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Bob Mover

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Bob Mover performing at Ghent Jazz Festival in 2008

Bob (Robert) Mover (born March 22, 1952, Boston, Massachusetts) is an alto, tenor and soprano jazz saxophonist and a vocalist. His father was a musician who played professionally including stints with the Charlie Spivak orchestra. He started playing the alto saxophone at age 13, studied with Phil Woods at a summer music camp, and took private lessons with Ira Sullivan.

Career

In 1973, at the age of 21, Mover was a sideman for Charles Mingus for a five-month period at New York City’s 5 Spot Café. By 1975 Mover was working regularly in New York City jazz clubs with Chet Baker and he made his first European appearances with Baker at La Grande Parade du Jazz in (Nice, France), Jazz Festival Laren (the Netherlands), and the Middelheim Jazz Festival (Antwerp, Belgium).

In late 1975, Mover started leading his own groups around the New York area, and made his first two recordings as a leader in 1976 and 1977: On the Move (on the Choice label) and Bob Mover (Vanguard). Regular weekly gigs at the Sweet Basil in Greenwich Village featured prestigious sidemen such as Tom Harrell, Jimmy Garrison, Kenny Barron, Albert Dailey, Ben Riley, Mike Nock and Ron McLure.

Mover rejoined Chet Baker in 1981 for a European tour, playing in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Cologne, Germany, where they made the recordings Chet Baker Live at Club Salt Peanuts Koln, Volumes 1 and 2 (Circle).

Mover recorded two more albums as a leader in 1981 and 1982, In the True Tradition and Things Unseen, both issued by Xanadu and both of which rated five stars in the All Music Guide to Recorded Jazz.

In 1983, Bob moved to Montreal and taught at Concordia University. Three years later, in 1986, he recorded his fifth album as leader, "The Nightbathers" with pianist Paul Bley and guitarist John Abercrombie, which was an experiment in free improvisation. From 1987 to 1997, Mover lived in Toronto and became a fixture of the Toronto jazz scene, also touring Europe with pianists Walter Davis Jr. and Tony Castillano. Together with Don Thompson and Archie Alleyne, Mover helped found the Toronto Jazz Quartet, a pianoless four-piece working band that played in and around the Toronto area including bars such as the Rex Hotel, Quigley's and the Pilot Tavern. He accepted a teaching position at York University, giving saxophone masterclasses and teaching a course he created called "Musicianship for Jazz Singers". During this period, in 1988 Walter Davis Jr. featured Bob on four tracks of his CD Illumination (Pony Canyon/Jazz City) with Ron Carter and Kenny Washington. The same year, Mover released another album as leader on the same label called You Go to My Head with Rufus Reid, Benny Green, Victor Lewis and Steve Hall.

He released an album recorded in Montreal in 1997 called Television (DSM) featuring John Hicks and Jake Wilkinson.

His latest release is 'It Amazes Me' on Zoho music which includes sidemen Kenny Barron and Reg Schwager.

Style

Mover has an explosive sound and style on the sax, directly influenced by Charlie Parker, Lee Konitz, Ira Sullivan, Stan Getz, and Sonny Rollins. His improvisations are melodically based, with lyrical melodies interspersed with complex bebop type lines. His selection of repertoire is wide and varied, with an encyclopedic knowledge of both standard and unconventional broadway and movie musical tunes.

Discography

As leader

  • Television, Bob Mover Quintet featuring John Hicks and Jake Wilkinson, (DSM records)
  • You Go To My Head, Bob Mover Quartet & Quintet, with Rufus Reid, Victor Lewis, Benny Green, Steve Hall (Pony Canyon CD)
  • The Night Bathers, Bob Mover Trio, feat. Paul Bley and John Abercrombie (Justin´ Time Records)
  • Things Unseen, Solo, duo, trio, quartet and quintet, with Albert Dailey, Ray Drummond, Rufus Reid, Bobby Ward, Steve Hall (Xanadu Records)
  • In the True Tradition, Bob Mover Trio with Rufus Reid and Bobby Ward (Xanadu Records)
  • Bob Mover, featuring Kenny Barron, Ben Riley, Ron McLure and Claudio Roditi (Vanguard Records)
  • On the Move, featuring Tom Harrell, George Mraz, Jay Clayton, Mike Nock, Jeff Papez and Peter Sprague (Choice Records)

As sideman

  • Natural Habitat NYC, Jane Blackstone with Sir Roland Hanna and others
  • Illumination, Walter Davis Jr. with Ron Carter and Kenny Washington (Pony Canyon Records)
  • Chet Baker Live at Club Salt Peanuts Köln Germany, Volumes 1,2, with John Eardley (Circle Records)
  • The Lee Konitz Quintet: Affinity, with Mike Moore, Ben Aronov and Jimmy Madison (Chiaroscuro Records)
  • 111 Sullivan Street, Yoshiaki Masuo (East Wind Records)
  • The Lion's Eyes, Steve Holt, Sextet (Plug Records)
  • Maroon, Ken Skinner, and the jazzmongers! (Village Jazz Recordings)
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