgers-Hart) 2:34
03. You're the Top (Cole Porter) 2:50
04. (Theme from) Picnic (Allen-Duning) 3:21
05. Three Stoned Mice [Three Blind Mice] (Thomas Ravenscroft) 2:03
06. Its De-Lovely (Cole Porter) 2:53
07. Next Time, Take the Train (P.D.) 2:31
08. Georgia on My Mind (Carmichael-Gorrell) 3:24
09. Back in Your Own Backyard (Rose-Jolson-Dreyer) 2:32
10. My Romance (Rodgers-Hart) 3:10
11. Feelin' Low (Roberts-Howard) 2:41
12. Don't Worry 'Bout Me (Koehler-Bloom) 3:10
13. Everything's Coming Up Roses (Sondheim-Styne) 2:59
14. I'm Nobody's Baby (Davis-Ager-Santly) 2:27
15. Does Your Heart Beat for Me (Parish-Johnson-Morgan) 2:08
16. I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me (Gaskill-McHugh) 2:04
17. Rosie (Adams-Strousse) 2:33
18. Do You Ever Think of Me (Kerr-Cooper) 2:32
19. Thank Heaven for Little Girls (Lerner-Loewe) 2:07
20. Bye Bye Blackbird (Dixon-Henderson) 2:26
21. I Could Have Danced All Night (Lerner-Loewe) 1:49
22. It's Only a Paper Moon (Rose-Harburg-Arlen) 2:27
23. Just In Time (Comdem-Greeb-Styne) 2:56
24. Susie Q (George Roberts) 2:24
Album details
Sources:
Tracks #1-12, from the 12-inch Columbia album
"George Roberts & His Big Bass Trombone - Meet Mr. Roberts" (CS 8179)
Tracks #13-24, from the 12-inch Columbia album
"George Roberts' Sextet - Bottoms Up" (CS 8320)
Personnel on #1-12:
George Roberts with Orchestra
George Roberts (bass trombone), Joe Howard, Lloyd Ulyate, Tommy Pederson (trombones), Vince De Rosa, Dick Perissi, (French horn), Frank Flynn (vibes), Joe Mondragon (bass), Irv Cottler (drums), Ann Stockton (harp).
Arranged & Conducted by Frank DeVol.
Recorded at Radio Recorders Studio, Hollywood, May 22 & 29, 1959
Personnel on #13-24:
George Roberts' Sextet
George Roberts (bass trombone), John T. Williams (piano), Tony Rizzi, Al Hendrickson (guitars), Joe Mondragon (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).
Arrangements by John T. Williams.
Recorded at Radio Recorders Studio, Hollywood, May 2 & 5, 1960
Original Columbia recordings produced by Irving Townsend
This compilation produced for CD reissue by Jordi Pujol
Stereo · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered
Blue Moon Producciones Discograficas, S.L.
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This CD is dedicated to George Roberts and his wife Suzanne
