The Dave Robbins Big Band: Happy Faces

Even though its renowned leader and trombonist passed away in 2005, and the Dave Robbins Big Band's Happy Faces was recorded some forty years before that, the music on this remarkable album remains as fresh and provocative as today's front-page news. The Indiana-born Robbins, a legend among big-band artists and enthusiasts in Vancouver, British Columbia, and well beyond, moved from the U.S. to Canada following service in World War II and formed the band in 1948. The dozen tracks on Happy Faces were recorded (and thank goodness for that!) during the band's association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)'s Jazz Workshop during the early to mid-1960s.

The arrangements, by Quincy Jones, Al MacMillan, Dick Grove, trumpeter Bobby Hayes and bassist Paul Ruhland span the gamut from persuasive to eloquent, with no pauses between. In other words, there are no lemons or hand-me—downs here, simply impressive big-band jazz that swings and satisfies. When it comes to decoding the charts, the band is remarkably taut and sturdy, especially as its lineup includes several then-untested twenty-somethings who went on to enjoy lengthy and prestigious careers, most notably tenor saxophonist Fraser MacPherson, trumpeter Arnie Chycoski and bassist Don Thompson.

After a brief introduction, the band opens with Sonny Stitt's brisk and buoyant "Happy Faces," featuring MacPherson's nimble tenor. That sets the tone for what is to come, with everyone slicing easily through a series of purposeful themes, starting with MacMillan's "Playa del Ray" and "Minority," Grove's "Have Vine Will Swing," then back to MacMillan's "Westcoasting." Trumpeter Kenny Dorham wrote (and MacMillan arranged) "Asiatic Raes," which leads to Ruhland's "Reflections" and Grove's "Canto de Oriole." Another original, "March Winds Blow," precedes the album's lone standard, Rodgers and Hart's "Spring Is Here," Grove's "Sixes & Sevens" and trumpeter Bobby Hales' "Africa Lights" before the BBC ushers the band offstage with the closing Jazz Workshop theme.

Without going into great detail, suffice to say that every number on the album is well-written, wonderfully performed and more than worth hearing and appreciating. The band, as noted, is letter-perfect, the sound impressively well-balanced and clear, especially in light of its having been recorded more than sixty years ago. Whenever the band unwinds, MacPherson leads a crew of admirable soloists that includes Robbins; Thompson; Ruhland; trumpeters Hales, Dick Forrest, Don Clark and Stew Barnett; alto Dave Quarin, clarinetist Wally Snider and pianist Chris Gage.

While the Golden Age of big bands was a phenomenon that may never return, Happy Faces serves as an eloquent reminder of how magical a time it was and why it is so sorely missed by those who were fortunate enough to share that unique and memorable experience.