Bob Brookmeyer


Robert Edward "Bob" Brookmeyer was an American jazz valve trombonist, pianist, arranger, and composer. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, 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. He received eight Grammy Award nominations during his lifetime.
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Biography

Brookmeyer was born on December 19, 1929, Kansas City, Missouri, United States. He was the only child of Elmer Edward Brookmeyer and Mayme Seifert.
Brookmeyer began playing professionally in his teens. He attended the Kansas City Conservatory of Music, but did not graduate. He played piano in big bands led by Tex Beneke and Ray McKinley, but concentrated on valve trombone from when he moved to the Claude Thornhill orchestra in the early 1950s. He was part of small groups led by Stan Getz, Jimmy Giuffre, and Gerry Mulligan in the 1950s. During the 1950s and 1960s, Brookmeyer played in New York clubs, on television, and on studio recordings, as well as arranging for Ray Charles and others.
In the early 1960s, Brookmeyer joined flugelhorn player Clark Terry in a band that achieved some success. In February 1965, Brookmeyer and Terry appeared together on BBC2's Jazz 625.
Brookmeyer moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1968 and became a full-time studio musician. He spent 10 years on the West Coast and developed a serious alcohol problem. After he overcame this, he returned to New York. Brookmeyer became the musical director of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra in 1979, although he had not composed any music for a decade. Brookmeyer wrote for and performed with jazz groups in Europe from the early 1980s. He founded and ran a music school in the Netherlands, and taught at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and other institutions.
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 released in 2006. Brookmeyer was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in the same year. His eighth Grammy Award nomination was for an arrangement from the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra's album, Forever Lasting, shortly before his death. That same album was also nominated in the Grammy Awards">Grammy Award">Grammy Awards for the category of Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album; the CD was entirely made up of Brookmeyer's compositions.
Brookmeyer died of congestive heart failure on December 15, 2011, in New London, New Hampshire.

Compositional style

One notable element of Brookmeyer's compositional style is his use of contemporary classical writing techniques in his works for big bands and jazz ensembles. In the early 1980's Brookmeyer was mentored by composer Earle Brown, with whom he explored 20th century classical music in depth. Brookmeyer's works since have been influenced by such composers as Witold Lutosławski, Igor Stravinsky, Claude Debussy, György Ligeti, and Béla Bartók.
Some examples of 20th-century classical compositional techniques used in Brookmeyer's jazz pieces are:
  • "ABC Blues", where an atonal tone row is used to generate melodies and harmonies.
  • "The Big Time", where polytonality is used to develop melodies used earlier on in the composition.
  • Bob Brookmeyer uses chromatic harmony and tone clusters throughout such works as "Seesaw", "Silver Lining", and "Hello and Goodbye".

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Bob Brookmeyer Quartet Bob Brookmeyer Plays Bob Brookmeyer and Some Others Happy Minors with Red Mitchell, Zoot SimsThe Dual Role of Bob Brookmeyer – recorded in 1954-1955Tonite's Music Today with Zoot Sims Whooeeee with Zoot Sims Bob Brookmeyer Quintet Urso and Brookmeyer with Phil Urso Brookmeyer – recorded in 1956Traditionalism Revisited The Street Swingers Jazz Concerto Grosso with Gerry Mulligan – play Phil Sunkel, recorded in 1957.They Met at the Continental Divide with Trombones Inc. Kansas City Revisited The Ivory Hunters with Bill Evans – also released as As Time Goes By Jazz Is a Kick Portrait of the Artist – recorded in 1959The Blues Hot and Cold Gloomy Sunday and Other Bright Moments 7 x Wilder Trombone Jazz Samba Bob Brookmeyer and Friends – recorded in 1964The Bob Brookmeyer Small Band Back Again Through a Looking Glass Oslo – recorded in 1987Morning Fun with Zoot Sims Electricity - recorded in 1991As It Happened Vol. 1, with Roger Kellaway Paris Suite Out of This World with Metropole Orchestra Old Friends - recorded in 1994New Works Celebration - recorded in 1997Together with Mads Vinding Holiday – plays pianoMadly Loving You with the Ed Partyka Jazz Orchestra Stay Out of the Sun - recorded in 2000Get Well Soon with New Art Orchestra - recorded in 2002Island with Kenny Wheeler - recorded in 2002Spirit Music with New Art Orchestra

As sideman

With Manny AlbamThe Jazz Workshop Play Music from the Broadway Musical West Side Story Manny Albam and the Jazz Greats of Our Time Sophisticated Lady The Blues Is Everybody's Business Steve's Songs Jazz Horizons: Jazz New York Brass on Fire
With Steve Allen...And All That Jazz Soulful Brass #2
With Chet BakerChet Baker Sextet The Trumpet Artistry of Chet Baker – compilation
With Teddy CharlesTeddy Charles Featuring Bobby Brookmeyer Salute to Hamp Flyin' Home
With Al CohnThe Al Cohn Quintet Featuring Bobby Brookmeyer – rec. 1956Son of Drum Suite
With Stan GetzInterpretations by the Stan Getz Quintet – rec. 1953Stan Getz at The Shrine Stan Getz and the Cool Sounds Recorded Fall 1961 Jazz Samba Big Band Bossa Nova
With Jimmy GiuffreTrav'lin' Light The Four Brothers Sound Western Suite
With Jim HallLive at Town Hall Vol. One Live at the North Sea Jazz Festival
With Nancy HarrowYou're Nearer Street of Dreams
With Woody HermanThe Herd Rides Again The Fourth Herd Woody Herman & the Fourth Herd
With Gary McFarlandThe Jazz Version of "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" Tijuana Jazz
With Gerry MulliganParis Concert – rec. 1954California Concerts – rec. 1954Presenting the Gerry Mulligan Sextet Recorded in Boston at Storyville – rec. 1956The Teddy Wilson Trio & Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Bob Brookmeyer at Newport The Concert Jazz Band Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band at the Village Vanguard – rec. 1960Gerry Mulligan Presents a Concert in Jazz Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band on Tour – rec. 1960The Gerry Mulligan Quartet Spring Is Sprung – recorded in 1962Night Lights – rec. 1962Butterfly with Hiccups – rec. 1963-64
With Jimmy RaneyJimmy Raney Featuring Bob Brookmeyer Jimmy Raney in Three Attitudes
With George RussellNew York N.Y. Jazz in the Space Age
With Don SebeskyThree Works for Jazz Soloists & Symphony Orchestra I Remember Bill Joyful Noise
With Bud ShankBud Shank and Bob Brookmeyer The Saxophone Artistry of Bud Shank
With Zoot SimsTonite's Music Today The Modern Art of Jazz Bob Brookmeyer Octet Stretching Out Choice Suitably Zoot
With Clark TerryThe Power of Positive Swinging Tonight Gingerbread Men Previously Unreleased Recordings Gingerbread Gal What'd He Say
With others