Bob Lively Explained

Bob Lively (né Bobby Gene Lively 10 February 1923 Little Rock, Arkansas – 22 September 1994 Los Angeles) was an American jazz saxophonist who flourished during the 1940s swing era.

Stan Kenton years

Lively was a member of the Stan Kenton Orchestra from 1941 to 1945. Kenton's orchestra spent the summer of 1941 playing regularly at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, California.[1] The Kenton Orchestra struggled a bit after its initial success and its Decca recordings were not big sellers. A stint as Bob Hope's backup radio band was an unhappy experience; Les Brown permanently took Kenton's place. By late 1943 with a Capitol Records contract, a popular record in "Eager Beaver", and growing recognition, the Stan Kenton Orchestra was gradually catching on. Its soloists during the war years included Art Pepper, briefly Stan Getz, altoists Boots Mussulli and Bob Lively, and singer Anita O'Day, who starred on Kenton's first big hit, 1944s "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine." By 1945 the band had evolved quite a bit. Pete Rugolo became the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper and Vido Musso offered very different tenor styles, and June Christy was Kenton's new singer. Her hits - including "Tampico" and "Across the Alley From the Alamo" - made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. A popular recording of Laura was made, the theme song from the film Laura, starring actress Gene Tierney, and featured the voices of the band. When Kenton disbanded in early 1949, Harry Betts, Art Pepper, Buddy Childers, and Laurindo Almeida were hired by Earle Spencer.

Earle Spencer Orchestra

Lively performed with the Earle Spencer Orchestra from 1946 to 1949. Earle formed his band in 1946 after being discharged from the U.S. Navy. The band was based in Los Angeles and was modeled after the progressive sounds of Stan Kenton, Johnny Richards, and Boyd Raeburn. His 1946 band included former Glenn Miller sideman Wilber Schwartz on clarinet and alto sax and Ray Linn, who had played with Tommy Dorsey, on trumpet. Bob Lively played alto saxophone. Spencer disbanded his band in 1952. The band recorded for the Black and White label in 1946 and 1949. Bob Haywood was vocalist for the 1946 band. Toni Aubin (1924–1990) joined Spencer as female vocalist in 1949. She married Howard Phillips who was playing sax (1947–49) in the band. (Bob Lively was also playing in the band.) Toni Aubin recorded "Sunday Afternoon" and other songs with the Spencer orchestra, but also recorded with the Louis Ohls Orchestra out of Arkadelphia, and the Phil Carreon Big Band out of Los Angeles, California.

Through his numerous associations, Lively played alto saxophone, clarinet, and piano among the trumpets of Johnny Carroll, Buddy Childers, John Anderson, Gene Roland, Mel Green, the drums of Gene Krupa, John Varney, and saxophonists Stan Getz, Art Pepper, Bob Gioga (1905–1999) and Boots Mussulli (1915–1967). Lively performed with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Woody Herman, Tommy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman.

Selected discography, sessionography, and transcography

Stan Kenton and His Orchestra

Recorded November 26, 1944, New York

Side A – Matrix: 320-1 "Sweet Dreams, Sweetheart"

Side B – Matrix: 321-1 '"Gotta Be Gettin'"

"Sweet Dreams, Sweetheart" was used in the soundtrack of the 1944 film Hollywood Canteen

  1. "Taboo"
  2. "In a Little Spanish Town"
  3. "Seargent's Mess"
  4. "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine"
  5. "Russian Lullaby"
  1. "Russian Lullaby"
  2. "The Very Thought of You"
  3. "Number Seven [Balboa Bash]
  4. "I Know That You Know" (de)
  5. "The Man I Love"
  6. "Our Waltz"
  7. "Conversin' With the Brain"
  8. "These Foolish Things"
  9. "I Didn't Know About You"
  1. "The Lady in Red"

mx 523-1 "Say It Isn't So"

mx 524-3 "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye"

mx 525-2 "Are You Livin' Old Man"

mx 526-2 "Balboa Bash"

  1. "Theme"
  2. "Eager Beaver"
  3. "Tabby the Cat"
  4. "Siboney"
  5. "Taboo"
  6. "She's Funny That Way"
  7. "Mad for a Pad"
  8. "Memphis Lament"

MMO-671

  1. "Conversin' With the Brain"
  2. "Blues" ("Singing the Blues")
  3. "Tico Tico"
  4. "Special Delivery"

MMO-672

  1. "Our Waltz"
  2. "Pizzicato" from the ballet, Sylvia
  3. "Tabby the Cat"
  4. "The Man I Love"

MMO-673

  1. "Stars in My Eyes"
  2. "Sergeants' Mess"
  3. "Hindsight"
  4. "Masters of Jazz"
  5. "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine"
  6. "Blue Skies"

MMO-674

  1. "I'm Going Mad for a Pad"
  2. "Blow Jack"
  3. "She's Funny That Way"
  4. "Artistry in Rhythm" (theme)

mx 341-4 "Tampico"

mx 342-4 "Southern Scandal"

mx 343-1 "Opus in Pastels"

mx 344-1 "Ooh, What I Dreamed About You" (rejected)

Earle Spencer Orchestra

John Check, Buddy Childers, Jake Gernheim, Jerry Munson (tp), Harry Betts, Harry Forbes, Jimmy Knepper (tb), Bob Lively, Art Pepper (as), Tommy Makagon, Tony Ortega (ts), Howard Phillips (bs), Shannon Fletcher (p), Laurindo Almeida (g), Willie Slater (b), Roy Hall (dms)

External links

Notes and references

General references

  1. "Stan Kenton 1944" (Queen-disc (It) Q-054) (discography), JazzDisco.org
  2. Media: "Bob Lively," at AllMusic
  3. Library of Congress: Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Jazz on the Screen
  4. A Jazz and Blues Filmography by David Meeker, Library of Congress

Inline citations

Notes and References

  1. Carol Evelyn Easton (born 1933), Straight Ahead: The Story of Stan Kenton, chapter 5, William Morrow & Company, Inc. (1973)
  2. http://yktc.us/MusicRack/78/List%20Label/AFRS/list%20AFRS78.html AFRS Spotlight Band Database at Joe’s Music Rack
  3. http://www.iajrc.org/ International Association of Jazz Record Collectors

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