A child prodigy, Florence began piano lessons before he was five years old and at seven gave his first recital. Although his early education was in classical music, he was drawn to jazz and big band. He went to Los Angeles City College and studied arranging and orchestration with Bob McDonald.[1] He joined the college big band, and his classmates included Herb Geller and Tommy Tedesco.[2]
Florence spent most of his career with big bands, as a leader, performer, composer, and arranger. After graduating from college, he was a member of bands led by Les Brown, Louis Bellson, and Harry James. His arrangement of "(Up A) Lazy River" for Si Zentner was a hit in 1960,[1][2] and won a Grammy Award.[3]Dave Pell hired him to work full-time as an arranger for Liberty Records. The job gave him the opportunity to write in several genres: bossa nova with Sérgio Mendes, jazz with Bud Shank, and pop vocal with Vic Dana.[2] Bob was the piano player on Bobby Vee's #1 hit "Take Good Care Of My Baby" in 1961[4]
In 1979 he returned to a recording career that had been sidetracked by other work. Twelve years separated Pet Project (World Pacific, 1967) from Live at Concerts By The Sea (Trend, 1979). His album Magic Time (1984) was the first to be credited to his eighteen-piece big band, the Bob Florence Limited Edition. The band released albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, Serendipity 18 won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Large Ensemble.[2] He received fifteen Grammy nominations during his career.[3]
Florence died of pneumonia at the age of 75 on May 15, 2008, in Los Angeles.[3]
Discography
As leader
Year recorded
Title
Label
Personnel/Notes
1958
Meet the Bob Florence Trio
Era Records EL-20003; CD reissue: Fresh Sound FSRCD-303
