Bob Brookmeyer
Encyclopedia
Robert Brookmeyer is an American
jazz
valve trombonist, pianist
, arranger, and composer
.
, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public attention as a member of Gerry Mulligan
's quartet from 1954 to 1957. He later worked with Jimmy Giuffre
. before rejoining Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band.
In the late 1950s he moved to New York City
to work as a freelance arranger. In the 1960s he also worked as a studio musician, co-led a quintet with Clark Terry
and worked in and wrote for the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra
. In 1980 this band recorded an album of his compositions/arrangements on which two tracks featured Clark Terry.
After a period in Europe he has returned to the United States, where he continues to write and record. Bob Brookmeyer also teaches jazz composition at the New England Conservatory of Music
in Boston, Massachusetts.
In June 2005, Brookmeyer joined ArtistShare
and announced a project to fund an upcoming third album featuring his New Art Orchestra. The resulting Grammy
-nominated CD
, titled Spirit Music, was published in summer 2006.
In September 2011, Bob's latest recording "Standards" was released. It features the New Art Orchestra with vocalist Fay Claassen.
With Arkadia Jazz
All Stars
With Gary Burton
With Gary McFarland
and Clark Terry
With Gerry Mulligan
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
valve trombonist, pianist
Jazz piano
Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instrument's combined melodic and harmonic capabilities...
, arranger, and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Biography
Born in Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public attention as a member of Gerry Mulligan
Gerry Mulligan
Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
's quartet from 1954 to 1957. He later worked with Jimmy Giuffre
Jimmy Giuffre
James Peter Giuffre was an American jazz clarinet and saxophone player, composer and arranger. He is notable for his development of forms of jazz which allowed for free interplay between the musicians, anticipating forms of free improvisation.-Biography:Born in Dallas, Texas, of Italian ancestry,...
. before rejoining Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band.
In the late 1950s he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to work as a freelance arranger. In the 1960s he also worked as a studio musician, co-led a quintet with Clark Terry
Clark Terry
Clark Terry is an American swing and bop trumpeter, a pioneer of the fluegelhorn in jazz, educator, NEA Jazz Masters inductee, and recipient of the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award...
and worked in and wrote for the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band
The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra was a jazz big band formed by trumpeter Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis around 1965. The band performed for twelve years in its original incarnation, and included a 1972 tour of the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. The band won a 1978...
. In 1980 this band recorded an album of his compositions/arrangements on which two tracks featured Clark Terry.
After a period in Europe he has returned to the United States, where he continues to write and record. Bob Brookmeyer also teaches jazz composition at the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
in Boston, Massachusetts.
In June 2005, Brookmeyer joined ArtistShare
ArtistShare
ArtistShare is a crowdfunding website and labelWharton Innovation and Entrepreneurship Consulted on 10/12/2011 for musicians and other creative artists which allows them to fund their projects utilizing a "fan-funding" model to allow the general public to directly finance, watch the creative...
and announced a project to fund an upcoming third album featuring his New Art Orchestra. The resulting Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-nominated CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, titled Spirit Music, was published in summer 2006.
In September 2011, Bob's latest recording "Standards" was released. It features the New Art Orchestra with vocalist Fay Claassen.
As leader
- 1954: The Dual Role of Bob Brookmeyer (OJC) with Jimmy RaneyJimmy RaneyJimmy Raney was an American jazz guitarist born in Louisville, Kentucky most notable for his work from 1951–1952 and 1962–1963 with Stan Getz and for his work from 1953–1954 with the Red Norvo trio, replacing Tal Farlow. In 1954 and 1955 he won the Down Beat critics poll for guitar...
, Mel LewisMel LewisMel Lewis was an American drummer, jazz musician and band leader. He was born Melvin Sokoloff in Buffalo, New York to Russian immigrant parents....
, Teddy CharlesTeddy CharlesTeddy Charles is an American jazz pianist, drummer and vibraphone musician. Born Theodore Charles Cohen in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, he began his musical career studying at Juilliard School of Music as a percussionist... - 1954: Quintets (Vogue)
- 1956: Brookmeyer (RCA)
- 1957: Traditionalism Revisited (Blue Note)
- 1959: The Ivory HuntersThe Ivory Hunters-Track listing:# "Honeysuckle Rose" - 5:55# "As Time Goes By" - 6:58# "The Way You Look Tonight" - 7:41# "It Could Happen to You" - 7:28...
(United ArtistsUnited Artists RecordsUnited Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
) Brookmeyer on piano with Bill EvansBill EvansWilliam John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie... - 1960: The Blues-Hot and Cold (Verve MG V-8385)
- 1961: Recorded Fall 1961Recorded Fall 1961-Track listing:# "Minuet Circa '61" - 10:38# "Who Could Care?" - 4:46# "Nice Work If You Can Get It" - 5:58# "Thump, Thump, Thump" - 6:52...
(Verve) with Stan GetzStan GetzStanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott... - 1962: Bob Brookmeyer: Trombone Jazz Samba (Verve V6 8498)
- 1964: Bob Brookmeyer and FriendsBob Brookmeyer and FriendsBob Brookmeyer and Friends is perhaps the most popular album by jazz trombonist Bob Brookmeyer. It features a number of influential musicians and was recorded for Columbia Records....
(ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
) - 1978: The Bob Brookmeyer Small Band (DCC Jazz, ersch. 1999)
- 1986: Oslo (Concord)
- 1988: Back Again (Dragon)
- 1991: Electricity (ACT)
- 1993: Paris Suite (Challenge)
- 1994: Old Friends (Storyville)
- 1997: New Works / Celebration (Challenge)
- 1998: Out Of This World (Koch)
- 1998: Together (Challenge)
- 1999: Madly Loving You (Challenge)
- 2000: Holiday (Challenge)
- 2002: Get Well Soon (Challenge)
- 2004: Island (Artists House)
- 2006: Spirit Music (ArtistShare)
As sideman
With Manny AlbamManny Albam
Manny Albam was a jazz baritone saxophone player who eventually put the instrument down in favour of a long and respected career as an arranger, writer, and teacher.-Biography:The son of Lithuanian immigrants, who was born in the Dominican Republic when his mother went into labour en route...
- Jazz Goes to the MoviesJazz Goes to the MoviesJazz Goes to the Movies is an album by American jazz arranger and conductor Manny Albam recorded in 1962 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:...
(Impulse!, 1962)
With Arkadia Jazz
Arkadia Jazz
Arkadia Jazz is an American jazz record label.Postcards Records is a division of Arkadia Jazz "focusing on electro-acoustic recordings by boundry-challengers".Brazilian jazz ensemble Nova Bossa Nova released their one album for the label....
All Stars
- Thank You, Gerry!
With Gary Burton
Gary Burton
Gary Burton is an American jazz vibraphonist.A true original on the vibraphone, Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the usual two-mallets. This approach caused Burton to be heralded as an innovator and his sound and technique are widely imitated...
- Who is Gary Burton?Who is Gary Burton?Who is Gary Burton? is the second album by vibraphonist Gary Burton recorded in 1962 and released on the RCA label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Ken Dryden awarded the album 4 stars stating "The talented young vibraphonist had already proven himself as a sideman and was breaking new ground as a...
(RCA, 1962) - The Groovy Sound of MusicThe Groovy Sound of MusicThe Groovy Sound of Music is an album by vibraphonist Gary Burton recorded in 1964 and released on the RCA label which features jazz interpretations of tunes from the Broadway musical The Sound of Music written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Ken Dryden...
(RCA, 1963)
With Gary McFarland
Gary McFarland
Gary McFarland was an influential composer, arranger, vibraphonist and vocalist, prominent on Verve and Impulse! Records during the 1960s, when he made "one of the more significant contributors to orchestral jazz"...
and Clark Terry
Clark Terry
Clark Terry is an American swing and bop trumpeter, a pioneer of the fluegelhorn in jazz, educator, NEA Jazz Masters inductee, and recipient of the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award...
- Tijuana JazzTijuana JazzTijuana Jazz is an album by American jazz vibraphonist Gary McFarland and trumpeter Clark Terry featuring performances recorded in 1965 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:...
(Impulse!, 1965)
With Gerry Mulligan
Gerry Mulligan
Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
- Paris Concert (1954)
External links
- Bob Brookmeyer's website
- Record Company (Challenge Records International)
- Interview with Bob Brookmeyer