R.I.P. - George M. Roberts, the master musician known as Mr. Bass Trombone whose melodic sound can be heard on Nelson Riddle-arranged albums for Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, has died. He was 86. After a long battle with multiple sclerosis, Roberts died Saturday September 27 of complications from pneumonia in Fallbrook, California, the International Trombone Association announced. Roberts skillful and innovative playing made him a much-in-demand session player in Los Angeles from the 1950s through the 80s. In 2005, he estimated that he had played on more than 6,000 recordings, spanning a half-century. Riddle, who was under contract at Capitol Records as a staff arranger in the 50s, used Roberts for albums recorded by the likes of Sinatra, Martin, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald, and he helped to define the orchestrators signature swingin sound. For Billy Mays 1958 album Big Fat Brass, May saluted the Riddle-Roberts connection by writing a bass trombone feature that Roberts performed on Solving the Riddle. In 1959 and 1960, the trombonist recorded two bouncy albums of his own, Meet Mr. Roberts and Bottoms Up (1960), for Columbia Records. John Williams served as the arranger and pianist on the second album, and Roberts would go on to work for the eventual five-time Oscar winner on such films as Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Roberts played in the orchestras for The Rosemary Clooney Show, The Dinah Shore Show, The Academy Awards and for President John F. Kennedys inaugural ceremony in 1961, and worked with Lalo Schifrin (Mission: Impossible, Mannix) as well. hollywoodreporter/news/george-m-roberts-dead-mr-737455
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 03:35:52 +0000
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