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"Celebrating the Trumpet Kings" featuring Bob Merrill, Billy Buss and Tree Palmedo
FEATURING: BOB MERRILL, BILLY BUSS AND TREE PALMEDO - TRUMPETS
Charismatic trumpeter and vocalist Bob Merrill captures the spirit of the greatest horn legends of Jazz, beginning with pioneers Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke, then Swing Era stylists Bunny Berigan and Roy Eldridge. Bebop innovators Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis are followed by post-bop masters Clifford Brown, Chet Baker, Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard. With a stellar NYC rhythm section, the former Cambridge native's engaging tribute includes historical details, amusing anecdotes and even one of Gillespie's upturned-bell trumpets, and Merrill is joined by young Boston-are trumpeters Billy Buss and Tree Palmedo.JON DAVIS - PIANO TBA - BASS STEVE JOHNS - DRUMS Bob Merrill is noted for his engaging vocal style and talents as a trumpeter, pianist, arranger and bandleader. His music has been heard around the world at clubs and in concerts, in films and on television, and on recordings as a sideman and leader. Merrill was born and raised in Manhattan, and as a teenager studied with William Vacchiano, principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic, and bebop legend Red Rodney. In college, Bob led the Harvard Jazz Band, and founded the Jazz at the Pudding concert series at the Hasty Pudding Club. He also attended New England Conservatory, studying with acclaimed pianist Jaki Byard and was a longtime member of Byard's Apollo Stompers Big Band. Returning to New York in 1986, Merrill opened Hip Pocket Recording Studios, and produced music for commercials and recordings by artists such as Patti LaBelle, Sting, Art Garfunkel, and Peter, Paul and Mary. He produced three digital reissues of classic albums by his father-in-law, famed pianist and composer Joe Bushkin, and together they appeared at concerts and jazz festivals around the country. In 1997, Bob was featured on the American Movie Classics channel leading the AMC Orchestra in the television series Gotta Dance! He has appeared in concerts with Peter Nero and the Philadelphia Pops, the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall, and shared the stage with Wynton Marsalis and the Steve Miller Band. Over the years, Merrill has released numerous albums a leader of his own all-star ensembles, including Catch As Catch Can, Got A Bran' New Suit, and Cheerin' Up the Universe in 2015, garnering him Top Ten honors in the Jazz Vocal and Flugelhorn categories of the Annual Jazz Station Awards. Last year, Bob released Tell Me Your Troubles: Songs by Joe Bushkin, a centennial tribute to his late father-in-law. Featuring a dazzling array of guest artists, it was selected as an editor's pick by Downbeat Magazine. Visit Bob's website at http://bobmerrill.net. |
