Howard Roberts

**HR Fan** · 12-27-2015, 05:23 PM

Gravitas........

Here is one of about 6 videos of HR playing one of his Fusion guitars...

**HR Fan** · 12-27-2015, 05:33 PM

Dennis
This a VERY short part of a two hour video that Don Mock and Jay Roberts had found..... Ken

**Dennis D** · 12-27-2015, 10:15 PM

Originally Posted by HR Fan

Dennis
HR had a great sense of humour .Loved to play jokes on people !! Ken

Thought so !

Thx Ken !

**HR Fan** · 04-01-2016, 06:22 PM

Pat Hicks the other founder of GIT or Musicians Institute had sent me a DVD and I made it into 5 or 6 videos on You Tube of HR ..Pete Jolly ..Joe Brancato and Jeff Berlin in concert at MI.. HR is playing one of his Fusion guitars..

**Dennis D** · 04-01-2016, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by HR Fan

Pat Hicks the other founder of GIT or Musicians Institute had sent me a DVD and I made it into 5 or 6 videos on You Tube of HR ..Pete Jolly ..Joe Brancato and Jeff Berlin in concert at MI.. HR is playing one of his Fusion guitars..

Thanks !

And thank you again !

Sincerely !

**HR Fan** · 04-01-2016, 10:49 PM

Dennis.. You are very welcome... Ken

**Dennis D** · 04-02-2016, 12:19 AM

Originally Posted by HR Fan

Dennis.. You are very welcome... Ken

Thanks Ken.

It's just hard to describe seeing Howard Roberts live, playing, and speaking. I mean , yeah I've had the albums, for what, over 50 years, and pretty much knew I'd never get to the coast to hear him live. I'd just always thought it'd just be a kick to see a movie or clip of him somewhere.

So yes I'm enjoying them, and I'm betting I'm not the only one !

**Slide** · 04-02-2016, 12:45 AM

I've enjoyed reading about Howard Roberts and watching the videos. I just ran across this information from a Howard Alden article at musicradar.com. I thought someone might like it.

Howard Alden's 8 secrets of jazz guitar

By Jamie Dickson (Guitarist), October 15, 2014Guitars

3. Roberts Rules

"Later, I studied under Howard Roberts, and he was an amazing teacher. Howard Roberts was a jazz and studio player for a number of years and he was very much into learning useful things: the idea that everyone learns what they want to learn when they need to learn it.
"He really believed in getting the tune off the paper and into your head as soon as possible and then playing it for someone as soon as possible, too. I can't tell you how many times - I suspect you've all had this experience, too - you'll be playing something at home, playing it perfectly and beautifully, and you'll go out and say to someone, 'Let me play this new thing for you' and all of a sudden, 'Oh s**t...' [you screw up].
"So it's amazing how just playing something for someone else can help reinforce it in your mind and in your fingers. That's one of the important lessons I learnt and that I keep in mind over the years."

**HR Fan** · 04-02-2016, 12:49 AM

Dennis
That really blesses my heart....
In 1983 I was at GIT studying and I spent a lot of time at the school and so even though HR wasn't teaching there daily like he use to.. It seemed that when he was there ..that I always got to see him..and we got a long pretty good. I reminded him of a good friend of his so I think that is why LOL...
He even let me try and play his Blonde Oval hole guitar after he had finished a seminar that I went to.... everybody had left and he and I sat on the stage that he had given the seminar ..and he had to write something down and look at something and so he handed me his guitar while he did that. BUT the strings were SO Thick and the action was SO HIGH . I couldn't really play it LOL.. I was so depressed for weeks after that ..cause I thought if a Jazz guitarist had to play a guitar like that .I wouldn't ever BE one .. My ES 335 had a set of 10's and I think HR's high E was a 14 LOL: ( and I was too embarrassed to ask HR about that idea !!!... But finding out more about HR's Humor later....I think he laughed under his breath about it. He was a real Joker sometimes. But I didn't know that back then.... Ken

**HR Fan** · 04-02-2016, 01:01 AM

Slide....
Thanks .. Howard Alden was a student at GIT of the first class ever held.. He has some great stories about HR .... Ken

**MarkRhodes** · 04-02-2016, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by Slide

I've enjoyed reading about Howard Roberts and watching the videos. I just ran across this information from a Howard Alden article at musicradar.com. I thought someone might like it.

Howard Alden's 8 secrets of jazz guitar

By Jamie Dickson (Guitarist), October 15, 2014Guitars

3. Roberts Rules

"Later, I studied under Howard Roberts, and he was an amazing teacher. Howard Roberts was a jazz and studio player for a number of years and he was very much into learning useful things: the idea that everyone learns what they want to learn when they need to learn it.
"He really believed in getting the tune off the paper and into your head as soon as possible and then playing it for someone as soon as possible, too. I can't tell you how many times - I suspect you've all had this experience, too - you'll be playing something at home, playing it perfectly and beautifully, and you'll go out and say to someone, 'Let me play this new thing for you' and all of a sudden, 'Oh s**t...' [you screw up].
"So it's amazing how just playing something for someone else can help reinforce it in your mind and in your fingers. That's one of the important lessons I learnt and that I keep in mind over the years."

I found that whole article interesting. For others who might be interested:

Howard Alden's 8 secrets of jazz guitar | MusicRadar

**jzucker** · 04-02-2016, 10:30 AM

here's a clip of me playing with howard roberts at one of his seminars in DC. He was a great guy. Had some substance abuse problems but overcame them and unlike many players of his time, was extremely open to sharing what he had to offer.

**Dennis D** · 04-02-2016, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by HR Fan

Dennis.. You are very welcome... Ken

I was / am one of those 'Beatles on Ed Sullivan' guys, who stumbled into the closest music store and started taking lessons. I * really * got lucky and got a good teacher ( Sal Samataro ). I soon outgrew rock after he introduced me to Wes Montgomery's music.....and then of course Johnny Smith, etc.......

Sal used to borrow my albums, transcribe the tunes of songs I wanted to learn, and at the next week's lesson, would show me how to play them, as best I could. ( Who in the world does that now ?? )

Anyway, one week I gave him the HR album Jaunty Jolly and asked him to do ' Winchester Cathedral '. ( he'd already done some songs from that LP I think ).The next week he just laughed and said ' that damn thing - - it drove me nuts 'til I gave up on it. "... It was funny 'cause I'd never stumped him before that. (( thank Heaven I kept all the music all these years )). I still laugh thinking about how HR did that song.

So again, it's just a kick to watch the HR vid's.

**lawson-stone** · 04-02-2016, 01:12 PM

I still think it can be no accident that Howard Roberts bears an eerie likeness to "Agent Smith" in The Matrix.

You heard it here, folks!

**HR Fan** · 04-02-2016, 07:44 PM

Mark
That article of Howard Alden's is super.. Thanks for sharing it !!!!!!! Ken

**MarkRhodes** · 04-02-2016, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by HR Fan

Mark
That article of Howard Alden's is super.. Thanks for sharing it !!!!!!! Ken

You're welcome. I enjoyed it too.

**HR Fan** · 04-05-2016, 06:39 AM

Wiz
Did you know HR ? Ken

**HR Fan** · 04-05-2016, 06:42 AM

Dennis
Thanks for sharing that story !!! Ken

**Dennis D** · 04-05-2016, 09:30 AM

Originally Posted by HR Fan

Dennis
Thanks for sharing that story !!! Ken

Well, having started playing in '62 / '63, Chet Atkins was around, but not a lot of others , if you didn't want to listen to Top 40. HR was the first ' cool ' guy we'd get introduced to, 'cause someone who knew about him had to tell you.

( I just looked - - ) 'Windy' peaked at # 44 in the Billboard Top 100 in '67, and everyone heard / knew Wes Montgomery - - but the guys we all know were barely on record, and therefore almost unavailable.

There are now more HR albums available than when they were first released. And vid's too !! Good for us !

Thanks Ken.

**HR Fan** · 04-05-2016, 02:02 PM

Dennis
I hope people for many years remember HR and that they don't forget him. Ken

**MarkRhodes** · 04-05-2016, 03:41 PM

I have a question for those who met and studied with Howard Roberts.
Was he approachable? Were questions encouraged (or even allowed)?

**henryrobinett** · 04-05-2016, 04:15 PM

Yes. He was very approachable. Affable. Always encouraged questions and was very concerned that you comprehended what he was saying. That was my experience.

**55bar** · 04-05-2016, 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

here's a clip of me playing with howard roberts at one of his seminars in DC. He was a great guy. Had some substance abuse problems but overcame them and unlike many players of his time, was extremely open to sharing what he had to offer.

That was awesome!

**HR Fan** · 04-05-2016, 05:08 PM

Henry..
Where did you get to meet HR ? Ken

**HR Fan** · 04-05-2016, 05:15 PM

Mark
After all these years I think the one big reason HR was kind to me was that I reminded him of a friend. A studio Bass player and a guy that did gigs with HR. I didn't realize it then,,,. But am glad cause it made it easier to talk to HR. I remember a seminar at GIT and HR was just sitting up front being quiet and everybody wondering what he would teach.And finally he asked ALL of us what we wanted to know and I could hear a lot of people saying "we don't know. You are the teacher " LOL ..HR liked when people knew what they were looking for ..I QUESS ????