Living Legends Nights Presents
Bob Rockwell
Its hard to talk about people who are blody damn good at what they do. And this is one clear example.
Argentine Wine Bar Tango y Vinos offers you an outstanding opportunity to chatch up ang get a glimpse in an intimate place of this talented man blowing the sax at full speed. But dont believe me, check the press thta surrounds him
Extracted from Jazz times
It’s a kick to discover that there are balls-to-the-wall tenor saxophone players like Bob Rockwell raising hell in places like Copenhagen, Denmark.
There was a time, of course, when Copenhagen was very much on jazz radar screens. Major American expatriates lived there (Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster, Kenny Drew) and many great albums were recorded at a legendary club called the Jazzhus Montmartre. But the Jazzhus closed in 1976. Now, when an American player like Bob Rockwell emigrates to Denmark (where he has lived since 1983), he effectively drops off the edge of the earth.
Rockwell is simply one of the heaviest current players in his genre anywhere. His language is hard-bop tenor (think Dexter Gordon, Stanley Turrentine, Junior Cook). Rockwell’s passion makes “I Love Paris” into a war cry. His aggressive, confrontational bluster turns “St. James Infirmary” very nasty....
Bob Rockwell is a saxophonist & composer of international ability. Rockwell has demonstrated his immense skills and versatility
by his acclaimed contribution to various ensembles & big bands.
He is considered one of the most esteemed foreign musicians resident in his now native Denmark.
The expatriate saxophonist & composer Bob Rockwell is high on my list of musicians deserving wider recognition. Relatively unknown in the US, Rockwell is considered one of the most esteemed jazz musicians resident in his now native Denmark, and for good reason. Nothing is better to listen to than a great voice that has something to say, and that is how I would describe Bob Rockwell on tenor sax. He doesn't showboat, and never wastes a note. He has a big soulful sound and a profound reverence for jazz tradition not as a museum piece, but as a foundation for a living vital art-form, and he contributes to that art-form without nostalgia.
Rockwell's latest release, Bob's Ben is a tribute to tenor titan Ben Webster was one of the giants of the tenor saxophone. The album also features pianist Ben Sidran (who performs at the Artists' Quarter August 11th and 12th), our own Billy Peterson on bass, and drummer Leo Sidran (Ben Sidran's son). For the project, Bob found as many of Webster's original charts as he could find, and he decided to use Webster's choice of keys and tempi, also utilizing the same chord substitutions. Rockwell used Webster's arrangements, not with a view toward imitation, but rather for inspiration. The result is a fitting tribute and a solid performance.
Bob Rockwell was born in May 1945 in Miami, Oklahoma and grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As a teenager he performed in Rock , R & B & Big Bands. He toured the states extensively from this age to his early 20's. He was the founder of the seminal fusion group, Natural Life, boasting band mates like the late Bobby Peterson, Eric Kamau Gravatt, Billy Peterson and Mike Elliott.
He moved to New York in 1978 and became a member of the Thad-Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. This ensemble toured Europe extensively. From 1979 he was engaged in performances with The Mel Lewis Orchestra, Tito Puente,Ben Sidran, Freddie Hubbard, Ray Drummond, Billy Hart, Rufus Reid, Victor Lewis, Ron McClure, Tom Harrell, Chuck Israels, John Hicks, Al Foster, Anthony Cox, Bill Dobbins, Keith Copeland, Clint Houston, Richie Bierach Etc.
Since 1983 Rockwell has lived in Copenhagen working in Scandinavia and beyond with artists such as Ernie Wilkins, Kenny Drew, Alex Riel, Marilyn Mazur & Kenny Wheeler. He has performed and tour with the Danish B3 organ group, the Organizers with organist Kjeld Lauretsen, He has forged special relationships with Danish pianist Jan Kasperson & bass player Jesper Lungaard. His two duet albums with Kasperson are classics. Rockwell also has been featured significantly in the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra's touring, broadcast and recording schedule. Rockwell has made many recordings, many have not been available in the US for a long time, now you can get most of his work online
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