Received today from Ryan Truesdell. If you are in NYC January 7 or 8, head over to Jazz Standard for the musical celebration Ryan is directing.
Dear Ron,
As today (12/19/2019) marks what would have been Bob's 90th birthday, I wanted to let everyone know about a few things happening to celebrate Bob and his music.First, there will be performances of Bob's music in New York City on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 7 and 8, 2020 at Jazz Standard. It's a great band - many of which have performed with Bob in various capacities during his life, most notably Bob's favorite and long-time drummer, John Hollenbeck. We will be performing a wide variety of music including music Bob wrote for his band, the New Art Orchestra, for Mel Lewis & the Jazz Orchestra, and for Gerry Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band, plus vocal arrangements from Bob’s final album Standards. Information about the performances can be found HERE.
Second, I want to remind everyone to check out Dave Rivello's wonderful new book, Bob Brookmeyer IN CONVERSATION, if you haven't already. It is beautiful insight into Bob's compositional practices, teaching, and his thoughts on music. A must have for all composers and musicians. You can get it as a downloadable e-book or mail order. Details can be found HERE.
I hope everyone takes time today to honor Bob by listening to their favorite Brookmeyer recording, while taking a moment to sit back and remember what it was that first drew you to Bob and his music. Bob was a truly inspiring person and he had so much to offer the world as a composer, arranger, trombonist, band leader, educator, and conductor. Let's all spend today absorbing and sharing all his great music! Thank you, Bob, for all that you have given us over the years. Happy birthday!
All the best,
Ryan Truesdell