Bob Brookmeyer

Robert E. Brookmeyer, often known as Bob Brookmeyer, was an acclaimed American jazz trombonist, arranger and composer who played with many other great artists such as saxophonists Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan, pianist Bill Evans, clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre and flugelhorn player Clark Terry as well as leading his own bands. Born in Missouri, he studied music as a child and attended the Kansas City Conservatory of Music. He had stints with the Tex Beneke and Ray McKinley bands playing piano and switched to valve trombone in the early 1950s when he joined the Claude Thornhill Orchestra. He had a long career as a session musician in Los Angeles and also taught music in Boston and in the Netherlands.

He was nominated for nine Grammy Awards in his career: 'Blues Suite' (1960) was nominated as Best Jazz Composition of More Than Five Minutes Duration, 'The Power of Positive Swinging' (1965) for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance - Small Group Or Soloist With Small Group, 'ABC Blues' (1966) for Best Original Jazz Composition, 'Skylark' (1980), 'St. Louis Blues' (2008) and 'Nasty Dance' (2011) were nominated for Best Instrumental Arrangement, and 'Impulsive!' (2001), 'Get Well Soon' (2004) and 'Spirit Music' (2006) were nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. He died aged 81 in 2011.