[TPIN] Bob Florence

[Mike Vax]

As many of you know,  Bob was the regular piano player in the Kenton Alumni
Band.  This was the only big band, other than his own, that he played in
regularly.  He was also the "house piano player" at my Prescott Jazz Summit
in Arizona every year.  He was, as everyone knows, a consummate musician,
but he was also a marvelous clinician who loved working with young people,
and one of the nicest people ever put on this earth.  He was supposed to be
on our tour this year and had to cancel at the last minute when he got the
pneumonia that put him into the hospital for over a month, before his
demise.  He had to have four back surgeries last year and those surgeries
weakened him considerably, but he was feeling much better before this last
bout and was really looking forward to getting out on the band bus again.
We, who had the pleasure of working with him will miss him terribly, as will
his many fans who loved listening to his recordings and performances.  His
two solo piano CD's (on Summit Records) are a living tribute to his playing,
as are all the Limited Edition big band recordings, to his writing.  He had
all the arrangements for a new recording finished when he became ill this
time.  I sure hope that the members of his band will find a way to record
that last CD as a fitting tribute to this great man.
Mike Vax

On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 7:07 AM, Peter Sokolowski <
peter.sokolowski at gmail.com> wrote:

> His LA Times obit:
>
>
> http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-florence20-2008may20,0,2351384.story
>
> His first album, "Big Band 1959" is fabulous, as was his last. One of
> the very greats, and, with Bill Holman, the dean of West Coast big
> bands. He started out writing charts for Harry James, Louis Bellson,
> Sy Zentner, Count Basie, Buddy Rich, and many singers.
>
> Trumpeters on his recordings include John Audino, Tony Terran, Buddy
> Childers, Warren Luening, Rick Baptist, George Graham, Wayne Bergeron,
> Steve Huffsteter, Carl Saunders, and many others.
>
> His recent albums show an amazing growth and individual arranger's
> voice within the big-band idiom, as distinctive and original as Bill
> Holman's. I recommend any of them, but "Earth" is a personal favorite,
> with lots of space in particular for Carl Saunders.
>
> Florence also worked as an arranger for singers and an accompanist to
> many at the keyboard. My favorite Bob Florence charts were written for
> Bobby Darin. "Hello Young Lovers" and "This Nearly Was Mine" are
> stunning swing treatments of ballads with a powerful band.
>
> I'll be playing some of his recordings Monday 5/26 8PM-11PM EST at
> www.wfcr.org.
>
>
> --peter
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