04. Canzona for Brass - Bob Stoloff

Inspired by "Valley of the Gwanji," this ditty uses flute, piano, VB and VP to musically paint the image of an early scene in the movie in which a very talented, well-trained eohippus dances and, of course, is coveted and exploited by some local & greedy carnival fools who have eyes on the prize. The eohippus eventually escapes but unfortunately runs into a no-match with a much larger prehistoric creature-with a taste for Eohippi....Ray Harryhausen animated so you can imagine.....

05 Eohippus

Okay TV fans, I mean couch potatoes from the 1950-60's, how many TV themes do recognize from this score. These were many of my personal favorites and I wrote the arrangement based on memory. I'm singing and playing drums, piano performed by Steve Kramer and Danny "Mo" Morris is playing bass. Recorded around 1980. The intro is a give-away, after that you're on your own. If you can guess all 20 additional themes you are a CCP (Certified Couch Potato) with extra "eyes" (and ears). Applicants should be old enough to remember these classics! (or ask your parents!)

09 TV Themes

On this track I'm improvising a drum solo with simultaneous vocal percussion syllables.

Vintage Classics

Percussivo Expressivo

Song For Anthea: This song has some very deep spiritual roots for me beginning with the amazing Wayne Pedziwiatr (aka Pedzwater) who I was blessed to have met during my student years at Berklee. Wayne was an incredible person and electric bass player, one of the prime instigators of slap bass and certainly one of the best at it! But our musical collaborations were really serendipitous and “Song For Anthea” is a perfect example. Wayne, like me, was very interested in multi-tracking his compositions so I invited him to share some recording time I had earned in trade for musical services rendered. Pedzwater’s compositions were so brilliant I couldn’t sleep without adding my 10 shekels to them-and I did this under the radar with the notion of surprising Wayne with the final results upon completion. I have to say, I’ve never had this much fun in a studio layering my crazy antics over the brilliant bass-lines of a superstar who went on to play with Buddy Rich, Paul Simon, et al before he left us in 2005. But Wayne’s slap technique was impeccable and fortunately a match for my own double and triple tonguing prowess so I decorated (desecrated?) Wayne’s solo bass composition with flute, triple-tongue instru-vocal brass (happily synchronizing with Wayne’s triple-thumb slap technique), drums, maracas (to accentuate the triplets) plus a soul-wrenching vocal howl lead line that, for me, captured the emotion I was feeling once all the layers had been added. I still have tears in my eyes when I listen to this track and remember (when presenting this surprise “hybrid” arrangement to the baffled Pedzwater) Wayne’s first reaction which was….”You #$%^& $%^hole!!” But he said it with love and appreciation. There are many other Pedzwater-Stoloff hybrids but I love particularly love this one……

Song For Anthea

Drums, Vocals, flute, synth overdubs with the incredible Wayne Pedzwatre on electric bass.

Glide Stride

Drums, flute, vocals, synth overdubs with the amazing Wayne Pedzwatre on electric bass.

Space Shuttle

First tune I ever wrote, vocal version recorded by Vocal Summit.

Ooh Yah

Recorded around 1978, this is a vocal version of the famous trumpet trio feature written by Leroy Anderson. While I had the opp to play Trumpeter's Lullaby back in grade school, I missed the chance to play this classic. So I recorded kind of a a Spike Jones impression of it just for fun.

02. Bugler's Holiday - Bob Stoloff

Bob Stoloff is an accomplished musician and internationally renowned music educator. He has worked extensively as a conductor, clinician and ensemble adjudicator at jazz festivals, and seminars in the United States, Europe and South America. Upon graduating Berklee with a Bachelor in Music Education, Bob became an active multi-instrumental studio musician in the Boston area. It was during this time that he began to develop a keen interest in scat singing. Bob’s first performance opportunity as a vocal instrumentalist was touring throughout Europe with Vocal Summit , an a cappella group with an all-star line-up featuring Bobby McFerrin. Soon after that, Bob began a 28-year tenure as a Professor and Assistant Chair for Berklee's Voice Department. Bob is known around the world for his unique approach to vocal improvisation. Bobs eclectic approach to teaching voice includes traditional scat singing, group improvisation, “instru-vocal” articulation and body percussion. His successful career as an educator, performer and consultant has spanned decades, venues and collaboration with educators and musicians the world over. For more information about Bob, his books and the Bob Stoloff Vocal Jazz Academy can be found on his website: bobstoloffmusic.com.

Bob Stoloff

Popular tracks