| Bob Lord | |
| Origin: | Andover, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Years Active: | 1989–present |
| Genre: | Rock, Classical, Jazz, Experimental music |
| Label: | PARMA |
| Associated Acts: | Dreadnaught |
| Website: | http://www.boblordmusic.com |
Bob Lord is an American producer/composer/bassist and CEO of PARMA Recordings, parent company of label imprints Navona Records, Ravello, Big Round, MMC, and Capstone Records. He is also notable for being the bassist/composer of the experimental rock trio Dreadnaught, music director for the NHPR/Music Hall series Writers on a New England Stage, and in-studio producer of Grammy-winning clarinetist Richard Stoltzman.
He has more than 150 credits as a producer, executive producer, performer, arranger, label manager, and composer, and with Pete Townshend of The Who served as co-producer for the double-album release by Lawrence Ball, Method Music.[1]
Lord's musical output spans the rock, classical, jazz, pop, film, and experimental genres, and he has composed, produced, and arranged for a wide cross-section of instrumentation, including orchestra ("James Thresher Industries"), rock band ("The Elevator Chaser"), piano ("Kazak, The Hound Of Space"), string orchestra ("Creepin'"), and electronics ("Agah Eegah"). His music is largely instrumental and generally eschews song format, with some exceptions ("Bony Cleave", "Danny").
As a recording artist, Lord has appeared on over three dozen releases and won numerous awards for his work. Dreadnaught's The American Standard (2001) was one of the best-reviewed progressive rock releases of its year,[2] and the decade-long retrospective High Heat & Chin Music (2007) received a "Best Of NH 2007" award from New Hampshire Magazine.[3] As a bassist he has been noted for his crisp tone (achieved through frequent use of a plectrum) and unusual bass lines.[4]
In 2002, while beginning preparations for what would become Dreadnaught's double-disc Live At Mojo (Comet Records), Lord began composing and producing music for film and other media; his work includes music for "Flying Downhill", a documentary on Olympic skier Bode Miller, "Marilyn's Man", a Marilyn Monroe documentary released by Universal, "Wander", an award-winning short film which aired on IFC,[5] and the theme song for "The Exchange" from New Hampshire Public Radio.
Lord began producing for MMC Recordings in 2005 where he worked with Richard Stoltzman, Pixar/Randy Newman orchestrator Jonathan Sacks, and company owner and composer/pianist William Thomas McKinley among others, with credits on more than 30 releases over the next three years and recording with numerous orchestras, composers, ensembles, and players.
In 2008, Lord launched PARMA Recordings, an audio production company, and Navona Records, a classical imprint. In 2009, PARMA acquired the classical label Capstone Records and Big Round Records (previously owned by Congressman Paul Hodes), and launched Ravello Records, an imprint dedicated to modern classical music. In 2011, PARMA acquired MMC Recordings and the boutique online publisher ThatNewMusicWebsite/ThatNewMusicLibrary.
PARMA's releases include work by Pulitzer Prize winners Lewis Spratlan and Donald Martino, New York Philharmonic concertmaster Glenn Dicterow, former Congressman and Orleans founder John Hall, percussionist Steve Gadd, the London Symphony Orchestra, children's artist Raffi, and jazz bassist Eddie Gómez, violin and guitar ensemble Duo46 (music of John Carollo) among others.
In 2011, Lord served as co-producer with Pete Townshend of The Who for Lawrence Ball's Method Music, released in January 2012 on Navona Records. The album is a continuation of the concepts first explored in Townshend's Lifehouse project and Lifehouse Method website.
Since its formation in 1996, Lord's primary performance vehicle has been Dreadnaught. The band began touring nationally in 2000 as a trio, performed in more than half of the U.S. states, and earned a reputation as a highly accomplished musical unit equally proficient in highly structured compositions and free-wheeling improvisation.
With Dreadnaught, Lord has shared a stage with John Entwistle (The Who), Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson), NRBQ, Jim Weider (The Band), California Guitar Trio, and the Young Dubliners. In 2005, the group began a prominent stint as house band for the New Hampshire Public Radio series Writers on a New England Stage at the Music Hall in Portsmouth, where it has performed with Stephen King, Dan Brown, Ken Burns, Alan Alda, John Updike, Elmore Leonard, Madeleine Albright, and Mitch Albom, among others. The series has attracted international coverage and has been featured in press outlets such as The Today Show and Good Morning America.
In 2011, Lord served as on-air host for the NHPR/Music Hall live radio series Live@TheLoft, which featured the artists Buffalo Tom, Stew (musician) & The Negro Problem, Frazey Ford, and Patty Larkin.
| Album Title | Artist | Year | Label | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Method Music | 2011 | Navona Records | Produced by Pete Townshend and Bob Lord | ||
| I Told You So | 2011 | Big Round Records | Anti-nuclear single by Orleans founder | ||
| Divergence | Various Artists | 2011 | Navona Records | String concerti featuring the Warsaw National Philharmonic | |
| Viola Tango Rock | Orquesta Filarmonica de Bogotá | 2011 | Big Round Records | Live DVD | |
| Excursions | Marie Nelson Bennett | 2010 | Ravello Records | Music by student of Paul Hindemith | |
| Continuum | Various Artists | 2010 | Navona Records | Featuring Seattle Symphony Orchestra | |
| Mika Marimba Madness | Mika Yoshida | 2010 | Big Round Records | Live DVD with Steve Gadd & Eddie Gómez | |
| From Bow To String | K. Dreyfus & G. Dicterow | 2009 | Navona Records | Concertos featuring New York Philharmonic concertmaster | |
| Big Muddy Suite | Patrick Beckman | 2009 | Navona Records | ||
| In Memoriam | 2009 | Navona Records | Premiere recordings from Pulitzer Prize-winner | ||
| 5th (S)eason | Jonathan Sacks | 2008 | Navona Records | First solo CD by orchestrator for Randy Newman and Pixar | |
| Phoenix In Flight | 2008 | Navona Records | Orchestral classical works by 2-time Grammy-winner | ||
| New American Works For Clarinet Vol. 2 | Richard Stoltzman | 2008 | MMC Recordings | Featuring works by William Thomas McKinley | |
| About Lear And Others | William Stalnaker | 2008 | MMC Recordings | Featuring Gerard Schwarz and Seattle Symphony Orchestra | |
| Musicscapes | Various Artists | 2008 | MMC Recordings | With orchestral version of Dreadnaught's "James Thresher Industries" | |
| Painted Shadows Of Childhood | Donald Betts | 2007 | MMC Recordings | Featuring Richard Stoltzman | |
| High Heat & Chin Music | Dreadnaught | 2007 | Big Balloon/Red Fez Records | 2CD compilation | |
| Live At Mojo | Dreadnaught | 2005 | Comet Records | 2CD live in the studio | |
| Musica En Flagrante | Dreadnaught | 2004 | Big Balloon | Studio recordings | |
| Apples & Oranges | Various Artists | 2004 | Red Fez Records | Featuring Dreadnaught, Ed Jurdi, Thanks To Gravity, Duncan Watt | |
| The American Standard | Dreadnaught | 2001 | Red Fez Records | Studio recordings | |
| Una Vez Mas | Dreadnaught | 2000 | self-released | Studio recordings | |
| Dreadnaught | Dreadnaught | 1998 | self-released | Studio recordings |
| Album Title | Artist | Year | Label | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| And The President Said | Various Artists | 2006 | MMC Recordings | Featuring The Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee | |
| Concordia Chamber Ensemble | Various Artists | 2006 | MMC Recordings | Featuring Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conductor Marin Alsop | |
| Xtreme Classical | A. Paul Johnson | 2006 | MMC Recordings | Featuring JJ Grey and MOFRO | |
| Royal Liverpool Philharmonic | Various Artists | 2006 | MMC Recordings | Featuring Gerard Schwarz | |
| Jazz For Two | Duehlmeier/Gritton Duo | 2005 | MMC Recordings | Piano duo w/orchestra featuring music by George Gershwin | |
| Music For Orchestra | Lee Actor | 2005 | MMC Recordings | Orchestral music | |
| Works For Double Bass | Richard Fredrickson | 2005 | MMC Recordings | Orchestral works for bass | |
| Fear Of Heights | Mr. Vertigo | 2005 | Red Fez Records | Studio recordings | |
| Oblique Music For Soundtracks That Don't Exist | Museum Of Science | 2005 | Red Fez Records | Studio recordings | |
| 4th Of July | Tractor Trailer | 2005 | Red Fez Records | Studio recordings | |
| Longshores Drive | Ed Jurdi | 2004 | Red Fez Records | Studio recordings |
Selected List
| Project Title | Company | Year | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Exchange | 2007 | Theme song for news radio program | ||
| Going Mobile | Hot Diggity / Innov-X | 2007 | Re-record of Who song for ad campaign | |
| Wander | Wander Films | 2006 | Original score and sound for award-winning short film | |
| Touch Of Heaven | OxRock Productions | 2006 | Original score for documentary | |
| White Contrast | Premier Snowskate | 2005 | Music supervision for DVD line | |
| Marilyn's Man | 2005 | Produced/performed re-record of Dean Martin's "Sway" | ||
| Flying Downhill | Coruway Film Institute | 2005 | Original music for Bode Miller documentary | |
| Blue Hive | Sweet & Doggett | 2005 | Music branding for marketing campaign | |
| Hineini | Keshet | 2005 | Music supervision for award-winning documentary | |
| Barber Farm | MediaShower Productions | 2005 | Score for documentary by About.com's Gretchen Siegchrist | |
| That Old Silent Film | OxRock Productions | 2005 | Producer of award-winning score for short film |
| Author | Year | Pieces Performed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Matthews | 2011 | ||
| Chuck Palahniuk | 2011 | Arrangement of "Heaven & Hell" (The Who) | |
| Ben Mezrich | 2011 | Arrangement of "For The Love Of Money (The O'Jays) | |
| Neil Gaiman | 2011 | ||
| David McCullough | 2011 | Arrangement of The Navy Theme | |
| Ann Patchett | 2011 | ||
| Joseph Ellis | 2011 | ||
| Margaret Atwood | 2010 | ||
| Simon Winchester | 2010 | ||
| Isabel Allende | 2010 | ||
| Michael Lewis | 2010 | ||
| Jodi Picoult | 2010 | ||
| Greg Mortenson | 2009 | ||
| Stephen King | 2009 | ||
| Barbara Kingsolver | 2009 | ||
| Tracy Kidder | 2009 | ||
| E.L. Doctorow | 2009 | ||
| Ruth Reichl | 2009 | Arrangement of "Savoy Truffle" and "Hoedown" | |
| Madeleine Albright | 2008 | Arrangement of "Slavonic Dances" by Dvořák | |
| Gregory Maguire | 2008 | ||
| Louise Erdrich | 2008 | ||
| Cokie Roberts | 2008 | ||
| Barbara Walters | 2008 | Arrangement of ABC News theme song | |
| Richard Russo | 2007 | ||
| Elmore Leonard | 2007 | ||
| Anita Diamant | 2007 | ||
| Mitch Albom | 2006 | Arrangement of "Hit Somebody" (Mitch Albom/Warren Zevon) | |
| John Updike | 2006 | Arrangement of theme song from "The Witches Of Eastwick" | |
| Dan Brown | 2006 | Arrangement of original music by Dan Brown | |
| Doris Kearns Goodwin | 2005 | ||
| Alan Alda | 2005 | Arrangement of "Suicide Is Painless" |