Howard Roberts paying the bills

**docbop** · 05-15-2013, 10:18 AM

Life as a working musician paying the bill you take all sorts of gigs. After about 30 seconds you see Howard Roberts playing on the side of the screen.

**cmajor9** · 05-15-2013, 10:40 AM

I can imagine worse gigs than backing Ann-Margret.

(Heck, I've had worse gigs than backing Ann-Margret :>)

**wintermoon** · 05-15-2013, 03:03 PM

I just wanna know why he's staring @ the guitar.
that's professionalism!

**henryrobinett** · 05-15-2013, 03:19 PM

I've alway been a huge Ann-Margret fan. She's got pretty good time for a Swede! Must be that viking blood! Oh Howard Roberts. Yeah. I hardly noticed.

**pierre richard** · 05-15-2013, 04:28 PM

Howard...a monster player now matter what the genre....

Must have been a tough gig.....

time on the instrument...

**henryrobinett** · 05-15-2013, 04:57 PM

I'm really embarrassed to say this, especially as one who studied with Howard Roberts. I just don't get him. He was a fantastic guitar player, but how would anyone know? I have a few of his records and I was disappointed. What are the good ones? I have Dirty Guitar Player and something else that was really commercial. Maybe I'd get it if I listened with more mature ears.

**brad4d8** · 05-15-2013, 05:38 PM

I remember the first time I heard Ann Margaret sing. In high school, around 1964, with a bunch of friends listening to records in a basement. A trumpet player friend put on one of her cuts to show off the trumpet solo, or at least trumpet playing, on it. The "mother" of the house came down and wanted to know who was singing. Her response was, at least she's nice to look at. I must say, I agreed then and now.
Brad

**Captain Caravelle** · 05-15-2013, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

I'm really embarrassed to say this, especially as one who studied with Howard Roberts. I just don't get him. He was a fantastic guitar player, but how would anyone know? I have a few of his records and I was disappointed. What are the good ones? I have Dirty Guitar Player and something else that was really commercial. Maybe I'd get it if I listened with more mature ears.

I know what you mean....he always had a certain,"cheese factor" on his albums
And he is such a phenomenal player...he's easily in my top ten.

Something Cookin' has some great solos on it...but still has cheese.
Worth checking out.....

Howard Roberts was in that clip????
Oh yeah....the guy with the guitar.
God....Ann Margaret....what a babe!!!

**Moonray** · 05-15-2013, 10:30 PM

She certainly has a nice ...uh...voice.

**pierre richard** · 05-15-2013, 11:51 PM

I went through 4 of his books in the 70's...articles in Downbeat..and others...

Learned much...

Heard him too at a music store in Allentown,Pa...

All the rockers were saying..who is this dude...

after the gig you could not get within 20 feet of him...all the rockers...all the questions...

time on the instrument...

**randalljazz** · 05-16-2013, 05:53 AM

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

I'm really embarrassed to say this, especially as one who studied with Howard Roberts. I just don't get him. He was a fantastic guitar player, but how would anyone know? I have a few of his records and I was disappointed. What are the good ones? I have Dirty Guitar Player and something else that was really commercial. Maybe I'd get it if I listened with more mature ears.

**3625** · 05-16-2013, 07:44 AM

Can't agree with most of the posters in this thread - I'd rather wash dishes for a living than play for a singer like that. It was highly professional and meticulously performed, but the vibe was... well...

**oldane** · 05-16-2013, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

I've alway been a huge Ann-Margret fan. She's got pretty good time for a Swede! Must be that viking blood! Oh Howard Roberts. Yeah. I hardly noticed.

Now, for Swedes having good time, listen to pianist Jan Johansson. Not a jazz player in the American way - very Swedish - but a formidable musician. He got killed in a car accident before he was 40. What a waste.

As for Ann-Margret, she couldn't sing, she couldn't dance, but ..... :-)

**henryrobinett** · 05-16-2013, 03:46 PM

A singer like that??!! Are you the one who never heard of Ann-Margret? She's an entertainer. She did everything well, but didn't necessarily excellent at anything, except for everything. She was an actress. See her in Carnal Knowledge with Jack Nicholson. 52 Pick Up with Roy Schnieder. Tommy with The Who. She was in a lot of B movies which is unfair because she had better talent than that. Her breakout movie was State Fair and Bye Bye Birdie. She was never a jazz singer. More a theater singer. Stage. Theater dancer. A lot of Elvis movies. I can even forgive her for those, though I've never seem them. Can't stand Elvis. Sorry.

You've never done theater? Never played in a pit orchestra? It's a great experience.

**oldane** · 05-16-2013, 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

Are you the one who never heard of Ann-Margret?

I don't know if you are referring to my post, but yes, as a fellow Scandinavian I have heard of the Ann-Margret Olsson. As for her talents, I'm not shure I agree that she did everything well, but don't overlook the end of my remark: "but....".

All the best.

**henryrobinett** · 05-16-2013, 04:58 PM

Originally Posted by oldane

I don't know if you are referring to my post, but yes, as a fellow Scandinavian I have heard of the Ann-Margret Olsson. As for her talents, I'm not shure I agree that she did everything well, but don't overlook the end of my remark: "but....".

All the best.

Sorry. I'm typing from a little iPhone in between studio stuff. Yeah well you have to (I have to) judge her and every artist in relationship to their times and craft, style, genre. She was of the early 60s through late 70s in terms of her fire power. Yeah, like Howard Roberts, full of cheese. But that's what it was then. Not a great singer, but she didn't pretend to be. She was a stage actor. She was great at that. Musicals. That was her forte. No Ella. But Ella couldn't dance like AM. She did a lot of 60s and 70s TV variety shows and Vegas crap. USO shows with Bob Hope. Total cheese. But complete and total pro. She was great at doing that.

You know it's just like jazz. People do what they do and excel in their way. One either can appreciate the cheese or art or craftsmanship or they don't. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for AM. But I've also done some theater work, played in pit bands and known a lot of theater people, actors, dancers, playwrights, composers, directors, so I may have a lot more built in affinity for the genre of theater.

**3625** · 05-16-2013, 08:10 PM

Originally Posted by 3625

Can't agree with most of the posters in this thread - I'd rather wash dishes for a living than play for a singer like that. It was highly professional and meticulously performed, but the vibe was... well...

Oldane, I think Henry was referring to the above

Well I did say it was well performed & professional - that much was obvious. As for musical theatre, well yeah, it's not my thing - I'm the first to admit that. However, if something is done well with a good vibe I can appreciate and dig it. But that clip of her with HR, well... it's not Bernstein is it? It had a manic, neurotic vibe to me, which I found repulsive despite her obvious good looks. She did lots of Elvis films? well that figures - those films scare me, the way everyone in them would act like a bunch of lobotomized idiots worshipping the 'king'. Really bad stuff for the soul...

A great HR album is 'Mr Roberts plays Guitar' - think it's a late 50's one. I too would love to hear more 'jazz' HR if anyone here can point me to some links. I share the same surname as HR, but we're obviously not related - in my twenties I washed a lot of dishes lol

**henryrobinett** · 05-16-2013, 08:42 PM

Lol! Yeah well it WAS a screen test after all. Someone just wanted to see her sing a song and dance number, probably impromptu.

There's a great film clip of a screen test they showed on Mad Men of her testing for Bye Bye Birdie. I gotta find that. Everyone was flipped. Who's that girl? Can we get her to do this toothpaste or whatever commercial? No, that's Ann Margret. Who's . . . Pretty funny. But a great clip much better than this test clip. That screen test might've gotten her in the door to do the Bye Bye Birdie test I was talking about.

**jster** · 05-16-2013, 10:26 PM

More Ann and Howard--you hear him more here:

I guess she dyed her hair for most of her career.

**Captain Caravelle** · 05-17-2013, 07:19 AM

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

Sorry. I'm typing from a little iPhone in between studio stuff. Yeah well you have to (I have to) judge her and every artist in relationship to their times and craft, style, genre. She was of the early 60s through late 70s in terms of her fire power. Yeah, like Howard Roberts, full of cheese. But that's what it was then. Not a great singer, but she didn't pretend to be. She was a stage actor. She was great at that. Musicals. That was her forte. No Ella. But Ella couldn't dance like AM. She did a lot of 60s and 70s TV variety shows and Vegas crap. USO shows with Bob Hope. Total cheese. But complete and total pro. She was great at doing that.

You know it's just like jazz. People do what they do and excel in their way. One either can appreciate the cheese or art or craftsmanship or they don't. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for AM. But I've also done some theater work, played in pit bands and known a lot of theater people, actors, dancers, playwrights, composers, directors, so I may have a lot more built in affinity for the genre of theater.

Always had a (maybe not so soft) spot for Annie myself.
Uber-babe!

**jster** · 05-17-2013, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by Captain Caravelle

Always had a (maybe not so soft) spot for Annie myself.
Uber-babe!

I am just having trouble with the brunette thing. I don't know if you've spent any time in Sweden. But it's like ordering tempura in a top sushi restaurant.