Robert James Neloms (March 2, 1942, in Detroit – July 28, 2020, in Birmingham, Michigan) 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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

pianist. He also occasionally performed on

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

and organ.

Career

Neloms won a scholarship contest run by ''

Downbeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' in 1959 and subsequently studied at the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

. He worked as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

for

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...

from 1961 to 1963 and played with Eddie Henderson, Ricky Ford, and Bob Mover later in the decade. In the 1970s he played with Roy Haynes,

Pharoah Sanders Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", San ...

, Clifford Jordan, Freddie Waits, and

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...

, and joined Junior Cook and Bill Hardman's group in 1978 recording with them until 1982. Concomitantly he worked with

Dannie Richmond Charles Daniel Richmond (December 15, 1931 – March 16, 1988) was an American jazz drummer who is best known for his work with Charles Mingus. He also worked with Joe Cocker, Elton John and Mark-Almond. Biography Richmond was born Charles ...

and

James Newton James W. Newton (born May 1, 1953) is an American jazz and classical flutist. Biography He was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. From his earliest years, James Newton grew up immersed in the sounds of African-American music, inclu ...

. He then played with Hamiett Bluiett and performed and recorded under his own name, remaining active through the late 1980s.

Discography

As leader

* ''Bobby Neloms'' (Bai, 1963) * ''Pretty Music'' (India Navigation, 1982)

As sideman

With

* ''The Charles Mingus Memorial Album'' (Burning Desire, 1977) * ''Three or Four Shades of Blues'' (Atlantic, 1977) * ''Lionel Hampton Presents: The Music of Charles Mingus'' (Who's Who in Jazz, 1977) * '' Cumbia & Jazz Fusion'' (Atlantic, 1978) * ''Me Myself an Eye'' (Atlantic, 1979) * ''Something Like a Bird'' (Atlantic, 1980) With

* ''Dannie Richmond Quintet'' (Gatemouth, 1980) * ''

Dannie Richmond Plays Charles Mingus ''Dannie Richmond Plays Charles Mingus'' is an album by drummer Dannie Richmond and the Last Mingus Band which was recorded in Italy in 1980 and released on the Dutch Timeless label.Dionysius The name Dionysius (; el, Διονύσιος ''Dionysios'', "of Dionysus"; la, Dionysius) was common in classical and post-classical times. Etymologically it is a nominalized adjective formed with a -ios suffix from the stem Dionys- of the name ...

'' (Red, 1983) * ''

The Last Mingus Band A.D. ''The Last Mingus Band A.D.'' is an album by drummer Dannie Richmond recorded in 1980 and originally released on the Gatemouth label as ''Dannie Richmond Quintet'' before being reissued on Landmark Records in 1994 with an additional track.

'' (Landmark, 1994) With others * Hamiet Bluiett, ''Dangerously Suite'' (Soul Note, 1981) * Ricky Ford, ''

Loxodonta Africana The African bush elephant (''Loxodonta africana'') is one of two extant African elephant species and one of three extant elephant species. It is the largest living terrestrial animal, with bulls reaching a shoulder height of up to and a body ...

'' (New World, 1977) * Teruo Nakamura, ''Rising Sun'' (Polydor, 1976) *

, ''Portraits'' (India Navigation, 1982)

References

American jazz pianists American male pianists Musicians from Detroit Jazz musicians from Michigan American male jazz musicians {{jazz-pianist-stub