Bob Brookmeyer

Bob Brookmeyer was a top valve trombonist and advanced jazz arranger influenced by modern classical music. He started as a pianist but gained fame playing valve trombone with Stan Getz and the Gerry Mulligan quartet. He was part of the Jimmy Giuffre Three and re-joined Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band as an arranger. Brookmeyer co-led a quintet with Clark Terry and was an original member of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestra. After a period of inactivity in the '70s, he made a comeback with advanced arrangements for Mel Lewis. Moving to Europe, he continued writing and recording, often with his European big band, the New Art Orchestra. He explored classical music with Music for String Quartet and Orchestra in 2008. Brookmeyer was also a highly regarded teacher at the New England Conservatory of Music. He passed away in 2011 from congestive heart failure, shortly after releasing the album Standards.