Dave Robbins (trombonist)

David Thornburg Robbins (August 14, 1923 – September 23, 2005) was an American-Canadian trombonist, composer, arranger, and teacher.[1][2]

Dave Robbins
BornAugust 14, 1923
Greensburg, Indiana, U.S.
Died2005 (aged 81–82)
Gibsons, British Columbia, Canada
GenresJazz, big band
Instrument(s)Trombone
Years active1948–2005

Early life and education

Born in Greensburg, Indiana, Robbins studied music education at Sam Houston State University and the University of Southern California.[3]

Career

He served in United States Marine Corps and was a sergeant stationed at the Marine Corps Base in San Diego, California, where he was on the Halls of Montezuma broadcast.[4] When he was discharged, he worked as a trombonist in symphony orchestras and in Harry James' band (1948–1954). He moved to Vancouver in 1951 and became a Canadian citizen in 1965.

From 1955 to 1970, Robbins was the principal trombonist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and performed with other local orchestras. He organized and led show bands featured in Vancouver nightclubs, and led some of city's most popular big bands.[5] In the 1960s, his big band was featured regularly on national radio programs. His original compositions included Jazz Impressions of the Middle East (1967).

Robbins taught young musicians at Vancouver Community College and the University of British Columbia. His students included Herb Besson, Hugh Fraser, R&B saxophonist Gordie Bertram of the Powder Blues Band, and New Orleans-based saxophonist and jazz educator John Doheny.

References
  1. Robbins, Dave. (2008). The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Foundation.
  2. "Dave Robbins, a cornerstone of Vancouver's jazz community, dies", The Vancouver Sun, volume 120, number 122, September 28, 2005, page C7. (obituary) (subscription required)
  3. sixty4media (11 March 2020). "Dave Robbins". BC ENTERTAINMENT HALL OF FAME. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  4. "Goodwin in D. M. With Trombonist", The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa, volume 96, number 82, September 11, 1944, page 7. (subscription required)
  5. Jago, Marian (2018). Live at The Cellar: Vancouver's Iconic Jazz Club and the Canadian Co-operative Jazz Scene in the 1950s and '60s. UBC Press. ISBN 978-0-7748-3771-2.
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