Bob Lively

Bob Lively (born Bobby Gene Lively 10 February 1923 Little Rock, Arkansas; died 22 September 1994 Los Angeles, California) was an American jazz saxophonist during the 1940s big band era.

Stan Kenton years

Lively was a member of the Stan Kenton Orchestra from 1941 to 1945. Kenton's orchestra spent the summer of 1941 playing regularly at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, California.[1] The Kenton Orchestra struggled a bit after its initial success and its Decca recordings were not big sellers. A stint as Bob Hope's backup radio band was an unhappy experience; Les Brown permanently took Kenton's place. By late 1943 with a Capitol Records contract, a popular record in "Eager Beaver", and growing recognition, the Stan Kenton Orchestra was gradually catching on. Its soloists during the war years included Art Pepper, briefly Stan Getz, altoists Boots Mussulli and Bob Lively, and singer Anita O'Day, who starred on Kenton's first big hit, 1944s And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine. By 1945 the band had evolved quite a bit. Pete Rugolo became the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper and Vido Musso offered very different tenor styles, and June Christy was Kenton's new singer. Her hits — including Tampico and Across the Alley From the Alamo — made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. A popular recording of Laura was made, the theme song from the film Laura, starring actress Gene Tierney, and featured the voices of the band. When Kenton disbanded in early 1949, Harry Betts, Art Pepper, Buddy Childers, and Laurindo Almeida were hired by Earle Spencer.

Earle Spencer Orchestra

Lively performed with the Earle Spencer Orchestra from 1946 to 1949. Earle formed his band in 1946 after being discharged from the U.S. Navy. The band was based in Los Angeles and was modeled after the progressive sounds of Stan Kenton, Johnny Richards, and Boyd Raeburn. His 1946 band included former Glenn Miller sideman Wilber Schwartz on clarinet and alto sax and Ray Linn, who had played with Tommy Dorsey, on trumpet. Bob Lively played alto saxophone. Spencer disbanded his band in 1952. The band recorded for the Black and White label in 1946 and 1949. Bob Haywood was vocalist for the 1946 band. Toni Aubin (1924–1990)[2] joined Spencer as female vocalist in 1949. She married Howard Phillips who was playing sax (1947–49) in the band. (Bob Lively was also playing in the band.) Toni Aubin recorded "Sunday Afternoon" and other songs with the Spencer orchestra, but also recorded with the Louis Ohls Orchestra[3] out of Arkadelphia, and the Phil Carreon Big Band out of Los Angeles, California.

Fellow musicians

Through his numerous associations, Lively played alto saxophone, clarinet and piano among the trumpets of Johnny Carroll, Buddy Childers, John Anderson, Gene Roland, Mel Green, the drums of Gene Krupa, John Varney, and fellow saxophonists Stan Getz, Art Pepper, Bob Gioga (1905–1999) and Boots Mussulli (1915–1967) and numerous others well noted throughout the swing band era.

Other band associations

Lively performed with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Woody Herman, Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman.

1950s

Bob Lively's musical heyday seems to have faded after 1950, although it is reported he sat in for Woody Herman playing the trumpet and later joined the Thombists in 1965.

Discography

Stan Kenton and His Orchestra

John Carroll, Karl George, Mel Green, Buddy Childers (tp) Gene Roland (tp, arr) Harry Forbes, Fred Zito, Milt Kabak (tb) Bart Varsalona (b-tb) Boots Mussulli (as,arr) Bob Lively (as) Stan Getz, Emmett Carls (ts) Bob Gioga (bar) Stan Kenton (p,arr) Bob Ahern (g) Bob Kesterson (b) John Bock (d) Anita O'Day (vcl) Gene Howard (vcl, arr) Gene Roland, Joe Rizzo (arr)
320-1 Sweet dreams, sweetheart
321-1 Gotta' be gettin'
John Carroll, Buddy Childers, Karl George (tp) Gene Roland (tp,arr) Mel Green (tp) Harry Forbes, Fred Zito, Milt Kabak (tb) Bart Varsalona (b-tb) Bob Lively (as) Boots Mussulli (as,arr) Emmett Carls, Stan Getz (ts) Bob Gioga (bar) Stan Kenton (p, arr) Bob Ahern (g) Bob Kesterson (b) Jim Falzone (d) Anita O'Day (vcl) Gene Howard (vcl,arr) Joe Rizzo, Buddy Baker, Dave Matthews, Gene Roland (arr)
  1. I Know That You Know
  2. Gotta' Be Gettin'
  3. Eager Beaver
  4. Wish You Were Waiting For Me
  5. Poor Butterfly
  6. Artistry In Rhythm
  7. Begin the Beguine
  1. Taboo
  2. In a Little Spanish Town
  3. Seargent's Mess
  4. And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine
  5. Russian Lullaby
  1. Russian Lullaby
  2. The Very Thought of You
  3. Number Seven [Balboa Bash]
  4. I Know That You Know
  5. The Man I Love
  6. Our Waltz
  7. Conversin' With the Brain
  8. These Foolish Things
  9. I Didn't Know About You
  1. The Lady in Red
523-1 Say It Isn't So
524-3 Every Time We Say Goodbye
525-2 Are You Livin' Old Man
526-2 Balboa Bash
  1. Joyce
  2. Eager Beaver
  3. Tabby the Cat
  4. Siboney
  5. Taboo
  6. She's Funny That Way
  7. Mad for a Pad
  8. Memphis Lament
MMO-671
  1. Conversin' With the Brain
  2. Blues (Singing the Blues)
  3. Tico Tico
  4. Special Delivery
MMO-672
  1. Our Waltz
  2. Pizzicato
  3. Tabby the Cat
  4. The Man I Love
MMO-673
  1. Stars in My Eyes
  2. Sergeants' Mess
  3. Hindsight
  4. Masters of Jazz
  5. And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine
  6. Blue Skies
MMO-674
  1. I'm Going Mad for a Pad
  2. Blow Jack
  3. She's Funny That Way
  4. Artistry in Rhythm (theme)
546-5 Ooh, What I Dreamed About You
547-2 I Want a Grown Up Man
548-1 Travelin' Man
549-2 Around the Town
  1. Theme
  2. Taboo
  3. Don't You Notice Anything New?
  4. Are You Livin' Old Man?
  5. St. Louis Blues
341-4 Tampico
342-4 Southern Scandal
343-1 Opus in Pastels
344-1 Ooh, What I Dreamed About You (rejected)

Earle Spencer Orchestra

John Check, Buddy Childers, Jake Gernheim, Jerry Munson (tp), Harry Betts, Harry Forbes, Jimmy Knepper (tb), Bob Lively, Art Pepper (as), Tommy Makagon, Tony Ortega (ts), Howard Phillips (bs), Shannon Fletcher (p), Laurindo Almeida (g), Willie Slater (b), Roy Hall (dms)
Oh, You Beautiful Doll
Jazzbo
Sunday Afternoon
Box Lunch

External links

This index refers to the 169,746 individual jazz musicians (1,044,222 total entries) included in over 183,734 recording sessions detailed in The Jazz Discography Database as of May, 2008. Link 2
Track Listing for jazz vocalist Anita O'Day
Disc 2 - THE LADY IN RED (Arr. Stan Kenton)
Stan Kenton and his Orchestra: John Carroll, Buddy Childers, Karl George, Gene Roland, Mel Green, tp; Freddie Zito, Milt Kabak, Harry Forbes, Bart Varsalona, tb; Bob Lively, Boots Mussulli, as; Stan Getz, Emmett Carls, ts; Bob Gioga, bs; Stan Kenton, p; Bob Ahern, g; Bob Kesterton, b; John Bock, d. New York, September 26, 1944
MSN Music Link 5

References

General references

Inline citations

  1. ↑ Carol Evelyn Easton (born 1933), Straight Ahead: The Story of Stan Kenton, chapter 5, William Morrow & Company, Inc. (1973) ISBN 0688001963
  2. ↑ Toni Aubin’s maiden name was Maria Antoinette Rubio; later known as Mary Phillips (Howard Ansley Phillips); she had a baby girl in 1951, but gave her for adoption; also has a son, Ian Charles Phillips (born 30 Sep 1949 Los Angeles), whom she raised; she married Jack Stanley Lanning (1923–2000) in 1954.
  3. ↑ Louis Moritz Ohls, Jr. (1923–2004)
  4. ↑ AFRS = Armed Forces Radio Service
  5. ↑ Joyce Music existed from 1975 to 1990; it was owned by Charles Crane Garrod, Jr. (1923–2008) and Joyce T. Garrod (born 1925)
  6. ↑ AFRS Spotlight Band Database at Joe’s Music Rack, c/o Joseph A. Stephens (born 1944), Citrus Springs, Florida
  7. ↑ International Association of Jazz Record Collectors