Information/Write-up
Ripple Rock: Vancouver’s Big Band Explosive Architect, Dave Robbins (1923–2005)
By Robert Williston
Dave 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. Known for his “beautiful tone and fantastic sound” on trombone, Robbins also left an indelible mark as a composer, arranger, and mentor whose influence continues to resonate across generations of Canadian jazz musicians.
Born David Thornburg Robbins in Greensburg, Indiana, on August 14, 1923, he began his musical life on violin and trumpet before falling in love with the trombone after hearing a choir of instruments at a Baptist church. He studied at Sam Houston State University and the University of Southern California, then served in the U.S. Marine Band during World War II, where he composed and arranged for military broadcasts. After the war, Robbins freelanced in Los Angeles, including time with the L.A. Philharmonic, before joining Harry James’s orchestra in 1948. As James’s lead trombonist and musical director he toured internationally and appeared on recordings and film soundtracks, including Young Man with a Horn (1950). He even turned down an invitation to join Duke Ellington’s band, choosing instead to settle in Vancouver in 1951 — a decision that would transform Canadian jazz.
In Vancouver, Robbins became principal trombonist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (1955–1970) while simultaneously leading some of the city’s most exciting big bands. His ensembles were fixtures at venues like the Cave Supper Club and Commodore Ballroom, backing touring stars and showcasing top local talent. At the same time, Robbins became a cornerstone of the CBC, where he was the driving force behind programs such as Jazz Workshop, Jazz Canadiana, and Sound of the Sixties. These broadcasts provided an essential platform for ambitious large-ensemble jazz, and his bands — which included leading musicians like Fraser MacPherson, Don Clark, Bobby Hales, and Chris Gage — stretched Canadian jazz into bold new territory.
The Jazz Workshop era of the early-to-mid 1960s has since been described as the “golden years” of large ensemble jazz in Vancouver. Robbins himself recalled in 1988: “It was just individuals making an attempt to be unique. That was definitely the golden years.” His bands played daring new works by local arrangers, handled challenging scores, and delivered performances on par with — and sometimes surpassing — their American contemporaries. Pianist Don Thompson, who worked with Robbins, put it simply: “Every time he did anything, it was an event. His brain couldn’t think little. He could only think big.”
Robbins’ recording legacy is unusually rich thanks to his long association with CBC. Between 1959 and 1970 he fronted a variety of ensembles under different names — Dave Robbins Group, Dave Robbins Jazz Ensemble, Dave Robbins Quintet, Dave Robbins Ensemble, and The Dave Robbins Band. These were recorded in Studio A at CBC Vancouver and issued on the broadcaster’s LM and RM series of LPs. His earliest entry, a split LP in 1959 with the Lance Harrison Dixieland Band (CBC JFC-1), introduced Robbins’ small group with Fraser MacPherson, Clifford Binyon, Wally Snider, Chris Gage, Paul Ruhland, and George Ursan. By 1961, Robbins was leading the Jazz Ensemble (RM-47 and RM-49), which expanded to include full horn sections and featured vocalist Eleanor Collins. She contributed striking performances on “God Bless the Child,” “Little Girl Blue,” and “Warm-Hearted Woman” (1961), and returned the following year with the Quintet (RM-86) on “Bouquet of Blues,” “Warm-Hearted Woman,” and “Love for Sale.” Collins also appeared with the Ensemble (LM-3, 1966), reaffirming Robbins’ role as both a bandleader and a supporter of Canada’s pioneering jazz vocalist.
As Robbins’ CBC projects grew in scope, he moved toward full big-band recordings. In 1967 his orchestra backed singer Miles Ramsay on CBC LM-34, balancing popular repertoire with jazz charts, while in 1970 he led The Dave Robbins Band (CBC LM-89), which included his signature piece “Ripple Rock” alongside contemporary selections. These CBC projects, issued in limited runs for broadcast and educational use, are now seen as essential documents of West Coast Canadian jazz. They not only chart Robbins’ progression from small-group experimentation to ambitious big-band modernism, but also demonstrate his role as a unifying force among Vancouver’s finest musicians.
Robbins was also a visible presence on CBC Television (CBUT Vancouver), where his bands frequently appeared on variety programs and jazz specials. In 1959 he arranged and conducted Jazz Variations on a Theme for the Pacific 8’s broadcast, showcasing Vancouver’s top players. In 1965, his 20-piece orchestra premiered bassist Paul Ruhland’s ambitious suite Contemplations (also billed as Spring Music Festival – Jazz) at the Hotel Vancouver, filmed for CBUT. Robbins was regularly seen alongside colleagues like Eleanor Collins, Chris Gage, Fraser MacPherson, and Carse Sneddon — performers who bridged CBC radio and television and defined Vancouver’s jazz identity. At the 1964 Vancouver Jazz Festival, CBC cameras captured Robbins interviewed backstage alongside international stars Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto, a reminder of his place in the wider modern jazz conversation.
This period also produced previously unreleased broadcast tapes later issued as Happy Faces (Reel to Real RTRLP015, 2025), drawn from 1963 and 1965 CBC sessions in Studio A. Featuring Robbins alongside Fraser MacPherson, Don Clark, Chris Gage, Ian McDougall, and others, the release finally brought wider recognition to Robbins’ orchestras of the 1960s and confirmed his stature as a bandleader of international caliber.
Beyond his CBC work, Robbins recorded the 1966 single Follow the Birds (with John Dunbar and Bobby Herriot) and backed vocalist Joani Taylor on her 1968 CBC LP, recorded at Vancouver’s Aragon Studios with the Numerality Singers. Together, these recordings document Robbins’ evolution as a bandleader and his pivotal role in shaping Vancouver’s jazz identity from the late 1950s through the 1970s.
Teaching was another pillar of Robbins’ career. He helped establish the Jazz Studies program at Vancouver Community College and taught at the University of British Columbia, encouraging generations of young players. His students included Hugh Fraser, Herb Besson, John Doheny, and Gordie Bertram. Fraser, who founded the Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz Improvisation (VEJI) in the 1980s, credited Robbins’ support of modernism and risk-taking as a direct inspiration.
Robbins remained active through the 1980s with projects such as Trombones Incorporated, a six-trombone choir with vocals, and continued performing into the mid-1990s before retiring to the Sunshine Coast. He passed away in Gibsons, British Columbia, on September 23, 2005, at the age of 82.
As fellow bandleader Bobby Hales summed up: Robbins “changed Vancouver from being a sort of C+ jazz situation to being a triple-A.” Today, with archival reissues like Happy Faces shining new light on his work, Dave Robbins is celebrated not only as a brilliant trombonist but as a visionary bandleader and educator who helped build the foundation of modern Canadian jazz.
-Robert Williston
Dave Robbins: trombone, leader
Fraser MacPherson: tenor saxophone, flute
Chris Gage: piano
Don Clark: trumpet
Ian McDougall: trombone
Dave Quarin: alto saxophone
Wally Snider: baritone saxophone, clarinet
Doug Kent: French horn
Paul Ruhland: bass (1963 sessions)
Don Thompson: bass (1965 session)
Al Johnson: drums
Arnie Chycoski: trumpet
Bobby Hales: trumpet
Carse Sneddon: trumpet
Stew Barnett: trumpet
Dick Forrest: trumpet
Robert Creech: French horn
Oliver Gannon: guitar
Ron Johnston: piano (some sessions)
Ray Moga: guitar (some sessions)
Ralph Dyke: vibraphone
Bob Murphy: organ
Executive producer: Cory Weeds
Produced by Cory Weeds
Original broadcast producer: Robert Chesterman
Technical operation: Bob Gray
Hosted by Ray Nichol
Sound restoration by Sheldon Zaharko
Front cover photography by Franz Lindner / CBC Still Image Collection
Back cover photo by Franz Lindner (courtesy Ian Robbins)
Design and layout by Perry Chua
Package editor: Sharon McInnis
Recorded in Studio A, CBC Vancouver, BC
Tracks 2–6 recorded January 17, 1965
Tracks 7–9 recorded September 6, 1963
Tracks 10–13 recorded sometime in 1963
Liner Notes
Cory Weeds, February 2024
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-1960s, 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.”
Track two on the record, “Playa del Rey”, has been described as “a fine, modern, big band chart” by Chris Gage. He solos here alongside Fraser MacPherson and Robbins. Gage also contributed the distinctive “Happy Faces,” the album’s title track. Other highlights include “Minority” by Gigi Gryce, “Asiatic Raes” by Kenny Dorham, “Reflections” by Grachan Moncur, “Canto de Oriole” by Fraser MacPherson, and “Sixes & Sevens” by Donnie Clark.
Track three — Al McMullan’s “Minority” — continues the impression of vitality that the players brought to the sessions. Chris Gage, Don Clark, and MacPherson shine throughout the track. The tune starts as a ballad and then opens into a Latin groove that builds in intensity.
“West Coasting” — another work by MacMillan — is a prime example of the sophistication of Robbins’ ensembles, with layers of voicings that mass to terrific effect. The Robbins Big Band’s ability to stretch, challenge, and innovate is consistently demonstrated throughout the album.
At the album’s halfway point, “Painted Rea” (aka “Lotus Blossom”) is a lush and lyrical McDougall original. Its elegance and depth underscore just how much musical substance Robbins was able to extract from his band. Donnie Clark’s “Sixes & Sevens” brings the album to a bristling conclusion, showcasing the powerhouse brass and rhythm sections of the band.
Robbins’ “Reflections” (followed by Grove’s “Canto de Oriole”) highlights the contributions of Fraser MacPherson, whose tenor saxophone playing is both commanding and deeply expressive. His work throughout the album is a reminder of his central place in Canadian jazz history.
Happy Faces ends movingly with Hales’ “Africa Lights.” Featuring Clark on trumpet, MacPherson on tenor, and Robbins on trombone, it captures the creative ferment of an era when Vancouver musicians were competing with — and in some cases surpassing — their peers in larger American centers.
The fact that these performances survive at all, in such high fidelity, is a testament to Robbins’ vision and the CBC’s archival foresight. For decades, these tapes existed only in private circulation. Their release in 2025 finally fills a yawning gap in Canadian jazz discography, offering a vivid portrait of a bandleader who always thought big and a city whose jazz scene was surging.
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