Bob Wilber
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Bob Wilber (* 15. March 1928 in New York ; † 4. August 2019 ) was an American jazz - clarinetist and saxophonist (alto, soprano, tenor), arranger and composer in the last decades, especially in hot jazz emerged is.
Live and act
Wilber formed a band called "The Wildcats" with Dick Wellstood and Ed Hubble in high school . He studied with Sidney Bechet and performed at the Nice Jazz Festival in 1948 , after which he toured France with Mezz Mezzrow . After his return, he led his own band at the Savoy Club in Boston for two years . He studied classical clarinet with Leon Russianoff and was also a student of cool jazz musicians Lennie Tristano and Lee Konitz . In 1954 he tried to combine these more modern influences with traditional jazz with his band "The Six". In the late 1950s he played with Eddie Condon (in his clubs and on tour of England), with Bobby Hackett and the Benny Goodman Orchestra.
In the 1960s he worked in New York a. a. with Bud Freeman , Ruby Braff and Max Kaminsky . In 1969 he was with Yank Lawson and Bob Haggart founders of the "Worlds Greatest Jazz Band", in which Bud Freeman, Billy Butterfield and Ralph Sutton also played. In 1974 he formed the “Soprano Summit” with saxophonist and clarinetist Kenny Davern , after their interplay on clarinet and saxophone was already a success at one of the Colorado Jazz Parties . In 1975 he was with the New York Jazz Repertory Orchestra at Carnegie Hall concerts and on a tour of Russia . From 1981 he and his singer-wife Pug Horton dedicated himself to the legacy of his teacher Sidney Bechet in the band "The Bechet Legacy". In 1983 he was the first director of the Smithsonian Jazz Repertory Ensemble. He was awarded a Grammy in 1986 for the film music he arranged (in the style of Duke Ellington) for Cotton Club (1984, directed by Francis Ford Coppola ) . In 1988 he led big bands for the 50th anniversary of Benny Goodman's famous Carnegie Hall concert (at Carnegie Hall in New York and in London). In 1988 his autobiography Music Was Not Enough was published by Oxford University Press.
In 1998 he received an honorary doctorate from Hamilton College, Clinton, New York.
Discographic notes
Web links
- Nate Chinen: Bob Wilber, Saxophonist and Clarinetist Who Carried a Torch for Classic Jazz, Has Died at 91. WBGO, August 7, 2019, accessed on August 7, 2019 .
- Guide to the Bob Wilber Papers, 1943-2006 , University of New Hampshire
- English biography at subjazz
- Bob Wilber at Allmusic (English)
- Bob Wilber at Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ RIP Bob Wilber (1928-2019). Bebop Spoken Here, August 4, 2019, accessed August 5, 2019 .
- ^ RIP Bob Wilber (1928-2019). London Jazz News, August 6, 2019, accessed August 7, 2019 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wilber, Bob |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 15, 1928 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | new York |
| DATE OF DEATH | 4th August 2019 |