Bob Florence (May 20, 1932 – May 15, 2008) was an American

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

, and

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

leader.

Career

A child prodigy, Florence began piano lessons before he was five years old and at seven gave his first recital. Although his early education was in classical music, he was drawn to jazz and big band. He went to Los Angeles City College and studied arranging and orchestration with Bob McDonald. He joined the college big band, and his classmates included

Herb Geller Herbert Arnold Geller (November 2, 1928 – December 19, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger. He was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. Early life His mother, Frances ''(née'' Frances Mildred Fullman, al ...

and

Tommy Tedesco Thomas Joseph Tedesco (July 3, 1930 – November 10, 1997) was an American guitarist and studio musician in Los Angeles and Hollywood. He was part of the loose collective of the area's leading session musicians later popularly known as The Wrec ...

. Florence spent most of his career with big bands, as a leader, performer, composer, and arranger. After graduating from college, he was a member of bands led by Les Brown,

Louis Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

, and

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

. His

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

of " (Up A) Lazy River" for

Si Zentner Simon Hugh Zentner (June 13, 1917 in New York City, United States – January 31, 2000 in Las Vegas, Nevada) was an American trombonist and jazz big-band leader. Zentner played in the bands of Les Brown, Harry James, and Jimmy Dorsey in the ...

was a hit in 1960, and won a Grammy Award.

Dave Pell David Pell (February 26, 1925 – May 7, 2017) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and record producer. He was best known for leading a cool jazz octet in the 1950s. Biography Pell played in his teens with the big bands of Tony Pastor, B ...

hired him to work full-time as an arranger for

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...

. The job gave him the opportunity to write in several genres: bossa nova with

Sérgio Mendes Sérgio Santos Mendes (; born February 11, 1941) is a Brazilian musician. His career took off with worldwide hits by his group Brasil '66. He has over 55 releases and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk. He was nominated for ...

, jazz 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 ...

, and pop vocal with

Vic Dana Samuel Mendola (born August 26, 1942, Buffalo, New York, United States), known professionally as Vic Dana, is an American dancer and singer. Biography Discovered by Sammy Davis Jr., Dana was an excellent male dancer, particularly in tap, and ...

. Bob was the piano player on Bobby Vee's #1 hit "Take Good Care Of My Baby" in 1961American Federation Of Musicians contract #51747 - June 14, 1961 He worked often in Hollywood as a bandleader, composer, and arranger for TV variety shows, hosted by

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

Red Skelton Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...

, and

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

, and he wrote arrangements for the ''Tonight Show'' band led by

Doc Severinsen Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) a ...

. He won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for a program by

Linda Lavin Linda Lavin (born October 15, 1937) is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing the title character in the sitcom '' Alice'' and for her stage performances, both on and off-Broadway. After acting as a child, Lavin joined the Co ...

(1981) and another for a concert by

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...

(1990). In 1979 he returned to a recording career that had been sidetracked by other work. Twelve years separated ''Pet Project'' (World Pacific, 1967) from ''Live at Concerts By The Sea'' (

Trend A fad or trend is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short period. Fads are objects or behaviors that achieve shor ...

, 1979). His album ''Magic Time'' (1984) was the first to be credited to his eighteen-piece big band, the Bob Florence Limited Edition. The band released albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, ''

Serendipity 18 ''Serendipity 18'' is an album by the Bob Florence Limited Edition that won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 2000. Track listing Personnel * Bob Florence – conductor, arranger, piano * Don Shelton – alto and soprano s ...

'' won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Large Ensemble. He received fifteen Grammy nominations during his career. Florence died of pneumonia at the age of 75 on May 15, 2008, in Los Angeles.

Discography

As leader

As arranger/conductor

With

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

* '' Basie on the Beatles'' (Happy Tiger, 1969) With

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

* '' The Brilliant Bellson Sound'' (

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...

, 1959) * ''

Big Band Jazz from the Summit ''Big Band Jazz from the Summit'' is a live album by American jazz drummer Louis Bellson featuring performances recorded in Los Angeles in 1962 for the Roulette label.Edwards, D. & Callahan, MRoulette Records discographyaccessed December 16, 2015 ...

'' (Verve, 1962) With

*''Harry James...Today!'' (

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

E/SE-3848, 1960) *''The Solid Gold Trumpet of Harry James'' (MGM E/SE-4058, 1962) With

* '' The Great Arrival'' (Atlantic, 1966) With

Joe Pass Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...

* '' A Sign of the Times'' (World Pacific, 1965) With

* ''

California Dreamin' "California Dreamin'" is a song written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in 1 ...

'' (World Pacific, 1966) * '' Michelle'' (World Pacific, 1966) * '' Bud Shank & the Sax Section'' (Pacific Jazz, 1966) * '' Bud Shank Plays Music from Today's Movies'' (World Pacific, 1967) With

* ''Up A Lazy River'' (Liberty 1961) * ''Mr. Nashville'' (RCA Victor 1966)

As sideman

With

* ''Love Julie'' (USA Music Group, 1987) With

Sue Raney Raelene Claire Claussen, known professionally as Sue Raney (born June 18, 1940, in McPherson, Kansas) is an American jazz singer. Raney was signed by Capitol Records in 1957 at age 17. That same year, she recorded her debut album, ''When Your Love ...

* ''Sings the Music of Johnny Mandel'' (Discovery, 1982) * ''Ridin' High'' (Discovery, 1984) * ''Flight of Fancy: A Journey of Alan & Marilyn Bergman'' (Discovery, 1986) With Brian Swartz Quartet * ''Live at the Jazz Bakery'' (Summit, 2005) With

* ''

Girl in Love ''Girl in Love'' is an album by saxophonist Bud Shank recorded in 1966 for the World Pacific label.Edwards, D., Eyrie, P. and Callahan, MWorld Pacific Album Discography accessed December 15, 2015 Reception AllMusic rated the album with 2 stars. ...

'' (World Pacific, 1966) * ''Taking the Long Way Home'' (Jazzed Media, 2006) With

Joanie Sommers Joanie Sommers (born Joan Drost, February 24, 1941) is an American singer and actress with a career concentrating on jazz, standards and popular material and show-business credits. Once billed as "The Voice of the Sixties", and associated with to ...

* ''Dream'' (Discovery, 1980

el. 1983 EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

* ''Here, There and Everywhere!'' (Absord

apan Apan is a city and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 346.9 km². Overview As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 39,247. It was an important site in the Wa ...

2000

el. 2004 EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Florence, Bob 1932 births 2008 deaths American jazz pianists American male pianists Emmy Award winners Grammy Award winners American jazz bandleaders American music arrangers Big band bandleaders Musicians from Los Angeles Deaths from pneumonia in California 20th-century American pianists Burials at Valley Oaks Memorial Park Jazz musicians from California 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Summit Records artists

Career

Discography

As leader

As arranger/conductor

As sideman

See also

References