The Villager was a jazz club in Dallas, Texas during the 1960's (thanks to Bill Harter of Dallas for this information).

Articles About Howard Roberts

If you know of other articles, etc. please let me know.

• Biography - an Official Biography courtesy of Patty Roberts.
• History of Musicians Institute - this details some of Howard Roberts' activities as a founder of G.I.T.
• Howard Roberts Remembered by Andy Nelson as told to Lawrence Grinnell. This is a never published article by the well-known guitar player and guitar personality Andy Nelson kindly made available by his nephew Larry Grinnell. Andy Nelson was a good friend of Howard Roberts and co-designer of the original Epiphone Howard Roberts guitar.
• Go Slow - The Life of Julie London by Michael Owen, Chicago Review Press, 2017. This has some references to Howard as part of the Bobby Troup Trio.
• H.R. Was a Dirty Guitar Player! The Story of Howard Roberts by Jim Carlton, Vintage Guitar, September 2011, Vol. 25 No. 11. An excellent article.
• Tearing Down the Walls of Sound - The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector by Mick Brown, Bloomsbury, 2007. This contains some interesting descriptions of HR's interactions with Phil Spector.
• The House That Trane Built, The Story of Impulse Records by Ashley Kahn, Norton, 2007. This contains (p. 220-221) a nice description of the recording of Antelope Freeway including several quotes from coproducer Bill Szymczyk such as "I made like eighty-some albums in my life and that's still in my Top Ten."
• An Unknown Great: Howard Heitmeyer by Craig C. Brandau, Just Jazz Guitar, November 2007, 138-144. Interview with Heitmeyer with a number of comments concerning H.R.
• Review of The Jazz Guitar Stylings of Howard Roberts by Mitch Holder, Mel Bay Publications in Books by Wolf Marshall, Vintage Guitar, February 2007, pp. 146-148.
• Howard Roberts Legendary funky jazz guitar giant in Fretprints Column by Wolf Marshall, Vintage Guitar, February 2007, p. 88-92.
• The Epiphone Howard Roberts by George Gruhn and Walter Carter, Vintage Guitar, April 2006, p. 40. Good article on this guitar.
• Jay Roberts Son of a Dirty Guitar Player by Ann Wickstrom, Vintage Guitar, February 2005, p. 13. A nice interview with H.R.'s son Jay who makes a number of interesting comments about his father.
• David Axelrod - Seriously Deep by Eothen Alapatt and Brian DeGenti, Wax Poetics, #14 Fall 2005, p.96-112. An interview with producer/arranger David Axelrod who used H.R. on many recording dates and produced his album Spinning Wheel. Axelrod makes some nice comments about H.R.
• Time of the Session, When the music was fast and the players anonymous by Robert Lloyd, L.A. Weekly, April 9-15, 2004. An interesting
• Bill Pitman: Junior Salt Speaks by Jim Carlton, Classic Jazz Guitar, Nov. 15, 2002. A fantastic interview with many comments about H.R.
• Howard Roberts, Various Albums, Euphoria Jazz by Dan Forte, Vintage Guitar, August, 2001.
• Howard Roberts and the Black Guitar by Wolf Marshall, Vintage Guitar Magazine, August 2000, Vol. 14, No. 10, p. 88-90.
• The World of Guitars by Christian Seguret, Greenwich Editions, 1999. This contains some discussion and photos of the various guitars that Howard Roberts designed.
• Masters of Jazz Guitar by Charles Alexander, Balafon Books, 1999. A good book although I would have liked better coverage of HR than there is. The book does note his studio accomplishments and the fact that he is one of those studio players who "have made a major contribution to jazz guitar". Where the book lets down somewhat, in my opinion at least, is that it fails to really acknowledge the influence he had as a strictly jazz artist during the 50's. Its true he made only two recordings during that period as a leader but he was a sideman on many more strictly jazz recordings. I think he was one of the top bebop jazz guitar players from that era. Also the book entirely ignores the tremendous influence he had on so many guitar players during the 60's through his recordings like Color Him Funky and H.R. is a Dirty Guitar Player. Also this topic deserves a more scholarly treatment; e.g. a better bibliography that pointed to further resources which contain more information and others opinions. Its nice to have the book available though.
• Roberts, Howard, Encyclopaedia of Jazz (Virgin Encyclopedia Series) by Colin Larkin (Editor), 1999.
• The Jazz Discography, Volume 19 by Tom Lord, Lord Music Reference and Cadence Jazz Books, p. 492-R495, 1998.
• Bob Bain - the Silent Giant: Veteran of the Hollywood Recording Studios by Jim LaDiana in Vintage Guitar, February 16, 1998. An interesting article that contains some comments about Howard Roberts.
• Stars of Jazz, by Ray Avery, JazzMedia ApS, 1998. This is a great collection of photos, taken by Ray Avery, of people who appeared on the Stars of Jazz television show during the 50's. This was hosted by Bobby Troup and it seems that H.R. made several appearances. There are some great photos of H.R. in this book.
• The Greatest Guitarists You've Never heard Of! Vol. 6, Into the Cool, GWCD - 1006 by Bruce Clarke. Bruce Clarke is one of Australia's most well-known jazz guitarists. In 1996 he put together a series of radio programs called The Greatest Guitarists You've Never Heard Of. This series became available on CD in 1999 and is available from his site (see under Links). Volume 6 begins with Bruce's fine tribute to H.R.
• The Guitar In Jazz An Anthology edited by James Sallis, p. 114-115, University of Nebraska Press, 1996.
• The Guitarchives website has some material on Howard Roberts including Jim Hilmar's liner notes for the Dirty N' Funky double CD.
• Howard Roberts - H.R. Is A Dirty Guitar Player by Jim Hilmar, Vintage Guitar Magazine , July, 1995. Used by permission of the author and Vintage Guitar Magazine. Jim is the "Spotlight" columnist in that publication. He has also written the liner notes for the soon to be released Howard Roberts CD from Guitarchives. (reprinted August, p. 170-171, 1998)
• Jay Roberts, a son of Howard Roberts, produced another site but it is no longer in existence. This had some further interesting information. This is a link to an edited version containing the key points, 1995.
• Roberts, Howard, Dictionnaire du Jazz by Carles, Clergent and Comolli, p. 1012, 1995 .
• Howard Roberts, The Guitarist Book of Guitar Players, by Cliff Douse, Music Maker Books, p. 95, 1994 .
• The Jazz Guitar Its Evolution, Its Players and Personalities Since 1900 by Maurice Summerfield, Third Edition, Ashley Music Publishing Co., p. 263, 1993.
• Live ... In the Big Now! A Tribute To Howard Roberts 8 p.m., November 2, 1992, Jazz Alley, Seattle. Program for this event which included contributions from Don Mock, Jamie Findlay, Jay Roberts, Steve Miller, Dan Dean, Clint Strong and others.
• Howard Roberts, Jazz Times, p. 22, Nov. 1992.
• Requiem for a Jazz Heavyweight by Mitch Holder, Guitar Player, October, p. 20, 1992.
• Obituaries. Howard Roberts by Mark Gilbert, Jazz Journal, 45/9, Sept., p. 16-17, 1992.
• Obituaries, Howard Roberts, Cadence Magazine, p. 100, Aug., 1992.
• Howard Roberts, Variety, p. 76, July 20,1992.
• Howard Roberts: Jazz Guitarist Played on 2,000 Recordings; by Burt A. Folkart, L.A. Times, p. A28, July 3, 1992.
• Howard Roberts, by Steve Voce, The Independent Newspaper, 1992. The article is reproduced here with the generous permission of the author. This is a good article.
• West Coast Jazz, Modern Jazz in California 1945-1960 by Ted Gioia, p. 188 and 258, Oxford University Press, 1992. Only brief mention of H.R. but lots of discussion of people he played with.
• Jazz West Coast, The Los Angeles Jazz Scene of the 1950s by Robert Gordon, p. 49 and 134, Quartet Books, 1990. Only brief mention is made of Howard Roberts but it is an interesting book and describes the milieu in which he developed as a jazz musician.
• Raney, Collins and Roberts Jazz It Up At Bellarmine by Karen Miller, Louisville Music News, July, 1990. A review of a concert by H.R., Jimmy Raney and Cal Collins at Bellarmine College. This is associated with the annual guitar clinics held there.
• His guitar's famous, even though he isn't by Salvatore Caputo, p. D1-2, Arizona Republic, March 16, 1990. The article is publicity for a gig at the Phoenix Performing Arts Center.
• MVP of jazz: Howard who? by Deanna Boe, p. 43-44, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Progress - Scottsdale Life, March 15, 1990. This article discusses an upcoming concert by H.R. at the Phoenix performing Arts Center in the Treasures of Jazz concert series organized by Jazz in Arizona. There are some interesting comments about his early days in the area. For example, he had his first paying gig at a Mexican tavern when he was 13 and earned a taco for his efforts.
• The New Howard Roberts by Steve Haskin, The Minnesota Guitarist, July/August, 1989. A very interesting interview with H.R.
• He's A Rebel - The Truth About Phil Spector - Rock and Roll's Legendary Madman by M. Ribowsky, E.P. Dutton, 1989 . This contains a number of references concerning H.R. and several quotes from him. The book gives an interesting description of the recording studio environment.
• Roberts, Howard (Mancel) by Jim Ferguson in The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, p. 1050-1051 , 1988.
• The Art, History and Style of Jazz Guitar by Jimmy Stewart, p. 105, CPP/Belwin Inc, 1988.
• WW Jazz Choice by Marty Hughley, p. 21, For The Week of January 15-21, 1987, Willamette Week. Discusses an upcoming performance at DJ's Village Jazz in Lake Oswego on January 21 and 22.
• When I had to put stardom aside by Howard Roberts, Crescendo, xxiv/10, p. 8, 1987. In this article Howard explains why he effectively quit pursuing his career as a jazz musician to work in the studios in Los Angeles.
• Jazz'Nic '87 by Don Adair, p. 4, The Spokane Review Spokane Chronicle, July 17, 1987. A preview article for a concert to be held on the following day at the Coliseum and headlined by Chuck Mangione.
• Howard Roberts in conversation by John Themis, Guitarist, March, p. 42-45, 1986. A great article - thanks to Guitarist magazine for making this available.
• West Coast Jazz by Alin Tercinet, Editions Parentheses, 1986. This is in French but it seems to be one of the better books on this topic. The book discusses a number of significant recordings that Howard Roberts was a part of.
• Enjoyment is possible sooner insists Howard Roberts by L. Tomkins, Crescendo International, xxii/6, p. 22, 1985. A very interesting article in which H.R. describes his earliest days learning music.
• Howard Roberts and all that jazz, p. A3, Jimmy Come Lately Gazette, August 7, 1985. A nice picture of H.R. performing at SeaFirst Park, Sequim, Wa.
• The Mr. Roberts You've Never Heard Of by John Hessburg, p. 57, L.A. Times/Calendar, July 21, 1985. This article contains some interesting comments including "Fellow musicians testify that Roberts lives in a spontaneous, time-free zone he calls "The Big Now" from which he wanders into real-world appointments as he pleases."
• The Jazz Guitarists by Stan Britt, p. 111, Blandford Press, 1984.
• Essential Listening by Howard Roberts as told to David Alzofon, Guitar Player - January, 1983. This is well worth reading.
• Guitarist Roberts' jazz offers emotion, humor, talent by John Wendeborn, p. G2, The Oregonian, October 14, 1983. A nice review of a performance at a club called the Village Jazz located in Lake Oswego.
• Northwest Happenings' Club Scene, Northwest Happenings Music Guide, July 1984. An article discussing an upcoming performance at the Quarter Note in Anacortes with Dave Grusin, Dan Dean and Moyes Lucas.
• The History of the Guitar in Jazz by Norman Morgan, p. 133, Oak Publications, 1983.
• Robert's Pace by Chris Lunn, The Victory Music Folk & Jazz Review, p. 3, Vol. 7, No. 11, November 1982. H.R. discusses his coming to Los Angeles in 1950 from Phoenix and what his early days were like there.
• Roberts' stellar jazz guitar shines to the outer limits by John Wendeborn, p. E11, The Oregonian, November 11, 1982. A review of a performance at Delevan's in Portland.
• Guitar Great Howard Roberts Offers Hot Tips for the Songwriting Player, by Rob Sanford, June, 1981, Songwriter, p. 54-57. An interesting interview with H.R. where he comments on guitar playing, songwriting and the music industry generally.
• My Fifty Fretting Years by Ivor Mairants. Ashley Mark Publishing Co., 1980. Some interesting comments about Howard Roberts, Jack Marshall, Barney Kessel and other guitarists by a prominent British guitarist.
• Guitar Clinics build traffic by Jerry DeMuth, UpBeat The Business of Music Magazine, January, p. 32-34, 46, 1980. An interesting article describing an appearance by H.R. at Chicago music store. UpBeat appears to be a companion to Downbeat but aimed at the music business.
• Howard Roberts by Don Menn, Guitar Player, June, 1979. This article was the cover story in that issue of Guitar Player and it was also excerpted in the The Guitar Player Book by the Editors of Guitar Player Magazine, GPI Publications, 1979.
• The Brubecks warm up fans by Philip Elwood, p. 24, San Francisco examiner, July 31, 1978. A review of a concert at the Concord Pavilion with H.R. opening for Dave Brubeck.H.R. had Pete Jolly, John Guerin and Dan Dean in his quartet.
• Talent at Concord Jazz Festival dazzles moderate crowd by Philip Elwood, p. 7, San Francisco Examiner, July 22, 1978. Review of an all-guitar concert with Barney Kessel, Howard Roberts, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow, Remo Palmier, Emily Remler and Cal Collins.
• Jazz At the Pioneer - Sunday, February 26, 1978, 1:00 pm, Pioneer Theatre Auditorium, Reno, Nevada.
• G.I.T. The Serious Business Professional by Dan Forte, Guitar Player, January, 1978. This article documents Howard Roberts' early involvement with this institution and in particular how the curriculum was based on his seminar materials.
• How To Condense Curricula by Dr. William L. Fowler, down beat, December 1, p. 38-39, 1977. Describes the curriculum of GIT and its founding in March 1977 by Howard Roberts and others.
• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Chamber Music Concerts, Winter Series, January 2 to March 27. This publication contains the program for January 23, 1977 the day of the performance of the Concerto for Electric Guitar. It also contains the interesting information that this was broadcast on KFAC 92.3 FM. There were two other works performed at this concert; Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra by Ernst Toch and Essay for Strings by John Williams.
• Concerto Will Have World Premiere, L.A. Times, Jan. 13, 1977 . This article announces the performance of the Concerto for Electric Guitar by Duane Tatro and is accompanied by a picture of H.R., Duane Tatro and Charles Blackman (the conductor).
• A Tribute To Howard Roberts by Jimmy Stewart, Guitar Player, December, 1976.
• Advertisement announcing Tom Scott, Roger Kellaway, Howard Roberts, John Guerin and Chuck Domanico playing at Donte's to celebrate the 10-th anniversary of this establishment, October 12-14, 1976.
• About That Seminar, p. 10, Unicorn Times, Washington's Entertainment Monthly, Volume III, No. VIII, May 1976. The article contains the following quote from H.R. to the seminar participants at a seminar he held at a Holiday Inn in Fairfax, Va. April 2-4, 1976. "There's a good chance that we're all nuts so we'd better stick together."
• Howard Roberts - The Man Behind The Guitar by Kathy Rudnicki, Guitar Center News, Volume II, Number Three, March, 1976.. Interesting interview where H.R. expounds on all kinds of topics including politics, Pythagoras, Einstein, Marx, Jack Marshall and the fact that "There was a time when I could drink a dozen beers and play just as well as before I had them."
• Seminar Attended by Gonzo Journalist Fisher S. Fenwick Guitar Center news, Volume II, Number Three, 1976. A somewhat psychedelic account of a participant in one of H.R.'s seminars.
• Tips From GP's Advisory Board - The Studio Scene by Howard Roberts, Guitar Player, p. 46, July, 1975.
• Jazz on Campus. An Interview with Howard Roberts by John Cortese and Don Bacon, Jazz New England, 1/5, Aug., p. 9-11, 1975.
• HOW TO improve guitar sight-reading by Dr. William L. Fowler, down beat, 42/5, Mar., p. 38-39, 1975. An article about sight-reading that includes a number of comments from Howard Roberts and Johnny Smith and includes a "test" from H.R.
• Jazz guitarist, local players mix unevenly by John Gunter, p. 4B, the Minneapolis Star, Feb. 21, 1975. A review of a performance at the Longhorn Jazz Club playing with Eric Gravatt - drums, Bob Rockwell - tenor and saprano sax, Billy Peterson - bass and Bobby Peterson - keyboard.
• Concert, seminar feature guitar, p. 11, The Sunday Oklahoman, Showcase, October 20, 1974. An article announcing an upcoming Howard Roberts Guitar Seminar at the Arts Council of Oklahoma City House Nov. 1-3, 1974.
• John Bustin, p. 5, The Austin Citizen, Sept. 12, 1974. This article discusses a seminar H.R. conducted at the J.R. Reed Music Co. for about 300 local guitarists.
• Howard Roberts ... in Eugene ... in our store ... all day Monday, Mar. 4 Only ... probably the "giant of the guitar" in the world today , p. 7B, Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore., March 3, 1974. An advertisement for the openng of the Eugene Music Co. featuring H.R.
• Jazz Guitar Seminars - Howard Roberts , Guitar Player, October, 1973.
• Jazz Guitar Seminars, p. 12, Guitar Player, October, 1973.
• The Howard Roberts Seminar by Fred Torak, entr'acte, Official Journal of the Musician's Guild of Montreal, June, 1973. The article comments on how well-received the seminar was and mentions that they hope to have him back.
• Jazz pro prefers teaching to stage by John Wendeborn, p. 17, The Oregonian, February 3, 1973. H.R. comments on the disadvantages of playing concerts and clubs.
• Some Top Personalities Jazz Up the Campus, p. 6, Utah Westminster, Newscope, Winter 72-73, Volume 59, Number 2. This is a publication of Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah. The article talks about a visiting faculty program (H.R. being one) organized at this institution by Dr. William L. Fowler.
• Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Howard Roberts - Jazz Roundtable , Guitar Player, September, 1972.
• Howard Roberts - Profile Of A Pro , Guitar Player, April, 1972.
• Hybrid Experience - Howard Roberts Blends Music, Freeway Sounds, The News, Van Nuys (Calif.), July 14, 1971. A review of the album Antelope Freeway. This title came from a Firesign Theater epsiode.
• Name of the Game - Howard Roberts , p. 28-29, Guitar Player, August, 1970.
• Good Musician Need Not Be Financially Strained by Dick Moore, Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, July, 1970 (or 1969). This article gives a review of H.R.'s performance and presentation at the Johnny Smith guitar seminar. To quote the reviewer "His rapid musical sequnces seemed reminiscent of the slap of tires on today's freeways and brought to mind sounds synonymous to the fast pace of jet airplanes, racing cars and soaring space vehicles." and "Interspersing his musical activities with short bits of advice, Roberts cautioned his audience not to be discouraged and give up the pursuit of musical excellence." In another article H.R. credits this seminar with giving him the idea of having his seminars in various parts of the country. These seminars in turn lead to the founding of G.I.T.
• Top Guitarists to Attend Seminar Here Next Week by Dick Moore, Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, July, 1970 (or 1969). This article discusses the first annual Johnny Smith Guitar Seminar. Helping Johnny will be Howard Roberts and William Fowler a professor of music at the University of Utah.
• the lees side - You're Going to Hear From Her by Gene Lees, High Fidelity Magazine, p. 132, December, 1969. This is an interesting article where Gene Lees describes a recording session with Howard Roberts, Jimmie Rowles, Ray Brown, Stan Levey and the singer Betty Jean Baker. He describes how quickly they were able to learn and effectively perform a number of songs composed by himself and Lalo Schifrin with no rehearsal before the session. The article opens with "It's my private conviction that the best musicians in history are American studio musicians, those who grew out of the bebop era of American jazz and went on to expand their abilities, settle down in New York and Hollywood ...".
• Pro's Reply, P. 4, Guitar Player, February, 1969.
• Mr. Roberts, p. 6, Guitar Player, August, 1967.
• Howard Roberts' Binary Bag by Harvey Siders, down beat, 34/13, p. 23-25, 1967.
• Blindfold Test. Howard Roberts by Leonard Feather, down beat 32/14, p. 48, Jul. 1965.
• Roberts, Howard Mancel, by Leonard Feather in The Encyclopedia of Jazz, p. 398, 1960.
• Good Pickin's, Reviews and Ratings of New Albums, Billboard, June 29, 1959.

The following articles are ones for which I do not have full bibliographical information.

• Plectrum - Howard Roberts guitar seminar is coming to Washington. This article discusses the upcoming seminar to be held April 2-4, 1976 at the Holiday In in Fairfax, Va. and organized by an organization known as Songsmyth. The article discusses how H.R. emphasizes techniques for learning fast and contains the quote from him "The task increases to fill the time allotted for its completion." It also notes that the overall fee of $100 works out to $4.17 an hour.
• Howard Roberts: innovative Guit-artistry by Dave Gregor. Review of a gig at Pioneer Banque Restaurant in Seattle.
• Howard Roberts - "I'm a craftsman, and don't want anybody to tell me how I'm supposed to be" by Dave Gregor. An interesting article where H.R. expounds on his attitude towards the music industry generally and being a performer.
• Music Review - Jazz Guitar by Gene Williams, 1990. Review in a Louisville newspaper of the Bellarmine concert by H.R., Jimmy Raney and Cal Collins.
• Roberts shines on jazz guitar by John Wendeborn, The Oregonian, 1982. a review of a gig at Delevan's in Portland.
• Centennial Concert Finale to feature all-star performers, The Edmonds Newspaper, p. 14. An article describing the line-up for this concert at the Puget Sound Christian College which included the "Special Guest Star: Howard Roberts - Guitar Virtuoso".
• Free Guitar Clinic, December 10, 1974. An anouncement concerning a free clinic with H.R. at a music store in Alexandria, Louisiana.
• Free Guitar Clinic Conducted By Guitar-Great Howard Roberts at Lynn's Guitars
• Jazz Brightens Eastbay Scene by Russ Wilson, Oakland Tribune, October (?), 1966(?). This article discusses a jazz series at a local Holiday Inn sponsored by Don Mupo and Bob Frohn. In particular it discusses an upcoming appearance in the series of a unit comprised of Frank Rosolino - trombone, Howard Roberts - guitar, Fred Marshall - bass and Jerry Granelli - drums.
• Consider It an Option by S.P. Clarke, p. 6, Two Louies, February, 1987. I only have part of this article but it has an interesting picture of Howard Roberts in it.