TT 467: Farewell to Herb Robertson

recalling two albums from late 1980's by Mark Helias and Tim Berne

Sorry to hear about trumpet great Herb Robertson. Tim Berne wrote on his FB page:

The brilliant one of a kind genius human/musician Herb Robertson has sadly passed away.

Herb was my mentor and musical sidekick for many years in the 80's and 90's.

Every night was like a feature film full of astounding moments of beautifully inspired insanity.

The Fractured Fairy Tales tour in '89 was easily one of the most memorable experiences in my life.

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Nothing can compare to first love. As we get older, it becomes ever more obvious that what we took in when we were young influences us forever.

As a high school student in Wisconsin I made an earnest effort to find the latest and most sensational sounds emanating from New York City. There was a certain scene getting documented on JMT, Enja, and a few other small labels: In the end the two albums I listened to most from that corner of the discography were Mark Helias’s The Current Set (1987, Enja, with Tim Berne, Greg Osby, Herb Robertson, Robin Eubanks, Victor Lewis, and Nana Vasconcelos)

and Tim Berne’s Fractured Fairy Tales (1989, JMT, with Herb Robertson, Mark Feldman, Hank Roberts, Mark Dresser, and Joey Baron).

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I still check in with both albums with regularity. The compositional voices of Helias and Berne are strong, and the drumming by Victor Lewis or Joey Baron is exceptional. Herb Robertson shines on every solo, serving up fabulous mayhem in the Don Cherry tradition. Dark-hued cheeriness and an effortless willingness to be surprised. Robertson was serious, but also unashamedly zany.

Robertson’s own 1991 JMT album Certified is mostly “normal” music in the new idiom with fellow searchers Ed Schuller, David Taylor, Phil Haynes, and Mack Goldsbury. Then, at the end, Robertson sings through all the themes heard on the album. This 3-minute medley is called “The Condensed Version.” He sort of howls or yodels, perhaps something not far from Clark Terry’s “mumbles,” although much louder and funnier.

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Certified is hard to find, but you can buy The Current Set and Fractured Fairy Tales from the Mark Helias and Tim Berne pages on Bandcamp.

The Current Set (dig the spacious trumpet solo, starts as a duo with Helias, on the medium swing “No Passport”)

Fractured Fairy Tales (outstanding Robertson blowing on “Hong Kong Sad Song : More Coffee,” there’s also Robertson vocalizing at the top of “The Telex Blues”)