Bob Mintzer (born January 27, 1953), originally from
New Rochelle, New YorkNew Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing Catholic pogroms in France...
, is a
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
saxophonist, composer, arranger and
big bandA big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s. Big bands evolved with the times and continue to today. A big band typically consists of approximately 12 to 25 musicians and...
leader based in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
. After graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy in 1970, Mintzer made his mark as a soloist, mainly on the
tenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, is the most common type of saxophone. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble clef,...
and the
bass clarinetThe bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet. Bass clarinets in other keys, notably C and A, also exist, but are very rare...
. He is also proficient on
fluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
,
EWIEWI is the name of AKAI's line of wind controllers, an electronic musical instrument invented by Nyle Steiner. The early models consisted of two parts: a wind controller and a synthesizer. The current model, EWI4000S, combines the two parts into one, placing the synthesizer in the lower section...
, and other
saxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bored transposing musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax in 1841...
s and
clarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet...
s. He is a member of the jazz rock band the
YellowjacketsYellowjackets are an American jazz fusion quartet.-Biography:The original group, called The Robben Ford Group, was formed in 1977, and consisted of Robben Ford, Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip and Ricky Lawson. Ford had originally assembled the group to record Inside Story, but signed to a separate...
, but among jazz fans is even better known for his inspiring big band work since the early 1980s in the Word of Mouth Big Band and then as the leader of the
Grammy AwardThe Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
winning Bob Mintzer Big Band.
Bob Mintzer (born January 27, 1953), originally from
New Rochelle, New YorkNew Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing Catholic pogroms in France...
, is a
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
saxophonist, composer, arranger and
big bandA big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s. Big bands evolved with the times and continue to today. A big band typically consists of approximately 12 to 25 musicians and...
leader based in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
. After graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy in 1970, Mintzer made his mark as a soloist, mainly on the
tenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, is the most common type of saxophone. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble clef,...
and the
bass clarinetThe bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet. Bass clarinets in other keys, notably C and A, also exist, but are very rare...
. He is also proficient on
fluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
,
EWIEWI is the name of AKAI's line of wind controllers, an electronic musical instrument invented by Nyle Steiner. The early models consisted of two parts: a wind controller and a synthesizer. The current model, EWI4000S, combines the two parts into one, placing the synthesizer in the lower section...
, and other
saxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bored transposing musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax in 1841...
s and
clarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet...
s. He is a member of the jazz rock band the
YellowjacketsYellowjackets are an American jazz fusion quartet.-Biography:The original group, called The Robben Ford Group, was formed in 1977, and consisted of Robben Ford, Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip and Ricky Lawson. Ford had originally assembled the group to record Inside Story, but signed to a separate...
, but among jazz fans is even better known for his inspiring big band work since the early 1980s in the Word of Mouth Big Band and then as the leader of the
Grammy AwardThe Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
winning Bob Mintzer Big Band. He has been particularly successful in exploring new instrumental colorations (making frequent use of woodwinds doubling) and extending the big band concept into the
funkFunk is an American music genre that originated in the late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and
LatinLatin American music is the music of all countries in Latin America and comes in many varieties. Latin America is home to musical styles such as the simple, rural conjunto music of northern Mexico, the sophisticated habanera of Cuba, the rhythmic sounds of the Puerto Rican plena, the symphonies of...
domains, while never compromising on its jazz heritage.
In 2008, Bob succeeded pianist
Shelly BergShelton Glen Berg is a jazz pianist from Cleveland, Ohio. His father was trumpet player Jay Berg. At the age of six Shelly Berg entered the Cleveland Institute of Music studying classical and jazz. Berg earned Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the University of Houston School of...
to hold the Bowen H. "Buzz" McCoy and Barbara M. McCoy Endowed Chair in Jazz Studies at the
University of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, nonsectarian, research university located in the University Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, USA...
.
Gear
Mintzer plays
Selmer Mark VIThe Selmer Mark VI is a professional model saxophone that is generally considered the Selmer Company's best saxophone and is preferred by many jazz musicians...
saxophones fitted with Freddy Gregory
mouthpiecesThe mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument is that part of the instrument which is placed partly in the player's mouth. Single-reed instruments, capped double-reed instruments, and fipple flutes have mouthpieces while exposed double-reed instruments and open flutes do not.-Single-reed instruments:On...
. He uses
VandorenVandoren is a well known manufacturer of mouthpieces and reeds for woodwind instruments. Vandoren's products are used by professionals and amateurs around the world.-History:Vandoren, which began in 1905, is now one of the most popular makers of mouthpieces...
V16
reedsA reed is a thin strip of material which vibrates to produce a sound on a musical instrument. The reeds of woodwind instruments are made from Arundo donax or synthetic material; tuned reeds are made of metal or synthetics.-Single reeds:Single reeds are used on the mouthpieces of clarinets and...
for the tenor sax, and Bari plastic reeds on his soprano sax and bass clarinet. He also plays an
AkaiAkai is a consumer electronics brand, founded by Saburo Akai as , a Japanese manufacturer in 1929. It is now headquartered in Singapore as a subsidiary of Grande Holdings, a Chinese Hong Kong-based conglomerate, which also owns the formerly Japanese brands Nakamichi and Sansui...
EWIEWI is the name of AKAI's line of wind controllers, an electronic musical instrument invented by Nyle Steiner. The early models consisted of two parts: a wind controller and a synthesizer. The current model, EWI4000S, combines the two parts into one, placing the synthesizer in the lower section...
(electronic wind instrument), an older model of the 1000 series. For recording with Yellowjackets, Mintzer prefers a
SennheiserSennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG is a private German company that makes high end microphones, headphones, telephony accessories, and avionics headsets for consumer, professional, and business applications.-Company:...
441
microphoneA microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike , is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1876, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
.
Grammy Nominations
Mintzer has been nominated for thirteen Grammy Awards both for his solo work and big band recordings (
Art of the Big Band,
Departure,
Homage to Count Basie,
One Music, and
Only in New York) and his work with the Yellowjackets (
Blue Hats,
Club Nocturne,
Dreamland,
Greenhouse,
Like a River,
Live Wires,
Mint Jam,
Runferyerlife,
Time Squared).
Homage to Count Basie won the Grammy in the best large ensemble category for the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, 2001
Before starting his own big band, Mintzer was a featured soloist and arranger with the big band of
Buddy RichBernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
. His son, Paul, graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy. His nephew, Ross, performs in the band Remington(Band).
Bob Mintzer - with The Yellowjackets
- Greenhouse, 1991;
- Live Wires, 1992;
- Like a River, 1993;
- Runferyerlife, 1994;
- Collection, 1995;
- Dreamland, 1995;
- Blue Hats, 1997;
- Club Nocturne, 1998;
- Priceless Jazz Collection, 1998;
- The Best of Yellowjackets, 1999;
- Mint Jam, 2002;
- Time Squared, 2003;
- Peace Round, 2003;
- Altered State, 2005;
- Twenty Five, 2006
- Lifecyle featuring Mike Stern, 2008
Bob Mintzer Big Band
- Incredible Journey, 1985;
- Camouflage, 1986;
- Spectrum, 1988;
- Urban Contours, 1989;
- Art of the Big Band, 1991;
- Departure, 1993;
- Only in New York, 1994;
- Techno Pop, 1994;
- The First Decade, 1995;
- Big Band Trane, 1996;
- Live, 1996;
- Latin from Manhattan, 1998;
- Homage to Count Basie, 2000;
- Gently, 2003;
- Live at MCG with Special Guest Kurt Elling, 2004
- Old School: New Lessons featuring Kurt Elling, 2006
- Swing out, 2008