George Roberts

Matt Litwaitis is a dedicated and innovative trombonist whose passion for music extended beyond performance into the world of transcription and preservation. Using an early version of Sibelius, Matt carefully transcribed the work of his close friend, legendary bass trombonist George Roberts, helping to establish what would become standard publications for the instrument. His collaboration with Irv Kratka’s Music Minus One resulted in two landmark projects—Unsung Hero: The Artistry of George Roberts and Big Band Ballads for Tenor or Bass Trombone—both now distributed by Hal Leonard

George Roberts is known in the jazz world for his recording of “Stella By Starlight” with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, which featured George on bass trombone. He is known among music instrument makers as Mr. Bass Trombone, who helped make a market for the instrument beginning in the late 1940s. George is known to movie trivia buffs as the trombonist who scared audiences with the sounds before JAWS attacked (ba-dump ba-dump). His is also known to his NAMM family for creating Bones West, a big band style trombone band that has played at every trade show since the mid 1970s.