Bob Wilber

Bob Wilber 15 March 1928 – 4 August 2019 Was An American Jazz Clarinetist Saxophonist And Band Leader. Although His Scope Covers A Wide Range Of Jazz Wilber Was A Dedicated Advocate Of Classic Styles Working Throughout His Career To Present Traditional Jazz Pieces In A Contemporary Manner. He Played With Many Distinguished Jazz Leaders In The 1950s And 1960s Including Bobby Hackett Benny Goodman Sidney Bechet Jack Teagarden And Eddie Condon. In The Late 1960s He Was An Original Member Of The World's Greatest Jazz Band And In The Early 70s Of Soprano Summit A Band Which Gained Wide Attention. In The Late 1970s He Formed The Bechet Legacy Band. Wilber Was Active In Jazz Education Including Working As Director Of The Smithsonian Jazz Repertory Ensemble. He Has Written For Films Including The Cotton Club. In His Autobiography Music Was Not Enough He Recounts His Childhood Meeting His Mentor Sidney Bechet In 1946 And His Struggles As A Musician In The 1950s And 1960s. Wilber A "superb Soprano Saxophonist A Classic Clarinetist A Gifted Arranger And Composer And An Invaluable Preserver And Enhancer Of Jazz Tradition " Was Born In New York City On March 15 1928. He Became Interested In Jazz At The Age Of Three When His Father Brought Home A Recording Of Duke Ellington's Song "Mood Indigo." In 1935 The Family Moved To Scarsdale New York And At The Age Of Thirteen Wilber Began Formal Clarinet Study Under His First Teacher Willard Briggs. He Began Listening To Jazz From New Orleans Kansas City And Chicago By Duke Ellington Louis Armstrong Jelly Roll Morton Eddie Condon And Frank Teschemacher. He Played Jazz In High School And With His Friends Formed A "hot Club" Listening And Jamming To Records. Wilber Graduated From High School In 1945. Although His Parents Wanted Him To Attend An Ivy League College He Was Set On Becoming A Musician. He Attempted To Compromise With His Parents By Attending The Eastman School Of Music In Rochester New York In The Fall Of 1945. But After One Term At Eastman He Dropped Out And Moved Back To New York City To "hang Out On Fifty-Second Street And In The Village." In 1945 Wilber Formed The Wildcats Which Included Pianist Dick Wellstood And Trombonist Ed Hubble. The Wildcats Were The First Jazz Group In New York To "do What Lu Watters And Turk Murphy Had Been Doing On The Coast – Playing The Music Of The Hot Five And The Red Hot Peppers And The Creole Jazz Band." The Group Performed Regularly At Jimmy Ryan's Club Over The Next Two Years And Was Recorded In 1947 By Ramp-Art Records. Wilber Worked With Some Of The Best Traditional Jazz Musicians Of The Era Including Muggsy Spanier Baby Dodds Danny Barker Bud Freeman Pee Wee Russell George Wettling Jimmy McPartland Wild Bill Davison And James P. Johnson. Sidney Bechet Was One Of The Most Accomplished And Influential Musicians Of The Post World War I Period And Was Viewed By Many As The Best Clarinetist Of His Time. Nevertheless Bechet's Primary Instrument Eventually Became The Soprano Saxophone. In 1944 Wilber Had Become Fascinated With Bechet's Sound And Later That Year When Wilber Was Sixteen He Was Introduced To Bechet Through Mezz Mezzrow. He Found Out There Was An Opening For A Pupil Out At Bechet's House In Brooklyn And So He Became A Bechet Pupil. In The Spring Of 1945 He Began Studying Both Clarinet And Soprano Saxophone Under Bechet And Eventually Lived With Him For Several Months. He Often Sat In With Bechet At Jimmy Ryan's And They Often Performed Duets. In 1948 Bechet Sent Wilber To Nice France In His Absence To Perform At The First Jazz Festival. At The Festival Wilber's Group Shared The Bill With Louis Armstrong And His Allstars. Wilber Recorded For Columbia Records Commodore And Circle With Bechet And With His Own Group In The Late 1940s. In 1948 Wilber Formed A Trio To Play At Intermissions At The Savoy Café In Boston. The Trio Featured Traditional New Orleans-Style Jazz Dixieland . Eventually Wilber Expanded The Band To A Sextet And Was Booked As The Main Attraction Bob Wilber And The Dixieland Band. This Group Featured Wilber On Clarinet And Soprano Sax Henry Goodwin On Trumpet Jimmy Archey On Trombone Dick Wellstood On Piano Johnny Fields On Bass And Tommy Benford On Drums. 7 Wilber Gained A Strong Following In Boston And The Savoy Gig Lasted Through The Better Part Of 1949. The Savoy Also Led To Other Opportunities To Play In The New York City Area Through 1950 Most Notably At Jimmy Ryan's And The Stuyvesant Hotel. Discography Bob Wilber At New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2014 As Leader
New Clarinet In Town Classic Editions 1960 For Saxes Only! Music Minus One 1962 Close As Pages In A Book With Maxine Sullivan Monmouth Evergreen 1969 No More Blues MMO Studios 1972 Soprano Summit With Kenny Davern World Jazz 1974 Soprano Summit In Concert With Kenny Davern Marty Grosz Ray Brown Jake Hanna Concord Jazz 1976 Spreadin' Joy Classic Jazz 1976 Evolution Of The Blues Music Minus One 1976 Bob Wilber And The Scott Hamilton Quartet Chiaroscuro 1977 Sherman Shuffle With Buddy Tate Sackville 1978 Dizzyfingers Bodeswell 1980 Reflections Bodeswell 1983 Django's Music With Mike Peters Bireli Lagrene Stash 1985 Ode To Bechet Jazzology 1986 Summit Reunion With Kenny Davern Chiaroscuro 1990 The Music Of Hoagy Carmichael With Maxine Sullivan Audiophile 1993 Summit Reunion 1992 With Kenny Davern Milt Hinton Dick Hyman Bucky Pizzarelli Chiaroscuro 1994 The Bob Wilber Dick Wellstood Duet Progressive 1984 Horns A-Plenty Arbors 1994 Bean Bob Wilber's Tribute To Coleman Hawkins Arbors 1995 Nostalgia Arbors 1996 A Perfect Match With Dick Hyman Arbors 1998 You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet Summit Reunion Plays Some Al Jolson Songs With Kenny Davern Jazzology 2000 Fletcher Henderson's Unrecorded Arrangements For Benny Goodman Arbors 2000 Summit Reunion In Atlanta With Kenny Davern Jazzology 2001 Benny Goodman Arrangments Volume 2 Arbors 2003 Yearnings With Bobby Gordon Arbors 2003 Swinging The Changes With Nik Payton Arbors 2008 The Sidney Bechet Society Presents Bob Wilber & Dick Hyman 2009 Bob Wilber Is Here Arbors 2010 Rampage Arbors 2011 Birch Hall Concerts Live With Glenn Zottola Classic Jazz 2013 With Soprano Summit Chalumeau Blue Chiaroscuro 1976 The Meridian Fat Cat's Jazz 1977 Crazy Rhythm Chiaroscuro 1977 Live At Concord '77 Concord Jazz 1978 Recorded Live At Iliana Jazz Club Storyville 1996 1975...And More! Arbors 2008 As Sideman
With Sidney Bechet Creole Reeds Riverside 1956 The Grand Master Of The Soprano Saxophone And Clarinet Columbia 1956 With Ruby Braff Holiday In Braff Bethlehem 1955 Easy Now RCA Victor 1959 Adoration Of The Melody Bethlehem 1978 The Mighty Braff Affinity 1982 With Benny Goodman Happy Session Columbia/CBS 1959 Fascinating Rhythm Chess 1980 With Bobby Hackett Hawaii Swings Capitol 1960 Creole Cookin Verve 1967 From The Jazz Vault 1979 With Dick Hyman Say It With Music World Jazz 1980 Jelly & James Sony Masterworks 1992 With Ralph Sutton The Night They Raided Sunnie's Blue Angel Jazz Club 1969 Live At Sunnie's Rendezvous Vol. 2 Storyville 1999 Featuring Bob Wilber Vol. 3 Storyville 2001 With The World's Greatest Jazzband Of Yank Lawson & Bob Haggart The World's Greatest Jazzband Of Yank Lawson And Bob Haggart Project 3 Total Sound 1969 Live At The Roosevelt Grill Atlantic 1970 What's New? Atlantic 1971 Hark The Herald Angels Swing 1972 In Concert Vol. 1 Massey Hall World Jazz 1973 Good News Signature 1974 In Concert Recorded Live At The Lawrenceville School Flying Dutchman 1976 At Manchester Trade Hall England 1971 Arbors 2006 With Others Louis Armstrong Sidney Bechet Kid Ory Voyage A La Nouvelle Orleans CBS 1972 Dick Cary The Amazing Dick Cary Circle 1981 Lee Castle Dixieland Heaven Davis 1957 Jim Chapin Profile Of A Jazz Drummer Skin Tight Classic Jazz 1977 Buck Clayton A Buck Clayton Jam Session Vol. 3 Jazz Party Time Chiaroscuro 1976 Wild Bill Davison With Strings Attached Columbia 1957 Duke Ellington Symphony In Black Smithsonian 1981 Bud Freeman Song Of The Tenor Philips 1976 Lionel Hampton At Newport '78
Max Kaminsky Ambassador Of Jazz Westminster 1959 Lou McGarity Blue Lou Argo 1960 Jimmy McPartland Dixieland At Carnegie Hall 1958 Jimmy McPartland That Happy Dixieland Jazz RCA 1960 Geoff Muldaur Is Having A Wonderful Time Reprise 1975 Flip Phillips Celebrates His 80th Birthday At The March Of Jazz 1995 Arbors 2003 Rex Stewart Henderson Homecoming United Artists 1959 Billy Strayhorn Lush Life Red Baron 1992 Widespread Depression Orchestra Rockin' In Rhythm Phontastic 1980 read less