Rob McConnell

Rob McConnell (actually Robert Murray Gordon McConnell, born February 14, 1935 in London, Ontario; † May 1, 2010 ) was a Canadian jazz trombonist, composer, arranger, bandleader and teacher.

Life and work

Rob McConnell learned the game on the valve trombone in high school and started at the beginning of the 1950s, his career as a professional musician in Canadian dance bands, including Don Thompson, Bobby Gimby, later in the Maynard Ferguson Big Band. From 1965, he played in the formation Nimmons'n'Nine Plus Six arranger and clarinetist Phil Nimmons. In 1968 he formed his big band The Boss Brass, with whom he worked during the 1970s and 1980s, including with the vocal group The Singers Unlimited (1979).

The band was formed McConnell from Toronto studio musicians. The instrumentation of the 16 members of big band consisted of trumpets, trombones, french horns, a rhythm section, but had no saxophones. Only in 1970 led McConnell a saxophone section and expanded the band to 22 members. Over the years, Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass developed into one of the most popular jazz ensembles in Canada, which began a series of albums for Concord Jazz and other labels. Members have included Ed Bickert, Moe Koffman and Ludwig Nuss. In 1986, the big band with Mel Tormé a Concord album a.

In 1988 McConnell to a teaching position at the Dick Grove School of Music in California, but returned a year later returned to Canada. 1997 McConnell was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame; In 1998 he was awarded the Officer of the Order of Canada.

In the 2000s, Rob McConnell worked with a Tentett with Terry Clarke, with whom he rehearsed three albums.

Awards

McConnell has been repeatedly awarded the Grammy:

Disco Graphical Notes

• The Boss Brass ( 1968)
• The Jazz Album ( Pausa, 1976)
• Tribute ( Pausa, 1980)
• Our 25th Year ( Concord Jazz, 1993)
• Even Canadians Get the Blues ( Concord, 1996)
• Music of the Twenties (2003)