Bob Florence Limited Edition (Big Band orchestra) *

Havent found much in the forums about the Bob Florence orchestra later renamed to B.F. & The Limited Edition". The band appears also under different names. See the links below pl.

Its a great West Coast Band I like very much.
Have copied the profile from Discogs and would likre to present his efforts with the big band under his own name.

Real Name:
Robert C. Florence
Profil:
American jazz pianist, born 20 May 1932 in Los Angeles; died 15 May 2008 in Los Angeles, USA.
In 2000, he won the Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance.
Gruppen:
Bob Florence And His Orchestra, Bob Florence Big Band, Dave Pell Octet, Jerry Fuller Sextet, The Bob Florence Group, The Bob Florence Limited Edition, The Bob Florence Trio, The Brian Swartz Quartet, The Bud Shank Big Band, The Frankie Capp Percussion Group, The Mike Vax Big Band, The Phil Norman Tentet

To start with his erliest recordings in my collection

 

These are 1964 recordings
Liberty # 7380. Appears also under the title "Here And Now"



On TREND RecordsLP dig # 523 (also reissued on CD)
Bob Florence "Live At Concerts By The Sea"




On Dicovery Records # 832 (also reissued on CD)
Bob Florence Bigband "Westlake"

 

First LP (front & rear side) with the Bob Florence "Limited Edition" on the BOSCO label # 003
Recorded 1983by the Group IV Recording Inc, Hollywood.
Featuring Pete Christlieb (ts)









Next LP was recorded on TREND/DISCOVERY Ⓒ 1983

 

BOB's Excursion to Norway in 1986
"The Norwegian Radio Big Band meets Bob Föorence"
ODIN LP 18 - Recordin g engineer: Morten Hermansen
Recorded June 16th thru 20th, 1986



"Trash Can City" recorded 1987 on TREND Cat# 545
Recording engineer: Jim Mooney at Sage & Sound 11/24 & 11/25 1986

 

I used to have that 1959 album; I may have it still. Florence and Dave Pell worked together a lot, correct?

Bob Florence also did some arrangements for Martin Denny during the period of the latter's ghost albums (A Taste of Honey and later).

 

Hi, thanks for your reply.
I am not certain about the connection of Bob with Dave Pell. The latter is also a great favorite artist in my collection.
Re the Bob Florence big band recordings I have them all and was also via mail in touch with him. He did some radio concerts here in Germany with the Frankfurt radio bigband (= HR big band) and we talked also about a chance to do some of his compositions with the WDR bigband from Cologne, Germany.
Unfortunately they had no Interest. I have recorded his german radio concerts for my own collection.

In this thread I plan to show all the Record covers. I do have the early officially recordings on LP but the later ones (starting with 1986) only on CD's.
Its IMO the best West Coast band beside the Shorty Rogers orchestra = another favorite of mine.

You did mention Dave Pell. We can discuss this artist too if you are interested?
Best wishes from Germany
W.

 

The 1989 & 1990 recordings

a) State Of The Art on C5 Records (CD)




b) "Treasure Chest" on the label USA Music Group USACD-680

featuring
- tp: George Graham / Charley Davis / Warren Luening / Steve Huffsteter / Larry Ford
- Saxes: Lanny Morgan / Kim Richmond /Dick Mitchell / Bob Militello / Bob Efford / John Lowe
- tb: Cherlie Loper / Rick Culver / Rob McConnell (v-tb) / Don Waldrop (b-tb)
- Rhythm:
Bob Florence (leader) (p/ e-p/ synth)
Tom Warrington (b/e-b)
Peter Donald (dr)
Luis Conte (perc)

 

I think the Dave Pell connection results from their both working with Les Brown, and they both ended up working for Liberty Records as arrangers.

 

In 1993 and 1995 Bob Florence issued two more CD's with his "Limited Edition".
These are now on a new label "MAMA Foundation [ Musical Archives] " Cat# MMF 1006





and the 1995 release "With All The Bells And Whistles" Cat# MMF 1011

 

Correct is that Dave Pell was a longtime member of the Les Brown big band and various small groups formed with bandmembers of the Les Brown unit.
Pell was credited also for photography, producer and leader of his own groups (mostly octets). Later he did rerissue many of his original octet recordings on a budget label with no liner notes and strange cover art.
Cant rermember seeing him and Bob on one LP together. Might be possible but never saw a document showing this.
Thanks

 

Was that the Discovery label? I think I had some Marty Paich reissues on that label with hideous cover art. I actually have a hard time enjoying the music when the packaging is wrong!

 

Never hear about him.. will search for somethng. Did his band have famous cats like in the Shorty rogers Orchestra?

 

A couple of the Martin Denny albums that Bob Florence arranged are Exotica Suite, with Si Zentner, and Latin Village.

 

I will defer to the OP, but I believe Florence's bands were primarily studio groups.

 

And who were some guys who played in his band? I cant find on wikipedia..

 

I no longer have the 1959 album referenced earlier, so I don't know if the players were credited on the early albums. The OP can confirm.

 

Bob arranged Dave Pell's Liberty LP Jazz Voices in Video, which must be one of my favorite album titles of all time. When I first found this album, I kept obsessively saying the title over and over. Jazz Voices in Video. Jazz Voices in Video...

 

Beeing a fan of both (Paich & Pell) I have most of their recordings which interest me in my stock.

TheDave Pell (budget) reissues are on "Group 7 Music" label. No Info about company, recording dates on the tray card.
Here are the pix




The Marty Paich recordings are on DISCOVERY thats correct. The problem is which I learned too late is that the LP's were issued under different titles & front coverr pix than the later CD#Reissues.
Examples:
The Discovery LP DS 857 with the Marty Paich bigband was issues with the title "Whats New. The CD reissue of the same material was issued on the CANDID label CCD 79031 with a different cover & the title "The Picasso Of Big Band Jazz"

The Discovery LP DS-829 "I Get A Boot Out Of You" and Discovery LP DS-8944 "The New York Scene" weere reissued together on a Discovery CD DSCD-962 with a different cover and different title "Moanin'".

That made me buy the same music twice. Nice trick from the company to make money without much investing.

 

Here is a track from the Florence-arranged Jazz Voices in Video by Dave Pell: Steve Allen's "This Could Be the Start of Something Big."

 

And the Florence-arranged "Tiki" from the Martin Denny/Si Zentner Exotica Suite:

 

Yes that is correct. The band members were assembled for a special project by Bob Florence. Many were as famous as the Shorty Rogers cats (but not all) but all were first rate West Coast artists. To name a selection you may find also in other west coast groups:

Saxes: Lanny Morgan, Kim Richmond,Pete Christlieb, Bob Cooper, Bud Shank, Bill Perkins, Bob Hardaway
Trumpets: Johnny Audino, Warren Luening,Steve Huffsteter, Buddy Childers,
Trombones: Herbie Harber,Charlie Loper,Don Waldrop (b-tb), Harry Betts

 

Two more Albums from 1997 and 1998 by the "Limited Edition". Both on the Mama Foundation label

a) Title "Earth" Cat# MMF 1016 - Recording engineers Don Murray + assistants Casey Stone / Dale Lanton /David Lee - Mastered by Wally Traugott at Tower Mastering - Recorded on August 14 & 15 , 1996.




b) Title "Serendipity 18" Cat# MMF 1025 - Same recording Crew as above - No recording date given
Ⓟ & Ⓒ 1998 MAMA Foundation

 

Here are the last two recordings with Bob Florence as leader and pianist before he died.

After these 2 a memorial CD was issued by the members of his band featuring Alan Broadbent on piano.
This CD was issued under the title "Legendary - Bob Florence Limited Edition" in 2009

a) MAMA Foundation Cat # MAA 1030 from 2007 "Eternal Licks & Grooves" with Don Shelton [former member of the vocal group Singers Unlimited] on flute and altosax





b) Summit Records Cat# DCD 360 "Whatever Bubbles Up" Ⓟ & Ⓒ 2003

 

That is the last edition under Bob Florence name recorded at Capitol Records on Oct.22 & 23, 2008, a "labor of love and a tribute" as the liner notes of this CD formulate it. Bob Florence died on May 15, 2008.
Engineer (Recording / Mastering / Mixing): Rich Been & Paul Smith (Capitol sound engineer)

The band members (alternating for some tracks) are
- Woodwinds: Don Shelton, Kim Richmond, Tom Peterson, Jeff Driskill, Bob Efford, Bob Carr, Rusty Higgins
- Trombones: Alex Iles, Bob McChesney, Scott Whitfield, Dave Ryan, Jaques Voyemant, Craig Ware
- Trumpets: Carl Saunders, Pete DeSiena, Steve Huffsteter, Ron Stout, Larry Lunetta
- Guitar: Larry Koonse
- Piano: Alan Broadbent
- Bass: Tray Henry
- Drums: Peter Erskine