Douglas Purviance Explained

Douglas Purviance (born July 18, 1952 in Turner Station, Maryland) is a jazz trombonist.^[1] He began his professional career as a member of the Stan Kenton Orchestra, playing bass trombone and tuba from 1975 to 1977. Mostly, he works as a studio session bass trombonist and is not known for improvising.

He graduated from Towson State University in 1975 and obtained a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music in 1992. He settled in New York City in 1977, playing a variety of commercial and jazz trombone jobs and eventually winning a chair in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. He was a charter member of the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and has toured extensively with Slide Hampton, Steve Turre, Dizzy Gillespie,^[2] and the Mingus Big Band. He has appeared as an incidental player on hundreds of recordings, notably on Grammy-nominated albums by Joe Henderson and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.^[3]

On February 8, 2009, he won a Grammy Award as co-producer in the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album category for Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard. He worked as co-producer and trombonist on the Grammy-nominated album OverTime: Music of Bob Brookmeyer by the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and in the same roles for the album .

Discography

As sideman

With Dizzy Gillespie

• Things to Come (MCG, 2002)
• Dizzy's Business (MCG, 2006)
• I'm BeBoppin' Too (Half Note, 2008)

With Slide Hampton

• World of Trombones (West 54, 1979)
• Dedicated to Diz (Telarc, 1993)
• Slide Plays Jobim (Alleycat, 2002)
• Spirit of the Horn (MCG, 2002)

With Stan Kenton

• Kenton '76 (Creative World, 1976)
• Journey Into Capricorn (Creative World, 1976)
• Live in Europe (Decca, 1977)

With Mel Lewis

• Live in Montreux (MPS, 1981)
• 20 Years at the Village Vanguard (Atlantic, 1986)
• Soft Lights and Hot Music (Musicmasters, 1988)
• The Definitive Thad Jones (Musicmasters, 1989)
• To You: A Tribute to Mel Lewis (Musicmasters, 1991)

With Steve Turre

• Sanctified Shells (Antilles, 1993)
• Rhythm Within (Antilles, 1995)
• Steve Turre (Verve, 1997)
• One4J (Telarc, 2003)

With Vanguard Jazz Orchestra

• Lickety Split (New World, 1997)
• Thad Jones Legacy (New World, 1999)
• Can I Persuade You? (Planet Arts, 2001)
• The Way (Planet Arts, 2004)
• Up from the Skies (Planet Arts, 2006)
• Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard (Planet Arts, 2008)
• Forever Lasting (Planet Arts, 2011)
• Overtime Music of Bob Brookmeyer (Planet Arts, 2014)

With Gerald Wilson

• New York, New Sound (Mack Avenue, 2003)
• In My Time (Mack Avenue, 2005)
• Monterey Moods (Mack Avenue, 2007)
• Detroit (Mack Avenue, 2009)
• Legacy (Mack Avenue, 2011)

With others

• Mario Bauza, Tanga (Messidor, 1992)
• Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dear Ella (Verve, 1997)
• Michel Camilo, One More Once (Columbia, 1994)
• Richie Cole, Kush (Heads Up 1995)
• Robin Eubanks, Different Perspectives (Bamboo, 1988)
• Robin Eubanks, More Than Meets the Ear (ArtistShare, 2015)
• Jon Faddis, Hornucopia (Epic, 1991)
• Tom Harrell, Time's Mirror (RCA Victor, 1999)
• Tom Harrell, Wise Children (Bluebird/Arista, 2003)
• Stefon Harris, The Grand Unification Theory (Blue Note, 2003)
• Jimmy Heath, Turn Up the Heath (Planet Arts, 2006)
• Joe Henderson, Big Band (Verve, 1996)
• Christopher Hollyday, And I'll Sing Once More (Novus, 1992)
• Jane Horrocks, The Further Adventures of Little Voice (Liberty, 2000)
• J. J. Johnson, The Brass Orchestra (Verve, 1997)
• Nino Josele, Espanola (DRO, 2009)
• Christian McBride, The Good Feeling (Mack Avenue, 2011)
• Christian McBride, Bringin' It (Mack Avenue, 2017)
• Christian McBride, For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver (Mack Avenue, 2020)
• Arturo O'Farrill, Una Noche Inolvidable (Palmetto, 2005)
• Arturo O'Farrill, Song for Chico (Zoho, 2008)
• Renee Rosnes, Life On Earth (Blue Note, 2001)
• Sam Rivers, Jazzbuhne Berlin '82 (Repertoire, 1990)
• Gary Smulyan, Blue Suite (Criss Cross, 1999)
• Mel Torme, Recorded Live at the Fujitsu-Concord Jazz Festival in Japan '90 (Concord Jazz, 1991)
• Bebo Valdes, Suite Cubana (Calle 54, 2009)
• Bobby Watson, Tailor Made (Columbia, 1993)
• Frank Wess, Entre Nous (Concord Jazz, 1991)
• Nancy Wilson, Turned to Blue (MCG, 2006)

Notes and References

1. http://patch.com/maryland/dundalk/behind-the-music-turner-stations-douglas-purviance-a-76f2d1f287 Behind the Music: Turner Station's Douglas Purviance is a Part of History, Makes History | Dundalk, MD Patch
2. Web site: Dizzy Gillespie: I'm Beboppin Too & The Cool World . All About Jazz . George. Kanzler. October 4, 2009 . July 17, 2010.
3. Web site: Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard . All About Jazz . J. Hunter. August 6, 2008 . July 17, 2010.