Trumpet - Flugelhorn

Instrumentalist, Vocalist, Composer, Arranger, Leader, Teacher

Bachelor of Music Degree in Education, Master of Music Degree in Performance- University of Wisconsin/Madison

Born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin - in Chicago since 1961

Top recording studio musician - Performed on more than 7500 sessions including "Old Style Beer - God's Country" theme / the Kemper Bugler / State Farm Insurance "Like a Good Neighbor" / and the Pillsbury Doughboy

Recording Artists: RAMSEY LEWIS; CURTIS MAYFIELD; JERRY BUTLER;
NATALE COLE; ALICE COOPER; THE BUCKINGHAMS; SINGERS UNLIMITED
Jazz Artists: JACK TEAGARDEN, JOE MORELLO, DUKES OF DIXIELAND
TEX BENEKE; LES HOOPER; SY ZENTNER; DAVE REMINGTON; AL HIRT

Conductor, musical director and featured soloist with PEGGY LEE

First trumpet with TONY BENNETT in Chicago appearances for 15 years

Instructor of Jazz Trumpet Studies - University of Illinois-Chicago

Performs on trumpets in B-flat, C, high E-flat, and low F (Alto Trumpet); piccolo trumpet; flugelhorn; cornet; bugle.

Performed with the:

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA;
BALLET CHICAGO;
SAINT LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA;
ORCHESTRA OF ILLINOIS;
MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
AMERICAN JAZZ PHILHARMONIC;
GRANT PARK SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Creator and leader of THE FOREFRONT, a contemporary trumpet ensemble consisting of four trumpets (also playing flugel horn, cornet, piccolo trumpet, alto trumpet, and bass trumpet) with bass and drums. This group performed at the First International Brass Congress in Montreux, Switzerland; brass and trumpet conferences in New York City, Denver, and Chicago; and the National Association of Jazz Educators convention in Dallas.

Creator and co-leader of EARS-JAZZ OF ALL ERAS, a spontaneous creative jazz ensemble of seven that performed Tuesday evenings for seventeen years (six at Orphans Pub and eleven at Andy's Jazz Club) in Chicago dating back to it's origin in 1975. This group has also performed in Osaka, Japan; Rotterdam and The Hague in the Netherlands (the North Sea Jazz Festival); and many special functions in Chicago, including the Chicago Jazz Festival.

Leader of the RHYTHMAKERS, a mainstream jazz quintet that performed Friday evenings at Andy's in Chicago for fourteen years, beginning in 1978.

Creator and leader of MUGGLES, a jazz roots band featuring the music of LOUIS ARMSTRONG and early traditional jazz.
 

Producer (Executive and Musical) of recordings on compact disc for
SOUTHPORT RECORDS in Chicago:

INSIDE THIS SONG (1993)
PASSION FLOWER ( 1994)
HERE I GO AGAIN ( 1995)
FLUGEL GOURMET (1997)
JUST HAVIN' SOME FUN (1999)
ANOTHER TIME (2003)
ON FIRE ! (1989/2005)
INSTANT GROOVE (2006)

IN THE FOREFRONT (2000)

a 2 CD re-issue of two LP recordings by THE FOREFRONT. INCANTATION received world wide recognition by National Public Radio on Willis Conover"s Voice of America program and received a four-star review in Downbeat Magazine.
IN THE FOREFRONT received much acclaim from the International Trumpet Guild and contains the composition entitled THE TRUMPET SECTION SUITE.Also included in the reissue: TRUMPETRY; and an accompanied flugelhorn solo INNERMOST DESIRE/OUTERMOST EXPRESSION.



Received two music composition fellowship grants from the National Endowment for the Arts

THE TRUMPET SECTION - Suite- a four movement work presenting an historical capsule of the trumpet section from King Oliver/Louis Armstrong through Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Harry James and Maynard Ferguson to the present.

TRUMPETRY - in three movements for an orchestra of ten trumpets, including 2 piccolo, 4 B-flat, 2 alto and 2 bass trumpets, piano, bass and drums; performed in Chicago, New York and recorded at Universal Recording Studios.





Produced two recordings by EARS - BY REQUEST and EARS 2U on tape cassette

Produced a recording by The RHYTHMAKERS - ON FIRE! Now available on CD.

Composed and arranged music for various jazz ensembles, stage band, brass ensembles, solo trumpet with concert band, a French horn sonata, and a trumpet etude book that has been published along with all of The Forefront compositions, by Charles Colin Music in New York.

Member of ASCAP; the International Trumpet Guild; Amer. Fed. of Musicians; and NARAS (producer of the Grammy Awards).

Other Highlights:

5th Annual Jazz Party At Sea - Jazz Cruise to Alaska Sept. 2005 - featured artist with Windy City Quintet, Claudio Roditi, Dick Hyman and Harry Allen.


Performed in Bombay (Mumbai) and Pune India, January 1998 and again in March 2000, with the CHICAGO JAZZ EXPRESS quintet led by Burl Lane (bassoonist and saxophonist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Soloist at special concerts in Warsaw, Poland, June 1998 and April 1999 with the WARSAW BRASS

Received 1997 'Musician Of The Year' award from the Del Segno Musicians Club of Chicago.

Kool Jazz Festival, New York City - 'Chicago Jazz Night' at Carnegie Hall with Joe Williams

Member of Jack Teagarden Sextet (1962-63)

Royal Easter Show - Sydney, Australia with Barrett Deems All-Stars

Chicago Jazz Festival - featured soloist with Benny Goodman

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - featured soloist, 'All Gershwin' concert at the Ravinia Summer Festival; Youth Concerts at Orchestra Hall, Henry Mazer, conductor

Sister City Festival - Inter-People Cultural Fair, Osaka, Japan, 1986 with EARS

Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, Davenport, Iowa - Bobby Lewis Jazz Quartet

Performed on music sound track for the movie
'A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN'


In addition to PEGGY LEE and TONY BENNETT, Bobby also performed with:

ELLA FITZGERALD; SARAH VAUGHN; FRANK SINATRA; SAMMY DAVIS, JR.;
JUDY GARLAND; LIZA MINELLI; MEL TORME; LENA HORNE; AL JARREAU;
BARRY MANILOW; THE CARPENTERS; BILL CONTI; HARRY BELAFONTE;
NANCY WILSON; JOHNNY CARSON; JAMES BROWN; MAYNARD FERGUSON;
BENNY CARTER; DOC SEVERINSEN; ROY ELDRIDGE; CLAUDE THORNHILL;
TEX BENEKE and the MODERNAIRES; SKITCH HENDERSON; BUDDY MORROW;
CLARK TERRY; JACO PASTORIUS; MARIAN McPARTLAND; ART HODES;
BARRETT DEEMS; IRA SULLIVAN; VIC DAMONE; RICHIE COLE; JABBO SMITH
HENRY MANCINI; MAUREEN MCGOVERN; ROSEMARY CLOONEY; BERNADETTE PETERS

Board of Governors - National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) -(producers of the Grammy Awards) 1993 - 1998.

Received 'Distinguished Alumni Award' from Oshkosh West High School April, 2000.