Dave Robbins - Happy Faces

In the insightful interview Cory Weeds conducted with Don Thompson that’s part of the liner notes package for this release, Thompson noted a core characteristic that defined Dave Robbins. “Every time he did anything, it was an event,” said Thompson. “His brain couldn’t think little. He could only think big.”

Everything about Happy Faces – the intricate compositions and arrangements, high-level playing, and the fact that this recording even exists and is now widely available – is consistent with a big event. In fact Happy Faces by the Dave Robbins Big Band is nothing less than a landmark, revelatory recording in Vancouver jazz history.

Robbins was a seminal figure in the development of large ensemble jazz in Vancouver, nationally across Canada, and beyond. He made invaluable contributions as a trombonist, bandleader, arranger/composer, and teacher to the fine art of big band and jazz orchestra performance. It’s been criminal that no recordings of large jazz ensembles led by Robbins have been available for years. Instead, studio and live recordings that were made were passed between enthusiasts privately. That was the case until now, with the happy release of Happy Faces.

Listening to the 12 tunes on the album, and reading the Q&As accompanying these notes that Weeds conducted with Thompson and Donnie Clark who both played on the recording, confirm the exceptional musicianship, jazz artistry, and cohesion of the players. The rare confluence of circumstances – the CBC Jazz Workshop program providing top composers/arrangers and these sublime musicians with a forum for performing challenging charts every two weeks for a number of years in the early to mid-sixties, and the rapport the instrumentalists developed from frequently playing together at venues like the Cave Supper Club, engendered the remarkable sound of Happy Faces.

As a whole, this recording affirms the abundant musicality, creativity, and historical importance of the Dave Robbins Big Band, particularly during the years of the Jazz Workshop broadcasts. The music also reflects a fundamental Robbins trait: the Vancouver big band icon was a modernist. That’s evident in the song selection and overall sound that Robbins nurtured. “It was just individuals making an attempt to be unique,” Robbins said in 1988 about what he, the arrangers/composers, and musicians were striving for in the Jazz Workshop years. “That was definitely the golden years of [large] ensemble jazz in Vancouver.”
Happy Faces represents a gold standard that the Dave Robbins Big Band reached more than 60 years ago and large ensemble jazz lovers can now hear. Enjoy.
Postscript: Years after the Jazz Workshop program ended, Robbins taught at Vancouver Community College and led big bands. Even though there was a significant age difference between him and his students, Robbins strongly supported young musicians like Hugh Fraser who wanted to embrace modernity. Fraser and his fellow musicians would go on to form the
Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz Improvisation (VEJI), which did more than any other Canadian big band to evolve large ensemble jazz. So Robbins’ legacy went far and continues to be an inspirational influence today.

Chris Wong February 2024