Robert Edward "Bob" Brookmeyer (December 19, 1929 – December 15, 2011) was an American jazz

valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or Slurry, slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically Pip ...

trombonist,

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

, arranger, and composer. Born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public attention as a member of

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, pianist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing t ...

's quartet from 1954 to 1957. He later worked with

Jimmy Giuffre James Peter Giuffre (, ; April 26, 1921 – April 24, 2008) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He is known for developing forms of jazz which allowed for free interplay between the musicians, anticipating f ...

, before rejoining Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band. He received eight

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nominations during his lifetime.

Biography

Brookmeyer was born on December 19, 1929,

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, 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 Gordon Lee "Tex" Beneke ( ; February 12, 1914 – May 30, 2000) was an American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader. His career is a history of associations with bandleader Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked with Miller. Hi ...

and

Ray McKinley Ray McKinley (June 18, 1910 – May 7, 1995) was an American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader. He played drums and later led the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra in Europe. He also led the new Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1956. ...

, 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 Stan Getz (born Stanley Gayetski; February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wis ...

, and

in the 1950s. During the 1950s and 1960s, Brookmeyer played in New York clubs, on television (including being part of the house band for ''

The Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series had runs on two different networks on NBC (1962–1963) and CBS (1969–1972) but is most known for its run on first-run syndication from 1965 to 1 ...

''), and on studio recordings, as well as arranging for

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

and others. In the early 1960s, Brookmeyer joined

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet, but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭, though ...

player

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American Swing music, swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948� ...

in a band that achieved some success. In February 1965, Brookmeyer and Terry appeared together on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

's Jazz 625. Brookmeyer moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, 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 , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, and taught at the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and other institutions. Clark Terry-Bob Brookmeyer

In June 2005, Brookmeyer joined

ArtistShare ArtistShare is the internet's first commercial crowdfunding website.Crowd-Funding 101: What Every Musician Needs for a Successful Campaign It also operates as a record label and business model for artists which enables them to fund their proje ...

and announced a project to fund an upcoming third album featuring his New Art Orchestra. The resulting

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-nominated CD, titled ''Spirit Music'', was released in 2006. Brookmeyer was named a

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

Jazz Master in the same year. His eighth

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

57th Annual Grammy Awards The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The show was broadcast live by CBS at 5:00 p.m. PST ( UTC−8). Rapper LL Cool J hosted the show for the fourth consecutive ti ...

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 New London is a New England town, town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,400 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is the home of Colby–Sawyer College, site ...

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 Earle Brown (December 26, 1926 – July 2, 2002) was an American composer who established his own formal and notational systems. Brown was the creator of "open form," a style of musical construction that has influenced many composers since, ...

, with whom he explored 20th century classical music in depth. Brookmeyer's works since have been influenced by such composers as

Witold Lutosławski Witold Roman Lutosławski (; 25 January 1913 – 7 February 1994) was a Polish composer and conductor. Among the major composers of 20th-century classical music, he is "generally regarded as the most significant Polish composer since Szymanow ...

(whose cello concerto Brookmeyer used often in teaching students about simple motifs),

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

Claude Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde music, avant-garde composers in the latter half of the ...

, and

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...

. Some examples of 20th-century classical compositional techniques used in Brookmeyer's jazz pieces are: * "ABC Blues", where an

atonal Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on ...

tone row In music, a tone row or note row ( or '), also series or set, is a non-repetitive ordering of a set of pitch-classes, typically of the twelve notes in musical set theory of the chromatic scale, though both larger and smaller sets are sometime ...

is used to generate melodies and harmonies. * "The Big Time", where

polytonality Polytonality (also polyharmony) is the musical use of more than one key (music), key simultaneity (music), simultaneously. Bitonality is the use of only two different keys at the same time. Polyvalence or polyvalency is the use of more than one di ...

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".

Honors and awards

Grammy Awards (nominations)

, - , style="text-align:center;", , style="text-align:center;", ''Blues Suite, composed by Brookmeyer , style="text-align:center;", Best Arrangement , , - , style="text-align:center;", , style="text-align:center;", ''The Power Of Positive Swinging'', composed by Brookmeyer , style="text-align:center;", Best Instrumental Jazz Performance , , - , style="text-align:center;", , style="text-align:center;", ''ABC Blues'', composed by Brookmeyer , style="text-align:center;", Best Original Jazz Composition , , - , style="text-align:center;", , style="text-align:center;", '' Skylark'', arranged by Brookmeyer , style="text-align:center;", Best Instrumental Arrangement , , - , style="text-align:center;", , style="text-align:center;", ''Impulsive!'' (Album) , style="text-align:center;", Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album , , - , style="text-align:center;", , style="text-align:center;", ''Get Well Soon'' (Album) , style="text-align:center;", Large Jazz Ensemble Album , , - , style="text-align:center;", , style="text-align:center;", ''Spirit Music'' (Album) , style="text-align:center;", Large Jazz Ensemble Album , , - , style="text-align:center;", , style="text-align:center;", ''

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

'', arranged by Brookmeyer , style="text-align:center;", Best Instrumental Arrangement , , - , style="text-align:center;", , style="text-align:center;", ''Nasty Dance'', arranged by Brookmeyer , style="text-align:center;", Best Instrumental Arrangement , , -

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* '' Bob Brookmeyer Quartet'' (Pacific Jazz, 1954) * '' Bob Brookmeyer Plays Bob Brookmeyer and Some Others'' (Clef, 1955) * ''Happy Minors'' (

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

, 1955) with Red Mitchell,

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

* '' The Dual Role of Bob Brookmeyer'' (Prestige, 1956) – recorded in 1954-55 * '' Tonite's Music Today'' with

( Storyville, 1956) * '' Whooeeee'' with

(Storyville, 1956) * ''Bob Brookmeyer Quintet'' (Vogue, 1956) * ''Urso and Brookmeyer'' with Phil Urso (

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

, 1956) * '' Brookmeyer'' (Vik, 1957) – recorded in 1956 * ''

Traditionalism Revisited ''Traditionalism Revisited'' is an album by jazz trombonist and pianist Bob Brookmeyer featuring popular music of the 1920s and 1930s recorded in 1957 for the World Pacific label. Reception The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow stated "While the ...

'' (World Pacific, 1957) * '' The Street Swingers'' (World Pacific, 1958) * '' Jazz Concerto Grosso'' with

(ABC–Paramount, 1958) – play Phil Sunkel, recorded in 1957. * ''They Met at the Continental Divide'' with Trombones Inc. (Warner Bros., 1959) * '' Kansas City Revisited'' (United Artists, 1959) * '' The Ivory Hunters'' with

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...

(United Artists, 1959) – also released as ''As Time Goes By'' (Blue Note LT series, 1981) * '' Jazz Is a Kick'' (Mercury, 1960) * '' Portrait of the Artist'' (Atlantic, 1960) – recorded in 1959 * '' The Blues Hot and Cold'' (His Master's Voice, 1960) * '' Gloomy Sunday and Other Bright Moments'' (Verve, 1961) * '' 7 x Wilder'' (Verve, 1961) * '' Trombone Jazz Samba'' (Verve, 1962) * '' Bob Brookmeyer and Friends'' (Columbia, 1965) – recorded in 1964 * ''The Bob Brookmeyer Small Band'' (Gryphon, 1978) * '' Back Again'' (Sonet, 1979) * ''Through a Looking Glass'' (Finesse, 1981) * ''Oslo'' (Concord Jazz, 1987) * ''Morning Fun'' with

(Black Lion, 1989) * ''Electricity'' (ACT, 1994) - recorded in 1991 * ''As It Happened Vol. 1'', with

Roger Kellaway Roger Kellaway (born November 1, 1939) is an American composer, arranger and jazz pianist who has recorded over 250 albums, and composed over 20 film scores Life and career Kellaway was born in Waban, Massachusetts, United States. He is an alum ...

(Jazz Heritage, 1994) * ''Paris Suite'' (Challenge, 1995) * ''Out of This World'' with Metropole Orchestra (Koch Jazz, 1998) * ''Old Friends'' (Storyville, 1998) - recorded in 1994 * '' New Works Celebration'' (Challenge, 1999) - recorded in 1997 * ''Together'' with Mads Vinding (Challenge, 1999) * ''Holiday'' (Challenge, 2001) – plays piano * ''Madly Loving You'' with the Ed Partyka Jazz Orchestra (Challenge, 2001) * ''Stay Out of the Sun'' (Challenge, 2003) - recorded in 2000 * ''Get Well Soon'' with New Art Orchestra (Challenge, 2003) - recorded in 2002 * ''

Island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

'' with

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, Order of Canada, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he w ...

(Artists House, 2003) - recorded in 2002 * ''Spirit Music'' with New Art Orchestra (ArtistShare, 2006)

As sideman

With Manny Albam * ''The Jazz Workshop'' (RCA Victor, 1956) * ''Play Music from the Broadway Musical West Side Story'' (Coral, 1957) * ''Manny Albam and the Jazz Greats of Our Time'' (Coral, 1957) * ''Sophisticated Lady'' (Coral, 1958) * ''The Blues Is Everybody's Business'' (Coral, 1958) * ''Steve's Songs'' (Dot, 1958) * ''Jazz Horizons: Jazz New York'' (Dot, 1959) * '' Brass on Fire'' (Solid State, 1966) With

Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer, and actor. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and ...

* ''...And All That Jazz'' (Dot, 1959) * ''Soulful Brass #2'' (Flying Dutchman, 1969) With

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

* ''Chet Baker Sextet'' (Pacific Jazz, 1954) * '' The Trumpet Artistry of Chet Baker'' (Pacific Jazz, 1955) – compilation With Teddy Charles * ''Teddy Charles Featuring Bobby Brookmeyer'' (Prestige, 1954) * ''Salute to Hamp Flyin' Home'' (Bethlehem, 1959) With

Al Cohn Al Cohn (November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988) was an American jazz saxophonist, arranger and composer. He came to prominence in the band of clarinetist Woody Herman and was known for his longtime musical partnership with fellow saxophonist ...

* '' The Al Cohn Quintet Featuring Bobby Brookmeyer'' (Coral, 1957) – rec. 1956 * '' Son of Drum Suite'' (RCA Victor, 1961) With

* '' Interpretations by the Stan Getz Quintet'' (Norgran, 1954) – rec. 1953 * '' Stan Getz at The Shrine'' (Norgran, 1955) * '' Stan Getz and the Cool Sounds'' (Verve, 1957) * '' Recorded Fall 1961'' (Verve, 1961) * '' Jazz Samba'' (Verve, 1962) * '' Big Band Bossa Nova'' (Verve, 1962) With

* '' Trav'lin' Light'' (Atlantic, 1958) * '' The Four Brothers Sound'' (Atlantic, 1959) * '' Western Suite'' (Atlantic, 1960) With Jim Hall * ''Live at Town Hall Vol. One'' (Musicmasters, 1991) * ''Live at the North Sea Jazz Festival'' (Challenge, 1999) With Nancy Harrow * ''You're Nearer'' (Tono 1986) * ''Street of Dreams'' (Poljazz, 1989) With

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...

* ''The Herd Rides Again'' (Everest, 1958) * ''The Fourth Herd'' (Jazz Legacy, 1960) * ''Woody Herman & the Fourth Herd'' (Windmill, 1972) With

Gary McFarland Gary Ronald McFarland (October 23, 1933 – November 2, 1971) was an American composer, arranger, conductor, vibraphonist, and vocalist. He recorded for the jazz imprints Verve Records, Verve and Impulse! Records during the 1960s. ''DownBeat, Dow ...

* '' The Jazz Version of "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying"'' (Verve, 1962) * '' Tijuana Jazz'' (Impulse! 1966) With

* '' Paris Concert'' (Pacific Jazz, 1955) – rec. 1954 * '' California Concerts'' (Pacific Jazz, 1955) – rec. 1954 * '' Presenting the Gerry Mulligan Sextet'' (EmArcy, 1955) * '' Recorded in Boston at Storyville'' (Pacific Jazz, 1957) – rec. 1956 * '' The Teddy Wilson Trio & Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Bob Brookmeyer at Newport'' (Verve, 1957) * '' The Concert Jazz Band'' (Verve, 1960) * '' Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band at the Village Vanguard'' (Verve, 1961) – rec. 1960 * '' Gerry Mulligan Presents a Concert in Jazz'' (Verve, 1961) * '' Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band on Tour'' (Verve, 1962) – rec. 1960 * '' The Gerry Mulligan Quartet'' (Verve, 1962) * '' Spring Is Sprung'' (Philips, 1963) – recorded in 1962 * '' Night Lights'' (Philips, 1963) – rec. 1962 * '' Butterfly with Hiccups'' (Limelight, 1964) – rec. 1963-64 With

Jimmy Raney James Elbert Raney (August 20, 1927 – May 10, 1995) was an American jazz guitarist, born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, known for his work from 1951 to 1952 and then from 1953 to 1954 with the Red Norvo trio (replacing Tal Farlow) a ...

* ''Jimmy Raney Featuring Bob Brookmeyer'' (ABC-Paramount, 1956) * ''Jimmy Raney in Three Attitudes'' (ABC-Paramount, 1957) With George Russell * '' New York N.Y.'' (Decca, 1959) * '' Jazz in the Space Age'' (Decca, 1960) With Don Sebesky * ''Three Works for Jazz Soloists & Symphony Orchestra'' (Gryphon, 1979) * ''I Remember Bill'' (RCA Victor, 1998) * ''Joyful Noise'' (RCA Victor, 1999) With

Bud Shank Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and thro ...

* ''Bud Shank and Bob Brookmeyer'' (Pacific Jazz, 1954) * ''The Saxophone Artistry of Bud Shank'' (Pacific Jazz, 1956) With

* '' Tonite's Music Today'' (Storyville, 1956) * '' The Modern Art of Jazz'' (Dawn, 1956) * '' Bob Brookmeyer Octet Stretching Out'' (United Artists, 1959) * ''Choice'' (Pacific Jazz, 1961) * ''Suitably Zoot'' (Pumpkin, 1979) With

* '' The Power of Positive Swinging'' (Mainstream, 1965) * ''

Tonight Tonight may refer to: Television * ''Tonight'' (1957 TV programme), a 1957–1965 British current events television programme hosted by Cliff Michelmore that was broadcast on BBC * ''Tonight'' (1975 TV programme), a 1975–1979 British current ...

'' (Mainstream, 1965) * '' Gingerbread Men'' (Mainstream, 1966) * ''Previously Unreleased Recordings'' (Verve, 1973) * ''Gingerbread Gal'' (Mainstream, 1974) * ''What'd He Say'' (Mainstream, 1974) With others *

Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered by the general public for the 1966 soul ...

, ''

African Waltz ''African Waltz'' is an album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, released on the Riverside label and performed by Adderley with an orchestra conducted by Ernie Wilkins.

'' (Riverside 1961) * Benny Aronov, ''Shadow Box'' (Choice, 1979) *

Ruby Braff Reuben "Ruby" Braff (March 16, 1927 – February 9, 2003) was an American jazz trumpeter and cornetist. Jack Teagarden was once asked about him on the Garry Moore television show and described Ruby as "the Ivy League Louis Armstrong". Bra ...

, ''Blowing Around the World'' (United Artists, 1959) * Canadian Brass, ''Swingtime!'' (RCA Victor, 1995) * Bobby Bryant, ''The Jazz Excursion into Hair'' (Pacific Jazz, 1969) *

Monty Budwig Monte Rex Budwig (December 26, 1929 – March 9, 1992) was a West Coast jazz double bassist, professionally known as Monty Budwig. Early life Monte Rex Budwig was born in Pender, Nebraska, on December 26, 1929.His full birthname was Monte Rex ...

, ''Dig'' (Concord Jazz, 1979) * Ralph Burns, ''Where There's Burns There's Fire'' (Warwick, 1961) *

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige Records, Prestige, Blue Note, Verve Records, Verve, CTI Records, CTI, Muse Records, Muse, and Concord Records, Conco ...

, ''Both Feet On the Ground'' (Fantasy, 1973) *

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz Vibraphone, vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused ...

, '' The Groovy Sound of Music'' (RCA Victor, 1965) *

, '' The Genius of Ray Charles'' (Atlantic, 1959) * Tony Coe, ''Captain Coe's Famous Racearound'' (Storyville, 1996) * Al Jazzbo Collins, ''Presents Swinging at the Opera'' (Everest, 1960) *

John Dankworth Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE (20 September 1927 – 6 February 2010), also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and writer of film scores. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he ...

, ''The Zodiac Variations'' (Fontana, 1965) *

Eliane Elias Eliane Elias (born 19 March 1960) is a Brazilian jazz pianist, singer, composer and arranger. Biography Elias was born in São Paulo, Brazil, on 19 March 1960. She started studying piano when she was seven, and at age twelve she was transcribing ...

, Bob Brookmeyer, ''Play the Music of Eliane Elias Impulsive!'' (Stunt, 1997) *

, ''Waltz for Debby'' (Not Now Music, 2012) *

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian Americans, Canadian–American jazz pianist, Music arranger, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators i ...

, ''Into the Hot'' (Impulse! 1962) * Harold Farberman,

Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City ...

, ''Dedicated to Dolphy'' (Cambridge, 1966) * Dave Frishberg, ''You're A Lucky Guy'' (Concord Jazz, 1978) *

Curtis Fuller Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings. Early life Fuller was born in Detroit on December 15, 193 ...

, '' Cabin in the Sky'' (ABC Impulse!, 1970) *

Terry Gibbs Terry Gibbs (born Julius Gubenko; October 13, 1924) is an American jazz vibraphonist and band leader. He has performed or recorded with Tommy Dorsey, Chubby Jackson,Theroux, Gary"Gibbs, Terry".''Grove Music Online''. Oxford University Press. R ...

, ''Swingin' with Terry Gibbs and His Orchestra'' (EmArcy, 1956) *

Astrud Gilberto Astrud Gilberto (; born Astrud Evangelina Weinert; March 29, 1940 – June 5, 2023) was a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer and songwriter. She gained international attention in the mid-1960s following her recording of the song " The Girl f ...

, ''The Shadow of Your Smile'' (Verve, 1965) * Buddy Greco, ''I Like It Swinging'' (Columbia, 1961) *

Bobby Hackett Robert Leo Hackett (January 31, 1915 – June 7, 1976) was a versatile American jazz musician who played swing music, Dixieland jazz and mood music, now called easy listening, on trumpet, cornet, and guitar. He played Swing with the bands ...

, '' Creole Cookin''' (Verve, 1967) *

Judy Holliday Judy Holliday (born Judith Tuvim, June 21, 1921 – June 7, 1965) was an American actress, comedian, and singer.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', June 9, 1965, p. 71. She began her career as part of a nightclub act before working in Bro ...

, ''Holliday with Mulligan'' (DRG, 1980) * Chubby Jackson, ''Chubby Takes Over'' (Empire, 2005) *

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Early life, family and education Thad Jones was born i ...

& Mel Lewis, ''Presenting Thad Jones Mel Lewis & the Jazz Orchestra'' (Solid State, 1966) * Thad Jones & Mel Lewis, ''Live at the Village Vanguard'' (Solid State, 1967) *

Teddi King Theodora King (September 18, 1929 – November 18, 1977) was an American jazz and pop vocalist. King was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. She won a singing competition hosted by Dinah Shore at Boston's Tributary Theatre, later begin ...

, ''Now in Vogue'' (Vogue, 1955) *

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, jazz pianist, and singer. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to ma ...

, ''Plays Richard Rodgers'' (Philips, 1963) *

Mel Lewis Melvin Sokoloff (May 10, 1929 – February 2, 1990), known professionally as Mel Lewis, was an American jazz drummer, session musician, professor, and author. He received fourteen Grammy Award nominations. Biography Early years Lewis was ...

, ''Make Me Smile & Other New Works by Bob Brookmeyer'' (Finesse, 1982) *

Harry Lookofsky Harry William Lookofsky (1 October 1913 – 8 June 1998) was an American jazz violinist. He was also the father of keyboardist-songwriter Michael Brown, who most notably was a founding member of the Left Banke and Stories. Early life and fa ...

, ''Stringsville'' (Atlantic, 1959) *

Charlie Mariano Carmine Ugo Mariano (November 12, 1923 – June 16, 2009) was an American jazz saxophone, saxophonist who focused on the alto saxophone, alto and soprano saxophone. He occasionally performed and recorded on flute and nadaswaram as well. Biogra ...

, ''A Jazz Portrait of Charlie Mariano'' (Regina, 1963) * Red Mitchell, ''Happy Minors'' (Bethlehem, 1955) *

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...

, ''Monk's Blues'' (Columbia, 1992) * Brew Moore, ''Brothers and Other Mothers Vol. 2'' (Savoy, 1979) *

Red Norvo Red Norvo (born Kenneth Norville; March 31, 1908 – April 6, 1999) was an American musician, one of jazz's early vibraphonists, known as "Mr. Swing". He helped establish the xylophone, marimba, and vibraphone as jazz instruments. His recor ...

, ''Red's Rose Room Red's Blue Room'' (RCA Camden 1976) *

Anita O'Day Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self-proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appe ...

, '' All the Sad Young Men'' (Verve, 1962) *

Babatunde Olatunji Michael Babatunde Olatunji (April 7, 1927 – April 6, 2003) was a Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist, and recording artist. Early life Olatunji was born in the village of Ajido, near Badagry, Lagos State, in southwestern Nig ...

, ''High Life!'' (Columbia, 1963) *

Freda Payne Freda Charcilia Payne (born September 19, 1942Some sources give a birth year of 1945, but this appears to be an error as all sources agree that she is older than her sister Scherrie, born 1944.) is an American singer and actress. Payne is best ...

, ''After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!!'' (Impulse! 1963) *

Oscar Pettiford Oscar Pettiford (September 30, 1922 – September 8, 1960) was an American jazz double bassist and composer. He was one of the earliest musicians to work in the bebop idiom. Jazz bassist Christian McBride called Pettiford "probably the most imp ...

, '' Another One'' (Bethlehem, 1955) *

Michel Petrucciani Michel Petrucciani (; ; 28 December 1962 – 6 January 1999) was a French jazz pianist. From birth he had osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disease that causes brittle bones and, in his case, short stature. Despite his health condition and rel ...

, ''Both Worlds'' (Dreyfus, 1997) * Bill Potts, ''The Jazz Soul of Porgy & Bess'' (United Artists, 1959) * Tito Rodriguez, ''Live at Birdland'' (Bomba, 1963) * Pee Wee Russell &

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first ...

, '' Jazz Reunion'' (Candid, 1961) *

Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Music of Latin America, Lati ...

, ''Samba Para Dos'' (Verve, 1963) * Helen Schneider, ''Right As the Rain'' (Tomato, 1995) * Tom Scott, ''Tom Scott in L.A.'' (Flying Dutchman, 1975) * Carol Sloane, ''Out of the Blue'' (Columbia, 1962) *

Henri Texier Henri Texier (; born 27 January 1945) is a French jazz double bassist. At the age of sixteen, fascinated by the double bass, Texier became a self-taught bassist, crediting Wilbur Ware most as an influence. He formed his first group with Georges ...

, ''Respect'' (Label Bleu, 1997) *

Bob Thiele Robert "Bob" Thiele (July 27, 1922 – January 30, 1996) was an American record producer who worked on numerous classic jazz albums and record labels. Early life and career Bob Thiele was born in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York, United Sta ...

, ''Head Start'' (Flying Dutchman, 1969) *

Toots Thielemans Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans (), was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for playing the chromatic harmonica, as well as his guitar and wh ...

, ''Yesterday & Today'' * Jeremy Udden, ''Torchsongs'' (Fresh Sound, 2006) * Phil Urso, ''The Philosophy of Urso'' (Savoy, 1985) * Helen Ward, Peanuts Hucko, ''With a Little Bit of Swing'' (RCA Victor, 1958) * George Williams, ''Put On Your Dancing Shoes'' (United Artists, 1960) * Joe Williams, ''Presenting Joe Williams and Thad Jones Mel Lewis, the Jazz Orchestra'' (Solid State, 1966) * Paul Williams, ''Just an Old Fashioned Love Song'' (A&M, 1971)

References

External links

Bob Brookmeyer's websiteRecord Company
(Challenge Records International) * *
Interview with Bob Brookmeyer
(New York Times Obituary)
Bob Brookmeyer Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (1997) {{DEFAULTSORT:Brookmeyer, Bob 1929 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American jazz composers 20th-century American trombonists ACT Music artists American jazz bandleaders American jazz pianists American jazz trombonists American male jazz composers American male jazz pianists American male trombonists American music arrangers ArtistShare artists Challenge Records (1994) artists Cool jazz pianists Cool jazz trombonists DR Big Band members Impulse! Records artists Jazz arrangers Jazz musicians from Missouri Mainstream jazz pianists Mainstream jazz trombonists Musicians from Kansas City, Missouri NEA Jazz Masters New England Conservatory faculty Post-bop pianists Post-bop trombonists Verve Records artists West Coast jazz pianists West Coast jazz trombonists