Bob Florence was a meaningful arranger, composer and pianist whose big bands were on par with the best of them in the late 1950s and beyond. Unfortunately, he didn't have a high enough profile for household recognition. Nevertheless, Florence's charts had the kick of a mule and plenty of swing. [Photo above of Bob Florence]
On June 15, 2008, a month after he passed away, his band got together at the Catalina Bar and Grill in Hollywood to pay tribute to their late leader. Here's the band playing Florence's Carmelo's by the Freeway, with Steve Huffsteter on the trumpet solo...
And here's an hour of the Florence band at Howard Rumsey's Concerts by the Sea as part of a Los Angeles Jazz Institute event in 2015, just months before Howard's passing...
You'll find my JazzWax interview with Howard Rumsey, go here.
