This semester at USC , where I am the musical director of the Thornton Jazz Orchestra, we’ve been playing a wide variety of music spanning a 70-year period. The oldest music is from the 40’s, consisting of music from the Artie Shaw band, Benny Goodman band, Tommy Dorsey band, and the Count Basie band. We’re also working on some of Thad Jones’ music as well as the music of Ed Neumeister and Vince Mendoza. What is striking to me is the clarity and warmness of sound of the older music. The Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Basie music has a sound that is so pleasing and subtle. As we move forward chronologically the brass are scored in a much higher range, and the sound starts leaning towards the brighter side of things. There is also a lot more information to digest. The more contemporary music (including some of my own) is definitely louder, brighter, and while more adventurous is certain ways, less pleasing to the ear. I also found that the band was able to quickly get a sound on the older tunes while the newer stuff took much longer to assemble. There are many things to learn from the older big band music (and older jazz music in general) as we aspire to create something new in the music of today.

Along the same lines, I recently picked up a CD of the Beatles recording Rubber Soul. This was one of my favorite recordings when I was a teenager. This CD still sounds as fresh and vital as the first day I heard it. Listening to it with more mature ears, I notice how clever and meticulous the arrangements and production are. The songs are so memorable and beautifully put together. The guitar playing, drum sound (that classic snare drum crack), sporadic piano playing, and great vocal arrangements are amazing. What is striking to me is the way the Beatles combined 50’s R & B, country music, and orchestral music to create a sound and style all their own. Taking various ingredients of the “old” and coming up with something new.

A few weeks ago I was hanging out with Jeff Coffin, saxophonist who plays with Bela Fleck, and more recently, the Dave Mathews Band. He was in L.A. to do a series of concerts and television appearances with Dave Mathews. Jeff is a fine musician and a great guy. He is a real student of the music, as am I. He invited us to come to a Dave Mathews concert down in Irvine. I brought my horn and sat in with them. The band is really great, and it was very generous to have folks sit in with them. I played a long solo on one tune, stretching out pretty far from what might be considered the norm for rock pop music like this. The crowd liked it very much, cheering me on as I played things ranging from in the groove to playing abstractly and almost free at times. It was encouraging to see that a large audience could get with some fairly sophisticated music at this level. Dave’s band plays very hip and sophisticated music, and it’s great to see him have the level of success he is enjoying. It just goes to show that you can play some happening music on a large scale if you persevere and follow your heart.




Bob playing with the Dave Matthews band

Last week my big band played on a Tuesday night at Vibrato Bar and Grill Up in Bel Air. The band sounded great. We are developing a sound after only a few performances. Peter Erskine, Russ Ferrante, Edwin Livingston, Walt Fowler, Bob Sheppard, Keith Fiddmont, John Daversa, Bob Mc Chesney, Bill Reichedbach, and Ed Neumeister were on board. Steve Gadd, Rick Marotta and Otis Brown the 3rd were in attendance. Lots of the L.A. cats stopped in. It was great to see Steve and Rick, two of the baddest drummers in the world! One of the first recordings I played on in New York was a John Tropea record that Steve and Rick both played on (two drummers together). They played like one cat! Also Will Lee, Don Grolnick, Mike and Randy Brecker, Dave Sanborn, were on this recording. It was great to reminisce about the great music that came out of New York in the 70’s Peter Erskine and I heard Gadd play with the army big band in 1970 up in Michigan. We were both students at Interlochen Arts Academy at the time. I remember thinking that I had never heard anyone play drums like Steve did that night.


Rick Marotta, Bob, Carla, and Steve Gadd

I don’t usually get too far into political considerations in this column, but the way things are going in the United States lately I feel the need to express some concerns. The emergence of the far right in the media lately has been a huge cause for embarrassment to me. We have a president in this country who is finally trying to institute policies that protect the citizens of this country from the greed of the financial sector and insurance giants. The far right and not-so-far right are doing everything in their power to discredit him and his administration at every turn. It is total propaganda, mean spirited, and untruthful. Like most other countries in the western world, we deserve a comprehensive health care, educational, and social plan for retirement in the U.S. I believe that government should have a strong roll in regulating the banks and insurance companies. Small government has not worked for the last 8 years. Look at the mess we are in. It has impacted on the world economy. People are far too greedy to go unchecked.

In my travels I have seem ample proof that countries can provide quality health care comprehensive education, and a safety net for their citizens, as well as funding for the arts on a reasonable scale. We in the United States deserve the same.