Russell Ferrante, William Kennedy, Randy Brecker, Will Lee, Ray Obiedo, Rashaan Ross, Bob Shepard, Andy Martin, Bob McChesney, Bijon Watson, Adam Schroeder, Keith Fiddmont, Greg Johnson, Dan Fornero, Michael Stever with members of the Yellowjackets.
For about half of his four decade-long career in jazz, Bob Mintzer has been a member of the Yellowjackets, one of the most enduring, distinctive and creative bands in contemporary jazz. But, oddly enough, this association is a relatively small slice of Mintzer's remarkably multifaceted life in music as a saxophonist, bass clarinetist, composer, arranger, educator and leader of his own big bands and small groups. For Mintzer, the phrase "busy as a bee" certainly applies.
Born in 1953 in New Rochelle, New York, a town that sits just two miles north of New York City, Mintzer has been an active professional jazz musician ever since his college days at the Manhattan School of Music. Beginning in 1975, he had a two-and-a-half year stint with the Buddy Rich Big Band, where he started writing and arranging for large ensembles. His playing and writing experience there led to a spot with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.
By the early 1980s, Mintzer was leading his own big band, performing at Seventh Avenue South, the legendary New York City club owned by Randy and Michael Brecker, and recording for Digital Music Products (DMP), one of the first fully digital recording labels. He joined the Yellowjackets in 1991, bringing a straight-ahead jazz sensibility to a band that had already begun blending such flavoring in with its earlier R&B and fusion sound. Other important associations Mintzer has had over the years include such musicians as percussionist Tito Puente, drummer Art Blakey, bassist Jaco Pastoriusand Gil Evans, in addition to session work for Aretha Franklin, James Taylor and many others.
Mintzer has written some 200 arrangements for big band. He's recorded more than 30 albums as a leader and played on hundreds of others. His Homage to Count Basie (DMP) won a Grammy award for best large jazz-ensemble recording in 2001, and, in all, he's has been nominated for 13 Grammys for his solo work, big-band CDs and work with the Yellowjackets. He's been based in Los Angeles since 2008, when he joined the faculty of the University of Southern California, where he now heads the jazz studies program and holds the Bowen H. "Buzz" McCoy and Barbara M. McCoy endowed chair in jazz.
The Bob Mintzer Big Band began an association with the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild MCG Jazz label beginning in 2004, after a long relationship with DMP that resulted in 12 albums. The band's fourth release on MCG is a Brazilian-flavored recording, For the Moment (MCG, 2012).
All About Jazz: What inspired you to focus your big band on the sounds of Brazil with For the Moment?
Bob Mintzer: The idea for this CD came about from meeting Chico Pinheiro, a great guitarist, singer and composer. We had a very modern-day kind of meeting-online, on Facebook initially. Somebody recommended I check him out. I went to his Facebook page and listened to his music. I was very taken with it, and I left him a message. It turned out he was a fan of mine and had done his final project at Berklee on my writing. We had lunch when I was still living in New York and talked about doing something together. The first thing we did, I played on his recording There's a Storm Inside(Sunnyside, 2010). And it was soon after that that I started to think about doing a Brazilian big-band project. I looked to him, and he was eager. Chico contributed two original compositions and also performs on "Corcovado," and he sings and plays guitar beautifully on those. Marty Ashby plays guitar on the rest of the album, and he's a beautiful player as well.
With my own writing on the CD, I focused on different cities and places that I've been to in Brazil that have their own indigenous style of music and rhythms, and this inspired me to write a bunch of original tunes as well as arrange some of the standard tunes typically associated with the Brazilian songbook. We went to Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in Pittsburgh, did two concerts and recorded them, and hence we have this CD. It was really a nice experience-very challenging and inspiring to work with Chico, a great, great musician. I think, sonically, this may be one of the better records I've made. The woodwind writing and the textural elements really turned out well on this one. It's a nice-sounding record that features a lot of musical devices and great playing.
AAJ: One of the tunes on the album, "For All We Know," might not seem an obvious choice for the Brazilian theme, but this was inspired by Claus Ogerman's original arrangements forJoao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Is Ogerman an influence on your writing?
BM: Yes, indeed, clearly. He really was an innovator in terms of orchestration and using such a vast array of colors and textures in arranging.
Read more on: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=43181#.UKFlY6UlYhQ
Saxophonist, arranger/composer, educator and bandleader Bob Mintzer has a new website, http://www.bobmintzer.com. In addition to leading his own groups, including the Bob Mintzer Big Band, and two decades as a member of the Grammy winning Yellowjackets, Bob is the recipient of the Buzz McCoy Endowed Chair in the Jazz Studies program at the University of Southern California.
Bob Mintzer’s website includes a comprehensive discography, bio and video (including an EPK from his celebrated organ trio recording Canyon Cove, released last year on Japan’s Pony Canyon Records), visitors can preview and purchase over 100 Bob Mintzer compositions, arrangements and how-to-books that Bob has written over the past quarter century. The arrangements are available as PDF files for immediate download.
A New York native, Bob moved to Los Angeles two years, to join the USC faculty. His big band works regularly at Vibrato, Herb Albert’s cozy club in BelAir, California and Bob’s quartet plays at Vitellos in Studio City. “After spending most of my life in the New York area, I’m happy to report that Los Angeles offers considerable musical opportunities. For me, playing music is a life long commitment. There are always new things to consider and develop. I'm exhilarated and humbled by music on a daily basis, and plan to continue on this path until my last day on earth."
Bob Mintzer has made his mark merging a traditional jazz approach with an all- encompassing modernism that embraces lyricism, a strong sense of swing, and arrangements that take the listener on an unpredictable and vibrant journey. He honed his skills playing and writing for Buddy Rich, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Art Blakey, Sam Jones, Jaco Pastorius, The GRP Big Band, Mike Manieri, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, and the New York Philharmonic. He also has done session work for James Taylor, Queen, Steve Winwood, Aretha Franklin, and countless others.
Bob has been nominated for thirteen Grammy awards both for his solo work and big band recordings (Art of the Big Band, Departure, Homage To Count Basie, One Music, and Only In New York) and his work with the Yellowjackets (Blue Hats, Club Nocturne, Dreamland, Greenhouse, Like a River, Live Wires, Runferyerlife, Time Squared). Homage to Count Basie won the Grammy in the best large ensemble category for the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, 2001.
Following Bob’s twenty three year, twelve album relationship with Digital Music Products, the Bob Mintzer big band now resides on the MCG Jazz label.
In the jazz world Bob Mintzer is a household name, usually associated with being a saxophonist, bass clarinetist, composer, arranger, leader of a Grammy winning big band, member of the Yellowjackets, and educator.
Bob has written over 200 big band arrangements spanning a 34 year career, many of which are performed all over the world by both student and pro bands. His own big band has been nominated for 4 Grammy awards and won a Grammy for best large jazz ensemble recording in 2001 with Homage to Count Basie on the DMP label. Bob has recorded 26 solo recordings with both big band and small jazz ensembles. He is an 18 year member of the Grammy award winning band Yellowjackets, and has recorded 12 cds with them.
Bob tours 4 months out of the year with the ‘Jackets’. Bob has published 4 jazz etude books (Belwin Jazz), a solo transcription book (Belwin Jazz), a saxophone method book (Kendor Music), 4 saxophone quartets (kendor music), close to 200 big band arrangements (Kendor Music, Belwin Jazz), and has composed several pieces for orchestra. His "Rhythm of the Americas" piece for sax quartet and orchestra (or concert band) was premiered in 2001 by the American Saxophone Quartet and the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. His "Concertino for Tenor Saxophone, Strings and Winds" was premiered in NYC by the St Lukes Chamber Ensemble in 1992.
Bob has had a diverse career as a free lance musician in New York City. He has recorded with people like Steve Winwood, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, and Queen. He’s toured with Buddy Rich, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Jaco Pastorius, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri. He’s worked with the New York Philharmonic, American Ballet Theatre. Bob has been on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music and recently joined the faculty of USC in Los Angeles. He performs 20 workshops at universities all over the globe annually.
April 23, 2010 - April 24, 2010 St. Mary’s College San Antonio, TX Bob Mintzer workshops and concert; April 27, 2010 Bucks County Community College Auditorium Newtown, PA The Yellowjackets - with masterclass in the afternoon; April 28, 2010 Lincoln Theater Columbus, OH The Yellowjackets; April 29, 2010 - May 1, 2010 Lincoln Center Rose Theater New York, NY The Yellowjackets with Mike Stern; May 9, 2010 TBA Girona (Barcelona), Spain Bob Mintzer guest with local big band; May 23, 2010 John Anson Ford Theatre Hollywood, CA The Yellowjackets; June 11, 2010 Den Haag Jazz Festival Netherlands Bob Mintzer Quartet; June 13, 2010 Vittorio Jazz Fest Vittorio (Sicily), Italy Bob Mintzer Quartet; http://www.bobmintzer.com/
Bob Mintzer (Yellowjackets feat. Mike Stern) @ Garana Jazz Festival (Romania) 2008.
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All About Jazz: What inspired you to focus your big band on the sounds of Brazil with For the Moment?
