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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZBROOKMEYER, Bobby(b 19 December 1929, Kansas City MO; d 15 December 2011) Valve trombone, piano, arranger, composer. He played piano with Tex Beneke '51, others including Claude Thornhill, Woody Herman '51, Stan Getz '53, Gerry Mulligan '54-7 including European tours, Jimmy Giuffre '57-8, Mulligan big band '60, combo with Clark Terry '61 including UK visit '64; visits to Europe with Mulligan '62-3, Japan '64; married lyricist Margo Guryan '64 and appeared in TV staff work (Merv Griffin show) '65, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis big band late '60s. He moved to California '68 and found much studio work; there were festival reunions with Jones/Lewis and Mulligan '70s, with Terry '80, with the Lewis band '82. His mainstream/modern style was often witty and always rewarding, always instantly recognizable; as an arranger and composer he was recognized as one of the finest in his line, though that line was of small commercial value in a world of shrinking musical values. His own first album was a quartet with Al Cohn (1954); about 25 albums as a leader included Traditionalism Revisited '57 with Giuffre and Jim Hall; Street Swingers '57 with Hall; The Blues Hot And Cold '60; Suitably Zoot '65 with Zoot Sims; Back Again and Small Band both '78. He arranged and composed Live At Village Vanguard '80 with Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra. Oslo '87 on Concord included pianist Alan Broadbent; Electricity '91 on Act was made in Cologne with the WDR Big Band; New Quartet: Paris Suite on Challenge was made in Holland '94-5, and he arranged and played trombone on Michel Petrucciani's Both Worlds, FDM '97.
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