[TPIN] Bob Florence

[Jeff Brenneman]

From:      "MVC" <mark at markvancleave.com>

Subject: Bob Florence, jazz composer, Big Band leader, dies at 75

Date:   Sun 05/18/08 04:01 AM

    

  Legendary jazz composer, arranger and Big Band leader Bob Florence, 
who won a Grammy and two Emmy awards during his long career, died 
Thursday  in Thousand Oaks. His death came five days before his 76th 
birthday.

Florence was widely acknowledged as a dominant force in Big Band music, 
keeping the genre alive with his own Los Angeles-based band, Limited 
Edition. He also was a respected music educator.

"He's been a fixture on the West Coast for over 50 years," said Don 
Shelton, a professional musician who has known Florence since 1956 and 
been a member of his band for the past 20 years.

"I've been listening to his music and crying tears of joy," Shelton 
said by phone from his La Quinta home Friday. "He was a very sensitive 
man, and he showed that in his music and in his personal life."

Florence won a Grammy Award in 2000 for Best Large Jazz Ensemble 
Performance for his album "Serendipity 18." He received 15 other Grammy 
nominations during his career.

He won Emmy awards for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction for 
the 1990 PBS-TV show "Julie Andrews in Concert," which was in the 
network's "Great Performances" series, and the 1981 CBS program "Linda 
Lavin, Linda In Wonderland."

Florence was born in Los Angeles on May 20, 1932.

In an interview with The Star in 2000, he recalled his earliest musical 
memory as "my mother standing over me with a switch, making me 
practice."

He was supposed to grow up to be a concert pianist, but he fell in love 
with the sounds of Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Woody Herman. At the 
age of 19, he dropped his classical music studies in favor of pursuing 
his passion for jazz.

His first break came in 1959 when he arranged two numbers for trumpeter 
Harry James' band. That led to work with drummer Louie Bellson and Si 
Zentner, for whom Florence arranged the 1961 hit "Up a Lazy River."

He also became the pianist of choice for many singers, including Julie 
Andrews, Vikki Carr, Dean Martin, Andy Williams and Red Skelton, and he 
wrote charts for Doc Severinsen, the leader of the in-house big band on 
Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" on NBC.

For several years, Florence had been a faculty member at Centrum, a 
music and arts center based at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, 
Wash., where he led workshops at its annual weeklong jazz festival.

Centrum's associate director Gregg Miller said Florence was highly 
respected for his composing and arranging.

"What impressed me so much was that, even though he was an older man, 
his playing was so vigorous and youthful," said Miller. He noted 
Florence was scheduled to lead the Centrum faculty's All-Star Big Band 
in a concert of his own music July 26 in Washington state.

Instead, Kim Richmond, adjunct assistant professor of Jazz Studies at 
USC's Thornton School of Music — and lead alto player in Florence's 
band — will direct the All Stars in a tribute to him.

Florence's survivors include his wife, Evie, their two children and 
grandchildren.



Peace,



Mark Van Cleave

Email: mark at markvancleave.com

http://VanCleaveTrumpets.com

Psalm 150:3

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-----Original Message-----

From: jontrimble at suddenlink.net



Sadly, I got this email not too long ago.  Didn't know if anyone heard.

Here's a copy of the email.

-------------------

I'm sorry to tell you that we lost Bob Florence at 1:04 this afternoon. 
He

simply couldn't hold on any longer.



Jon Trimble



jontrimble at suddenlink.net

http://myspace.com/jontrimble

http://myspace.com/rockumentally