Howard Roberts' "Color Him Funky": unusual

[TF]

I've been listening to Howard Roberts' 1963 "Color Him Funky" today. Immaculate playing by Roberts, organ, bass and drums.

The unusual part is that all the tunes are under 2:30 in length. Were they intended as pop singles, or what else might be going on? In '63, jazz players were stretching out and playing long, free solos. This album is ultra-tightly formatted, and a bit too "controlled" for my taste. The organist was good, but not a Jimmy Smith by any means. Roberts has a beautiful tone, and frequently plays blues licks or half-step bends. '63 was peak Wes, Miles, Coltrane, so Roberts and group were trying for something else, I guess.

Anybody have a perspective on this album? Thanks.

[Mick-7]

"The unusual part is that all the tunes are under 2:30 in length. Were they intended as pop singles, or what else might be going on?"

All of Howard's studio albums have short takes like that, perhaps it's a habit he developed from spending so much time working as a studio musician backing pop stars - always had to meet pop hit time constraints. He only stretched out on his live Magic Band albums I & II.

[jameslovestal]

"The unusual part is that all the tunes are under 2:30 in length. Were they intended as pop singles, or what else might be going on?"

All of Howard's studio albums have short takes like that, perhaps it's a habit he developed from spending so much time working as a studio musician backing pop stars - always had to meet pop hit time constraints. He only stretched out on his live Magic Band albums I & II.

It clearly wasn't "all": e.g. his first solo album was Mr. Roberts Plays Guitar and of course The Real Howard Roberts for Concord. When HR signed with Capital he started to make those pop-jazz records that included takes of current pop tunes and jazz standards.

According to Jim Carlton writing for Vintage Guitar magazine these first two albums created a fan base that was not equaled by any other jazz guitarist at that time. After that, Roberts was referred to as simply H.R. and his albums were among the most anticipated jazz releases of the day. The albums Roberts made for Capitol were done for scale, he never received any additional remuneration on their sales. He recorded 11 albums with Capital.

As for the reason: I assume it was for money (even if he did sign a bum deal with Capital).

[Mick-7]

I should have said "all his Capitol albums".... some great chord melody playing on "Mr Roberts Plays Guitar," I wish he'd done more of that.

[wolflen]

I should have said "all his Capitol albums".... some great chord melody playing on "Mr Roberts Plays Guitar," I wish he'd done more of that.

His son Jay is a monster player. He runs a music school in Washington state I think. There are some vids of him playing with another guitarist
that are mind blowing.

[jameslovestal]

I should have said "all his Capitol albums".... some great chord melody playing on "Mr Roberts Plays Guitar," I wish he'd done more of that.

Yea, I suspected you were aware of those other straight ahead recordings by HR. Love Mr. Roberts Plays Guitar and the playing is first rate. I had the cover framed since HR looks a lot like my dad there (they were born the same year).

Saw HR about 3 times at Donte's in North Hollywood CA\USA back in the 80s. Two were with that Magic Band. There were interesting performances but the band would take a song into an overly lengthy and loud jam. (like those live recordings of the band but even more so). The best HR I saw was when he played with Gabor Szabo. It wasn't the Magic Band but a small combo. They played some Szabo originals but mostly did jazz standards, to find common ground, which ended up being a more traditional jazz take instead of their own experimental stuff.

[Litterick]

"The unusual part is that all the tunes are under 2:30 in length. Were they intended as pop singles, or what else might be going on?"

All of Howard's studio albums have short takes like that, perhaps it's a habit he developed from spending so much time working as a studio musician backing pop stars - always had to meet pop hit time constraints. He only stretched out on his live Magic Band albums I & II.

The Billboard review of H.R. is a Dirty Guitar Player (21st September 1963 — page 9) describes the album as 'his most commercial outing to date'.

[Cunamara]

... his first solo album was Mr. Roberts Plays Guitar...

FWIW, the guitar pictured behind Howard on the album cover is the Gibson ES-175 that Jim Hall played for almost half his career. It did not sound the same in their respective hands.

[sgosnell]

In the early '60s, radio still dominated music consumption. If you wanted to sell lots of records, you needed to get them played on the radio. If the songs were too long - 3 minutes or more - they didn't get air play, and thus had little chance to become hits. Capital Records was a capitalist company and thus desired profits, and profits did not come from releasing albums with long songs. Originally the length of tunes on recordings was limited by the size of the disc, but even though that limitation was gone by 1960 the length was still heavily influenced by radio airplay.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

In the early '60s, radio still dominated music consumption. If you wanted to sell lots of records, you needed to get them played on the radio. If the songs were too long - 3 minutes or more - they didn't get air play, and thus had little chance to become hits. Capital Records was a capitalist company and thus desired profits, and profits did not come from releasing albums with long songs. Originally the length of tunes on recordings was limited by the size of the disc, but even though that limitation was gone by 1960 the length was still heavily influenced by radio airplay.

The limit on recording time for a standard 12" 33 RPM vinyl disc has been the same since Columbia introduced the Microroove process in 1948 and the term LP was introduced for long playing records. The industry standard is a maximum of 22 minutes per side, with 20 being the generally asccepted limit for best sound quality and for best trackability of the full frequency spectrum by generally available tone arms and cartridges. Grooves have to be deep and wide enough to let a stylus track their undulating walls with reasonable stylus force. They have to have enough uncut material in the spiral between them to prevent physical deformation of the signal pressed into their walls from repeated playing and to prevent the pressure of the stylus in the groove from distorting that signal and affecting playback. There has to be enough real estate for the run-in and run-out areas of the groove and for separators between tracks. On many really cheaply made records with more than 22 minutes on a side, playing on a very good turntable, tone arm, and system will reveal slight ghosting of the music in the part of the groove on either side of the one in which the stylus is located.

Vinyl is compressible and elastic. But it's not 100% elastic, so playing wear can flatten and otherwise alter the accuracy of the signal carried by waves in its walls. Highest quality vinyl records have more space between turns of the groove and are made from material that doesn't deform as easily or far under pressure and is closer to 100% elastic. But AFAIK, no one has yet come up with a method or material to permit cutting & pressing moe than 44 minutes of top quality sound into a 12" vinyl record.

I just grabbed 4 random discs from the jazz section of my shelves. The 8 tracks on The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery total seconds less than 43 minutes. The 12" Tal Farlow Album (1955) has 12 tracks on it totalling a few seconds under 40 minutes and ranging from 2:44 to 3:47. Cannonball's 1960 album Work Song has 9 tracks totalling about 37 minutes and ranging from 2:55 to 6:25. Oscar Peterson and Clark Terry's 1964 album OP+1 has 9 tracks from 2:01 to 7:02 that total about 40 minutes. If you look at a range of mainstream jazz albums from the '60s and even much later, you'll find that both sides together rarely run over 42 minutes. Some (e.g. Kind of Blue) have fewer but longer tracks and others have 10 to 12 shorter ones. "HR is a Dirty Guitar Player" isn't outside the norm.

Pop music buyers clearly bought albums with more tracks on them without regard to the length of the tunes, and this is well known to have driven that segment of the record industry. But I strongly doubt that a dozen shorter tracks would attract a jazz fan to buy HRIADGP rather than the 8 tracks on The Incredible Jazz Guitar, the 9 tracks on Oscar Peterson + 1, or the 2 tracks on In A SIlent Way (despite the 3 segments in each track).

[wolflen]

Found this..Jay Roberts and friend playing a fave standard--this may be a post for theory or improvisitation..as it has some nice parts of each

[Dean_G]

There's amazing guitar playing on all HR's Capital sides but Color Him Funky and HR is a Dirty Guitar Player stand out as a bit less pop and more jazz oriented than subsequent releases. I first heard Color Him Funky when it came out in 63 and it's still a go-to album for me. He was the man for a whole generation of players. (My loyalty was split between Gabor Szabo and HR.) I heard HR live at Dante's in 1968 (Magic Band ) and might even have been in the audience when the recordings were done. Watching a guitar player of that caliber stretch out like that at 17yrs old sealed my fate and lit a fire that's never gone out. Also I dug his "black guitar" so much on CHF, my Slaman is an homage to that particular ax. From something I read, I believe Howard Roberts regarded those Capitol records as just commercial work and found it amusing so many players were into them .

[sgosnell]

As I said, the limitations on length of recordings had obviously been overcome by the '60s. It was the influence of radio, where DJs and their advertisers wanted more variety and breaks for ads that kept recordings short. The number of radio stations playing 10+ minute songs with any regularity was very small. Long recordings were made and issued, but few of them got on the hit parade, and they didn't earn gold. Trying to make a profit selling jazz, or any type of music with long cuts on the record, was a chancy proposition. It still is.

[Litterick]

Pop music buyers clearly bought albums with more tracks on them without regard to the length of the tunes, and this is well known to have driven that segment of the record industry. But I strongly doubt that a dozen shorter tracks would attract a jazz fan to buy HRIADGP rather than the 8 tracks on The Incredible Jazz Guitar, the 9 tracks on Oscar Peterson + 1, or the 2 tracks on In A SIlent Way (despite the 3 segments in each track).

Howard Roberts left Verve in 1963 to join Capitol, where he made the Funky and Dirty albums. Capitol was not a jazz label. Its successes of 1962 (each selling over half a million copies) included six albums by Frank Sinatra released and two 'mood music' albums by Jackie Gleason. Capitol's best-selling albums in 1963 were by the Beach Boys, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, Al Martino, Peggy Lee, and the Kingston Trio.

I doubt Capitol's A&R men were attempting to attract jazz fans. They probably noticed the nineteen albums by Jimmy Smith that Blue Note had released since 1956. The combination of organ and guitar clearly worked, as did the light-hearted marketing: Smith did not make serious jazz music and Blue Note did not attempt to make him look cool. Capitol followed this pattern with Roberts.

[jameslovestal]

Howard Roberts left Verve in 1963 to join Capitol, where he made the Funky and Dirty albums. Capitol was not a jazz label. Its successes of 1962 (each selling over half a million copies) included six albums by Frank Sinatra released and two 'mood music' albums by Jackie Gleason. Capitol's best-selling albums in 1963 were by the Beach Boys, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, Al Martino, Peggy Lee, and the Kingston Trio.

I doubt Capitol's A&R men were attempting to attract jazz fans. They probably noticed the nineteen albums by Jimmy Smith that Blue Note had released since 1956. The combination of organ and guitar clearly worked, as did the light-hearted marketing: Smith did not make serious jazz music and Blue Note did not attempt to make him look cool. Capitol followed this pattern with Roberts.

The market for those HR Capitol albums were less-than-serious jazz fans. Like the later Wes albums, these were the smooth jazz recordings of that era. And of course, Capital tried to make HR look "cool". Less-than-serious fans of all musical genres need that non-musical stimuli.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I doubt Capitol's A&R men were attempting to attract jazz fans. They probably noticed the nineteen albums by Jimmy Smith that Blue Note had released since 1956. The combination of organ and guitar clearly worked, as did the light-hearted marketing: Smith did not make serious jazz music and Blue Note did not attempt to make him look cool. Capitol followed this pattern with Roberts.

I'm a little confused by your statement that Capitol didn't try to make HR "look cool". If the titles "HR is a Dirty Guitar Player" and "Color Him Funky" weren't an attempt to make him look cool, I can't imagine what they were supposed to convey. I can't find sales data on those recordings, so I have no idea how well received they were by the record buying public. Those albums were in the jazz bins at record stores, so they were aimed at jazz buyers. But my bet is that they didn't sell even close to 5k each, which was a hit for a jazz album but the kiss of death for pop.

For reference, Waltz for Debby sold 100k albums in the decade of the 1960s. Maiden Voyage sold 11,703 and Miles in Tokyo sold 8050. Speak Like a Child sold 714 copies total.

[Dean_G]

Somebody please explain what "serious" jazz means. Jimmy Smith wasn't serious? How 'bout Jack McDuff or Jimmy McGriff? I learned about HR from older cats who were very serious musicians and they were knocked out by HR. He was introducing ideas from blues and country into his jazz guitar vocabulary and that just wasn't common at the time. Same with his sound. That snap and articulation and touch. Whether or not the Capitol suits had that intention HR played his ass off, seriously. Everyone was copping his licks, or trying to. And they didn't have to try to make him seem cool, he WAS cool.

[pamosmusic]

Yeah that's a weird way to put it. Maybe litterick means that Jimmy Smith didn't make music that took itself too seriously? That, I suppose I could see.

It's obviously pretty serious playing though.

[Mick-7]

Does anyone know why Howard, and apparently his son too, is always seen wearing sunglasses, indoors or out? Were they prescription tinted glasses?

Is it a family rule or something? "Thou shalt not let the public see thine eyes!"

[jameslovestal]

Somebody please explain what "serious" jazz means. Jimmy Smith wasn't serious? How 'bout Jack McDuff or Jimmy McGriff? I learned about HR from older cats who were very serious musicians and they were knocked out by HR. He was introducing ideas from blues and country into his jazz guitar vocabulary and that just wasn't common at the time. Same with his sound. That snap and articulation and touch. Whether or not the Capitol suits had that intention HR played his ass off, seriously. Everyone was copping his licks, or trying to. And they didn't have to try to make him seem cool, he WAS cool.

Having pop tunes like Winchester Cathedral on a album is what I define as pop-jazz. Of course, the Capital suits had the intention of HR making those pop-jazz records (e.g. limiting most songs to under 3 minutes). I.e. they sold well (especially for jazz) thus Capital keep having HR crank them out. (And he only got paid scale, thus Capital made all the profits!).

Such comments are not a knock-on HR (just like saying Wes "sold out" isn't). Such comments are just a reflection of the music business.

[Litterick]

I'm a little confused by your statement that Capitol didn't try to make HR "look cool". If the titles "HR is a Dirty Guitar Player" and "Color Him Funky" weren't an attempt to make him look cool, I can't imagine what they were supposed to convey. I can't find sales data on those recordings, so I have no idea how well received they were by the record buying public. Those albums were in the jazz bins at record stores, so they were aimed at jazz buyers. But my bet is that they didn't sell even close to 5k each, which was a hit for a jazz album but the kiss of death for pop.

For reference, Waltz for Debby sold 100k albums in the decade of the 1960s. Maiden Voyage sold 11,703 and Miles in Tokyo sold 8050. Speak Like a Child sold 714 copies total.

The cover for Funky depicts Roberts in the style of a child's colouring book. The cover for Dirty shows a boy painting the title on a fence as a graffito. These are comic, not cool. Compare and contrast with the classic jazz albums of the time. There are no shadows, not a wisp of cigarette smoke and no moody introspection.


Jim Carlton in Vintage Guitar:

Jack Marshall again played a pivotal role in Howard's career. As house producer for Capitol Records, Marshall signed the guitarist to a record deal in February of 1963. Capitol wanted to create a stable of instrumentalists to record MOR versions of current pop songs and show tunes. The Capitol execs were simply looking for airplay that would translate into sales. That record contract ultimately led to 11 Roberts releases for the label. The first, in early '63, Color Him Funky, followed by H.R. is a Dirty Guitar Player six months later, created a fan base unequaled by any jazz guitarist of the decade. He was forever after referred to by his initials, H.R., and his subsequent albums for Capitol, released twice a year through '68, were the most eagerly awaited records of any jazz guitarist.

"Howard really blurred the lines among guitar players, and reached so many of them," Ted Greene said in 2003. "Jazz guys, country players, and rockers all loved him because he played with such feeling and authenticity. Those first two Capitol albums were no doubt an introduction to jazz guitar for hundreds – maybe thousands – of young players. He didn't water anything down, but it was all still accessible. And he had a recognizable sound. You immediately knew it was Howard."

Mitch Holder (VG, January '96/April '97), a veteran of thousands of sessions, was Roberts' most notable protege. In fact, he literally wrote the book on Roberts, The Jazz Guitar Stylings of Howard Roberts.

"The record company chose the tunes from the pop charts and Broadway," said Holder. "I know when he got 'Winchester Cathedral.' He was thinking, 'What am I gonna do with this piece of crap?' But he worked it up to have an old-timey banjo sound, and it became a masterpiece."

[Litterick]

Somebody please explain what "serious" jazz means. Jimmy Smith wasn't serious? How 'bout Jack McDuff or Jimmy McGriff? I learned about HR from older cats who were very serious musicians and they were knocked out by HR. He was introducing ideas from blues and country into his jazz guitar vocabulary and that just wasn't common at the time. Same with his sound. That snap and articulation and touch. Whether or not the Capitol suits had that intention HR played his ass off, seriously. Everyone was copping his licks, or trying to. And they didn't have to try to make him seem cool, he WAS cool.

It is marketing. Blue Note was cool, especially between 1956 and 1967, when Reid Miles was art director. Blue Train was cool: Coltrane in monochrome, lost in thought, with a sans serif title. Jimmy Smith's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is comic: a portrait of the artist with a female werewolf. I am not saying Smith and Roberts were unserious, but they were presented in amusing ways — to attract consumers who wanted to enjoy some good tunes, and who probably would have been deterred by cool album covers that promise a thoroughly existential time.

[jameslovestal]

The cover for Funky depicts Roberts in the style of a child's colouring book. The cover for Dirty shows a boy painting the title on a fence as a graffito. These are comic, not cool. Compare and contrast with the classic jazz albums of the time. There are no shadows, not a wisp of cigarette smoke and no moody introspection.


Jim Carlton in Vintage Guitar:

J

"The record company chose the tunes from the pop charts and Broadway," said Holder. "I know when he got 'Winchester Cathedral.' He was thinking, 'What am I gonna do with this piece of crap?' But he worked it up to have an old-timey banjo sound, and it became a masterpiece."

Funny that Winchester Cathedral is mentioned. I sweer I didn't read that comment before I posted it (if I had I wouldn't have called it Westminster!).

As for Jack Marshall: he was the musical director for the T.V. western, The Deputy (1959 - 1961) and composed the show's theme song. The background music features Howard Roberts with various combos.

It is really free form playing and while Roberts noodles a lot and sometimes the playing doesn't fit the action on screen, the playing is great, and HR gets in a lot of niffy riffs.

[Dean_G]

Sure it's marketing. But humor is ok by me. Amusement too. Way Out West, by Sonny Rollins, Straight No Chaser by Monk. I'm not saying HRs sides were on that level, just that we can't dismiss the music on the basis of marketing. There's plenty of authentic expression in Howard's solos and a lot to learn from on those Capitol recordings. Often a comedian can get a message across while a lecture often doesn't.

[Dean_G]

It is marketing. Blue Note was cool, especially between 1956 and 1967, when Reid Miles was art director. Blue Train was cool: Coltrane in monochrome, lost in thought, with a sans serif title. Jimmy Smith's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is comic: a portrait of the artist with a female werewolf. I am not saying Smith and Roberts were unserious, but they were presented in amusing ways — to attract consumers who wanted to enjoy some good tunes, and who probably would have been deterred by cool album covers that promise a thoroughly existential time.

I've always thought blue note was cool, but seriously..