Bob Mintzer

In 1969 he won a scholarship to attend his senior year of high school at the ‘Interlochen Arts Academy,’ in Michigan.

In 1970 he enrolled at the ‘Hartt College of Music’ in Hartford, Connecticut, where he studied classical clarinet but began attending a jazz music workshop newly created by Jackie McLean.

In 1973, at McLean’s own suggestion, he decided to move to New York City to get closer to the city’s fertile jazz community, and enrolled at the Manhattan School of Music.

In 1974 one of his classmates suggested him to Eumir Deodato; Bob thus joined Deodato on a world tour for an entire year.
That same year Mintzer began playing with Tito Puente‘s orchestra, which was on permanent tour in the New York area.

In 1975 he joined the Buddy Rich Big Band with whom he stayed for two and a half years playing virtually every night. Thanks to Buddy Rich’s confidence, Minter also began to compose for the big band. At the same time he also wrote for Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, with whom he also had a brief experience, and toured with Hubert Laws.

In 1977 Mintzer left Buddy Rich’s big band and settled in New York, where he continued to write and perform, also doing some free-lance experience both in the studio and with symphony orchestras, including on Broadway.

In 1978 he joined the big band of Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, and also became a member of Stone Alliance with Don Alias, Kenny Kirkland and Gene Perla.

In 1981 he joined Jaco Pastorius‘ Word of Mouth Band, in which he played tenor sax and bass clarinet. In this year he also made his first solo recordings for the Pony Canyon Label in Japan.

In 1983 he assembled a big band to play at “Seventh Avenue South,” a venue owned by Mike and Randy Brecker in New York City: at this venue he was heard by Tom Jung, who had just founded DMP Records, specializing in jazz music. The result was a recording partnership that lasted for 22 years and produced 13 records.

Kendor Music initiated a series of releases dedicated to Bob Mintzer: student and professional big bands around the world thus began to play the pieces of Mintzer, who in the meantime for 25 years joined the jazz department of the Manhattan School of Music.

Bob Mintzer joined the American Saxophone Quartet and played regularly with the New York Philharmonic, the American Ballet Theatre and the American Composers Orchestra. As a composer/arranger, he wrote for the St. Lukes Orchestra and for ABC, NBC and Academy Awards shows.

1990 was a pivotal year for Mintzer: he was asked by the Yellowjackets to record Greenhouse (nominated for best jazz album of 1992).

It was the beginning of a more than 20-year collaboration with one of the most highly regarded contemporary jazz groups: a group without a leader, in which each member is called upon in equal measure to compose, arrange, play and make decisions.

In 2010 he participated in drummer Billy Cobham‘s drum ‘n’ voice album 3, an album produced and arranged by Lino Nicolosi and Pino Nicolosi/ Nicolosi productions. During the fifth edition of the 2019 Cicognini International Prize, the committee presented a “Special Award” to maestro Bob Mintzer.